Departing Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R) claimed on Wednesday that he lost his reelection bid to Gov.-elect Andy Beshear (D) because those on the left are “getting so good at harvesting votes in the urban communities.”
“They were able to go into urban communities where people are densely populated on college campuses and in public housing projects,” Bevin told local radio host Brian Thomas on 55KRC.
The governor drew a binary between the two groups, arguing that they’re “at both ends of the socioeconomic spectrum” with “different levels of education attainment” and “of different race.”
“The reality is that doesn’t matter,” Bevin said. “What seems to matter is people that are densely populated are harvested by the left for votes in ways that the right just doesn’t understand.”
Vote “harvesting” refers to the practice of political groups tracking which voters have not yet submitted their absentee ballot and then approaching the voters to collect and deliver the ballots on their behalf. The operation is illegal in some states, but not Kentucky.
He warned that conservatives need to “find some counterpoint” or else “you’re going to continue to see these types of surprises that defy logic,” referring to his defeat.
Bevin had initially refused to concede the race after Beshear’s narrow victory on November 5, claiming there had been “irregularities” in the voting process. He called for a re-canvassing, then gave up the following week.
Listen to Bevin’s interview here (his comments begin at the 107:20 timestamp).
