Beshear elected Kentucky governor but could face recount

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear, a Democrat who campaigned in part on a pledge to push for casino gambling, narrowly won the state’s gubernatorial election Tuesday, defeating the anti-gambling incumbent Matt Bevin, but the close outcome may lead to a recount or more, and anti-gambling forces remain in control of the state’s legislature.

The gubernatorial election was being closely watched by gambling interests in the state, including racetracks, which in Kentucky have poured money into the establishment of gambling parlors for the operation of historical horse racing machines, devices that are similar to slot machines. Given the racing industry’s political clout in the state, any bill to establish full-blown casinos is expected to favor racetracks in the awarding of casino licenses.

Not withstanding a possible recount, the state’s Senate and General Assembly are controlled by Republicans, and leadership of the party has said that there are not enough votes to pass casino gambling legislation while they are in control. There also is ongoing debate in the state about whether the approval of casino gambling would need a constitutional amendment, which would require a state referendum.

Preliminary election returns showed that Beshear prevailed by 4,658 votes, in a race that drew more than 1.4 million votes. Down slate, the other races on the ballot went decidedly to Republicans. Bevin is a Republican who is most closely identified with religious and Tea Party principles.

Churchill Downs Inc. has been particularly aggressive in the past two years in establishing gambling parlors. Late last year, the company opened a gambling parlor at its Trackside training center in Louisville and received a license to build a new harness track and gambling parlor in Oak Grove; one month ago, it bought Turfway Park in order to install as many as 2,500 machines at the location; and last week, the company announced plans to build a hotel and gambling parlor at its Churchill Downs racetrack.

All of the other racetracks in the state already operate gambling parlors. Kentucky Downs announced several weeks ago that it plans to completely renovate its own gambling parlor to better compete with the new casino in Oak Grove.

◗ In other election news, a referendum in Colorado that would allow the state’s 33 casinos to offer sports betting was too close to call on Wednesday morning. Sports betting has been rapidly expanding across the United States since a Supreme Court decision in May of last year cleared the way for states to authorize the practice.