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Bevin, Kentucky GOP Win Big On Tuesday

Timothy D. Easley, Associated Press

Republican Gov. Matt Bevin emerges as a clear winner in Tuesday's election, even though he wasn't on the Kentucky ballot.

The historic election saw the GOP seize control of the state House of Representatives for the first time in nearly a century.

Three months after declaring the election would be a referendum on Bevin and his policies, combative House Speaker Greg Stumbo was one of at least 16 incumbents to lose on Tuesday as the "Trump tide" swept across the state.

The victory means Republicans now control all Southern state legislatures, and it clears the path for Bevin to continue his aggressive overhaul of state government.

In other electoral news:

Appeals Court Judge Larry Van Meter has won election to the Kentucky Supreme Court.

Van Meter defeated fellow Appeals Court Judge Glenn Acree for the 5th District, which covers 11 counties in central Kentucky, including Fayette and Franklin. Van Meter will replace Justice Mary C. Noble, who did not run for re-election.

Van Meter spent more than $327,000 on his campaign, compared with the $19,500 Acree spent. Supreme Court seats are nonpartisan and justices serve eight-year terms.

The Supreme Court will likely settle several high profile cases next year involving Republican Gov. Matt Bevin. Bevin's decision to abolish and replace the boards at the University of Louisville and the Kentucky Retirement Systems has been challenged in court. Van Meter did not comment on those cases during his campaign.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Republican Donald Trump won Kentucky's eight electoral votes, eclipsing Democrat Hillary Clinton in a state that has voted for the GOP nominee in every presidential election since 2000. Results of exit polling show Trump picked up support among voters of all ages in a state with a struggling coal-mining industry — where the economy was identified as the most pressing issue.

Here's a look at some voters' views, according to results of exit polling conducted in Kentucky for The Associated Press and the television networks:

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IT'S THE ECONOMY, FOLKS

In a state with a hard-hit coal-mining industry, about 5 in 10 voters said the economy was the most important issue confronting the nation. Terrorism, immigration and foreign policy took a distant backseat in many voters' minds. Of those who saw economic worries as most pressing, voters split into two large blocs among Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton.

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A PRESIDENT WHO BRINGS ABOUT NEEDED CHANGE?

For more than half of Kentucky voters, a president who can bring about "needed change" was the single most important quality they sought out in a candidate. And of that group, nearly 9 in 10 voted for Trump.

Lagging far behind as the foremost issue for voters: experience, good judgment and a president "who cares about people like me." Yet of the fraction of Kentucky voters who said experience was the most important quality, 9 in 10 voted for Clinton.

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WHO VOTED FOR WHO?

Voters of all ages from 18 to 65 and over largely favored Trump. A predominantly white voting bloc also went nearly 7 in 10 for Trump while among those identifying themselves as non-white, three-quarters cast ballots for Clinton.

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The survey of 1,099 voters was conducted for AP and the television networks by Edison Research. This includes results from interviews conducted as voters left a random sample of 20 precincts statewide Tuesday. Results for the full sample were subject to sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points; it is higher for subgroups.

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