Three Elections To Watch Next Tuesday

Virginia
Democrats are two seats away from taking the state house and one seat away from taking the state senate. The odds are good. The governorship is not up this year. With the power to redistrict the state after the 2020 Census hanging in the balance, campaign money has been flowing into the races, with Democrats far out-raising Republicans.

The results here next Tuesday will be considered a bellwether for other down-ballot Democrats in other states for 2020.

Kentucky
Republican incumbent Governor Matt Bevin, said to be the most unpopular governor in the nation, appears to be trailing his Democratic opponent Andy Beshear, the son of Steve Beshear, the last Democratic governor of Kentucky whom Matt Bevin defeated four years ago. So this race is something of a grudge match.

The fact that Bevin has lashed himself to Donald Trump may also make this governor race something of a bellwether for 2020. Bevin, who was down by 9 points in August, reframed the race as an opportunity for Kentucky voters to bark back at the impeachment inquiry in Washington. Will that attempt to nationalize Kentucky politics work? Dunno. But I'll sure as hell be watching.

Jim Hood and Tate Reeves

Mississippi
The governor race between Democrat Jim Hood, currently the state's attorney general and the only statewide elected Democrat in Mississippi, and Republican Tate Reeves, currently the lieutenant governor, has been a punch-fest of dirty tricks (your standard letters to black voters telling them they're not registered to vote and will be arrested) and nasty TV ads. Both candidates have accused the other of being unethical. Objectively, they may both be correct.

Every time he appears on TV, the Democrat appears to have more marbles in his mouth and shoots more guns at beer bottles. The Republican, for his part, crawls ever farther up Trump's ass. Twitterman, in fact, will appear in Mississippi tonight at a bragging rally nominally meant to benefit Tate Reeves.

I can't bring myself to much care who wins the race, but if it happens to be Jim Hood, then the national press is going to make something of it. I probably will too.