FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) – James Comer conceded the governor’s race in Kentucky on Friday, ending a tumultuous Republican primary and handing the nomination to Louisville businessman Matt Bevin.
In a morning news release, Comer said he called Bevin and conceded minutes after a Thursday review of the May 19 primary results showed Bevin maintained his 83-vote lead in one of the closest elections in state history. Comer delayed conceding publicly until the morning to give him time to contact some of his most important supporters.
Bevin has scheduled a 10 a.m. news conference at the Republican Party of Kentucky’s headquarters along with the other Republican nominees in November’s general election.
“Throughout the entire primary campaign, I grew to appreciate Matt Bevin’s knowledge of the issues, his work ethic, and his morals. Matt ran a clean campaign which focused on the issues important to Kentuckians,” Comer said. He predicted that Bevin will “stand up to the special interest groups” and fight corruption, and he offered Bevin his enthusiastic endorsement.
Comer’s statement appeared to be a rebuke of Republican candidate Hal Heiner, whom Comer blamed for spreading rumors about him abusing a former college girlfriend. After months of whispers, Marilyn Thomas took her story public in a letter to the Courier-Journal, where she said Comer physically and emotionally abused her. Comer emphatically denied those allegations, and invoked them to rally his supporters while painting Heiner as a dirty campaigner.