(14 Nov 2019) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus126751

Republican Gov. Matt Bevin conceded to Democratic archnemesis Andy Beshear on Thursday, putting an end to Kentucky's bitterly fought governor's race.
Bevin, an ally of President Donald Trump, made the dramatic announcement outside his statehouse office on the same day election officials across Kentucky double-checked vote totals at his request.
Bevin, who trailed by several thousand votes, acknowledged that the recanvass wouldn't change the outcome.
Members of Bevin's administration watched solemnly as the pugnacious governor graciously wished Beshear — the state's attorney general — well in his new role.
It capped a nearly four-year rivalry that overshadowed Kentucky politics.
Beshear, wielding his authority as the state's top lawyer, challenged a series of Bevin's executive actions during their terms.
Their feud spread to the campaign trail and a series of bare-knuckled debates this year.
Bevin, however, faced a growing chorus of state Republicans urging him to accept the results of the recanvass unless he could point to evidence of substantial voter fraud.
Beshear, the son of a former two-term Kentucky governor, had already declared victory and has been preparing to become governor in December.
The Kentucky contest was watched closely for early signs of how the impeachment furor in Washington might affect Trump and other Republicans heading into the 2020 election.
Bevin railed against the impeachment inquiry and illegal immigration in trying to nationalize the race, while Beshear kept his focus on state issues such as education, health care and pensions.
Beshear's upset win gives Democrats a victory in a state that had been trending heavily toward Republican in recent years.

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