Votes have started to come in for the governor's race in Kentucky, which has been cast as a showdown between an unpopular governor and an unpopular party. The Republican incumbent, Matt Bevin, has focused his campaign on his alignment with President Trump and his opposition to impeachment, with the president holding a rally on Monday in Lexington to reciprocate the support. The Democratic challenger, Andy Beshear, the state's attorney general, has been buoyed by the governor's diminished popularity — Mr. Bevin is among the least popular governors in the country.

Mr. Bevin's approval has plummeted over cuts in government services he pushed for and his brash handling of a teacher walkout, calling protestors "selfish" and "ignorant," and blaming them for hypothetical sexual assaults and the actual shooting of a 7-year-old girl. Still, it remains to be seen if that can build enough momentum for Mr. Beshear to overcome the influence of Mr. Trump's popularity in Kentucky.