The 2019 off-year election took place on November 5th, including the regular governor elections for Kentucky, Louisiana, and Mississippi and state legislative elections in Louisiana, Mississippi, Virginia, and New Jersey.

In the Kentucky governor’s race, Democrat Andy Beshear, with running mate Jacqueline Colemen, beat Republican incumbent Matt Bevins by only 5,189 votes out of the total 1.4 million reportedly cast.

While Beshear has pressed ahead with transition plans into office, Bevins has requested a formal review of vote totals. His campaign formally requested a recanvass on November 6th, citing an “election too close to call and multiple reports of voting irregularities.

Bevins also criticized Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, who commented in an earlier interview, “I feel confident in declaring Andy Beshear Gov.-elect Beshear,” despite Bevins’ recanvassing request.

Grimes was also responsible for the recanvassing, which happened on Nov. 14th, where the vote totals from each Kentucky county were reviewed to find Beshear victorious as the 63rd governor of Kentucky by 5136 votes.

In Virginia, Democrats gained control of both the House of Delegates and the State Senate and retained control of the governor position, a monumental trifecta that has not happened since 1994. As the most expensive and widely watched legislative race in years and with officials reporting an usually high turnout, Virginia’s Democratic win sets a precedent for possible Democratic takeover in the upcoming 2020 election.

As for Louisiana, incumbent governor John Bel Edwards won reelection against Republican businessman Eddie Rispone, remaining as the only Democrat governor in the Deep South.

By campaigning as a conservative Democrat who supported restrictions to abortion rights as well as Medicaid expansion, along with raising a 500 million dollar annual surplus in his previous time in office, Edwards shows that moderate Democrats can still win office in predominately Republican states.

With the pivotal 2020 presidential elections coming up, 2019 election results set a precedent for a possible shift in party power in the following year.

Junior Sakshi Lende comments, “The 2020 election is probably going to be swayed to the Democrats anyway because of Trump’s actions that might have some reproductions on America’s future that some people aren’t looking forward to.”

Even through the 2019 election, Democrats are still campaigning for a chance to go against Trump in the 2020 election. The Democratic primaries next year is sure to have a big impact on the future of the American government.