The November 2019 elections are now history, so let the tradition of mainstream media histrionics ensue. Yes, Democrats winning control of the Virginia legislature is a big story and one signaling the transformation of a Republican stronghold into what can be considered a Blue state. Yes, President Trump’s last-minute rally was not enough to salvage the re-election campaign of Republican Gov. Matt Bevin of Kentucky. But there were other developments the media is not covering that are significant.
The Other Kentucky Results
First, back to Kentucky. The defeat of Bevin (who has not conceded) is not that shocking considering he ranked second from the bottom on Morning Consult’s Governor Approval Rankings and was disliked within his own party. In fact, his loss was the outlier as the GOP won five other statewide offices and four by double-digit margins.
History, however, was made in the attorney general race. The election of Republican Daniel Cameron represents the first time in state history an African American has held the office and the first Republican to hold the seat in more than 70 years.
Among the issues on which Cameron ran was immigration enforcement, namely preventing Kentucky from becoming a sanctuary state and ran an ad saying he would work with police to stop illegal aliens and drug trafficking.
Sanctuary Initiative Too Radical for Liberal Tucson
In the so-called “welcoming city” of Tucson, Arizona, voters soundly defeated Proposition 205, a ballot initiative backed by immigrant rights activists to make it the state’s first sanctuary city.
The proposal clearly stated its goal was to “establish sanctuary policies,” in part by restricting cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and restricting officers’ authority to “contact federal agencies to determine status; and limit joint law enforcement operations between Tucson police and federal agencies.”
Voters sent an equally clear message – rejecting it with a 71 percent majority. The outcome shows Arizona remains a purple state in which voters have limits on their tolerance for illegal immigration.
New Jersey Provides Glimmers of Hope
Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy has made it a priority to follow the lead of California in terms of granting benefits to illegal aliens and creating a sanctuary for them, but there were some important developments on Tuesday.
Voters in Sussex County voted more than two-to-one in favor of a ballot question concerning cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials. Residents of the traditionally Republican county were asked whether they wanted to “cooperate with and make reasonably available” to ICE agents “the tools, resources, personnel, and real, personal and intellectual property owned by the county, under its direct control.”
While it is a non-binding resolution, the Sussex County freeholders said it would serve as a go-ahead to support the county’s sheriff if he is challenged in court for not abiding by the Immigrant Trust Directive, an executive order limiting cooperation with ICE.
In Monmouth County, Sheriff Shaun Golden easily won a fourth term by defeating Democrat Raymond Dothard by 20 percentage points (60.1 percent to 39.9 percent). His re-election is a victory for immigration enforcement advocates because he is one of a handful of Garden State sheriffs publicly ignoring Grewal’s unconstitutional Immigrant Trust Directive and a subsequent order barring 287(g) agreements with ICE.
Lastly, Republicans gained seats in the State Assembly, which will be important when the state legislature takes up a bill giving driver’s licenses to illegal aliens. The issue has proven to be divisive within the Democratic caucus, so it was pushed aside out of fear of electoral fallout.
