Kentucky Governor's Race Is Lingering Reminder of Kim Davis

Kentucky voters will elect a new governor today and their choice is between Democratic Attorney General Jack Conway (pictured above, right) and Republican Kim Davis supporter Matt Bevin, who are neck-and-neck front runners according to The Washington Post.

Incumbent Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear, who is still locked in a court battle with the antigay Rowan County clerk, is not eligible to run for re-election to a third term because of term limits.

During his campaign, Bevin was reported to have planned to emphasize economic issues, but according to the newspaper he found voters preferred to discuss social issues including marriage equality and funding Planned Parenthood, both of which he is against. "I hear more about those now as I'm out on the campaign trail than I do about anything else," he reportedly said. "This is what moves people."

Conway, on the other hand, is so staunchly pro-marriage, Kentucky's former top lawman got choked up when announcing in 2014 that he would not appeal a federal judge's order recognizing same-sex marriages performed out of state. "If I did so I would be defending discrimination. That I will not do," Conway said, which you can watch in the video below.

Bevin visited Kentucky clerk Davis in jail, where she spent time this summer for refusing to grant marriage licenses to any couples, citing personal religious beliefs against same-sex marriage. Bevin's support for Davis became a tentpole of his campaign strategy: he recently handed out postcards that described him as "the only candidate for governor that has stood up for traditional marriage and religious liberty," according to The Washington Post.

According to the paper, polls show Conway still has a majority of support, but the numbers are close. Davis, meanwhile, remains in office in Rowan County, and is not up for reelection this year. According to recent poll numbers, Kentucky residents are almost evenly divided on whether she should be removed.