Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin is losing to two different Democratic opponents ahead of his reelection bid next year, according to a Mason-Dixon poll released on Tuesday.
Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear and State House Minority Leader Rocky Adkins, both Democrats, have already announced they will run for governor. Beshear has a 48 percent to 40 percent advantage over Bevin among registered voters, with 12 percent undecided, while Adkins has a slight 42 percent to 41 percent lead, with 17 percent undecided.
Bevin has only a 38 percent approval rating among registered voters, while 53 percent disapprove. Last year, he was viewed favorably by a 45-41 percent margin.
However, the pollsters pointed out it is not unusual for Republican candidates to be behind in the early stages of elections in Kentucky, as Bevin also trailed his Democratic opponent for much of the 2015 race, but was able to come back and win in the final weeks, as did Sen. Mitch McConnell in his two most recent reelection campaigns
The Hill also pointed out that Bevin, who has cast himself as an ally of President Donald Trump, could be boosted by an endorsement from the president, who won Kentucky by nearly 30 points in 2016 and remains popular in the state.
Registered Kentucky voters view Trump favorably by a 46 percent to 37 percent margin, with 17 percent saying they are neutral.
The poll surveyed 625 registered Kentucky voters from December 12-15 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent.
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