For Northern Kentucky, tolls don’t explain election results. Expanded gaming does.

Another election has come and gone and, as we politicos and the media are apt to do, the post mortems have begun. In the end, it was actually a good day to be a Republican. The GOP’s candidates won five of the six contests for constitutional office in Kentucky and held the two House seats up for special election. All but one race was won by a large margin. Of course, most of the focus goes to the top of the ticket and the gubernatorial race, as it should. Theories, accusations, conjecture and finger pointing from the defeated rule the day. National media outlets and pundits point (erroneously) to the loss at the top and extrapolate a sea change in the voting patterns of Kentuckians, while ignoring the rest of the results.

Much speculation has centered on how Northern Kentucky voted in the governor’s race. Attorney General Beshear won both Kenton and Campbell counties, and narrowly lost Boone County. While many have weighed in on why, I would like to add my voice to the crowd. As a native Northern Kentuckian, an elected official and a lifelong student of campaigns and elections, I think I may be able to discuss and explain to the rest of the state what I believe happened in the governor’s race.

In our sound bite world where everyone needs to have a hot take, it is easy to point to one thing as a cause. In this case, Gov. Bevin’s statement on tolling a new Brent Spence bridge is usually considered the culprit for the poor results. That statement was made in a debate at Northern Kentucky University six days before the election. I believe strongly that people all across the state had already formed their opinion of the governor and that his position on tolling did not cause the loss up here.

I believe strongly that the distinguishing factor that resulted in the Beshear victory in our region is the issue of expanded gambling. All politics is local and that issue is truly a big deal in the northern three counties. As I sit at my computer and type, I could get in my car and drive to four different casinos within 45 minutes. For over a decade I’ve heard from my constituents how frustrating it is that we are surrounded by casinos that are regularly visited by Kentuckians. They have a very valid point, after all those tax dollars could be educating our kids and building our roads, rather than those in Indiana and Ohio. My constituents cannot understand what is taking so long for Frankfort to “finally figure it out” and allow adult Kentuckians to make adult decisions on where they would like to spend their entertainment dollars. Additional evidence to prove this theory is that General Beshear is not the only Democrat to carry extremely Republican Northern Kentucky. Our region helped deliver the governor’s office to his father, also a supporter of expanded gambling. This is not a coincidence.

Two things to note about Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties. First, those three counties have the highest percentage of registered independents of any of the 120 counties in Kentucky. Second, Frankfort has been historically disconnected from Northern Kentucky. As a region, we have figured out how to succeed without help — although sometimes with hindrance — from state government for years. This only fuels our independent streak.

This year I filed a bill to allow sports wagering in Kentucky. I will file the bill once again when the 2020 Regular Session begins, and I am very optimistic that it will pass. Since the United States Supreme Court ruled last year that a federal law restricting the states’ ability to offer sports wagering was unconstitutional, 19 states have legalized sports wagering, including Indiana, Illinois, West Virginia and Tennessee.

I look forward to working with Governor-elect Beshear, Republicans and Democrats toward passing this legislation. I know that there will be many people in Northern Kentucky, and across the state, that will be happy to see Kentucky keeping up with the rest of the nation in this area.

Rep. Adam Koenig represents the 69th House District in the Kentucky General Assembly, which includes portions of Boone and Kenton counties. Koenig chairs the House Licensing and Occupations Committee and serves as a ranking member of the House Banking and Insurance, Local Government, and Small Business and Information Technology committees.