Kim Davis, the county clerk for Rowan County, Kentucky who made national headlines by refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples despite a federal court order, has lost her re-election bid in a sweet victory for advocates of equal rights for people of all sexual orientations.
LEX18 News called the election for Caudill at 54.1% to Davis’ 45.9% and said that Davis had called him to congratulate him on his win.
BREAKING: Kim Davis – the clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to gay couples in 2015 – just lost her seat. @LEX18News pic.twitter.com/dAnpFpJxFl
— Karolina Buczek (@Karolina_Buczek) November 7, 2018
Davis became a right-wing folk hero when she refused to issue marriage licenses “under God’s authority,” a stunt that gained her conservative notoriety, but earned her a five-day stint in prison for contempt of court. Davis was eventually released after agreeing not to interfere with the issuance of licenses to same-sex couples. She later modified the licenses issued by her office so that her name did not appear on them.
Davis’ loss today can only be seen as a repudiation of her bigotry against the LGBTQ community and the widespread acceptance of same-sex marriage, now as American as apple pie.
While it’s still too early to know if the anticipated blue wave will actually materialize, the ouster of Davis in deep red Kentucky gives Democrats cause for optimism as the results begin to roll in.
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