The top Democrat in the Kentucky Senate has been defeated by an opponent who successfully branded him an "Obama Liberal."
Senate Democrats saw their numbers dwindle Tuesday and lost their leader with the defeat of Senate Minority Leader R.J. Palmer of Winchester. The veteran lawmaker was ousted by Republican challenger Ralph Alvarado, a medical doctor, in a rematch from four years ago.
This was a nasty and bitter race almost from the start with the two trading barbs via widely played television ads. Palmer accused Alvarado of being a pill-pusher, while Alvarado frequently labeled the incumbent as "an Obama liberal."