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Wife Loses Bid To Replace Kentucky Lawmaker Who Shot Self
By: Associated Press
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The wife of a Kentucky lawmaker who killed himself last year after facing sexual assault allegations has lost a special election to fulfill the remainder of her husband’s term.
Unofficial results from the Bullitt County clerk’s office show Democrat Linda Belcher soundly defeated Republican Rebecca Johnson. Belcher won with 68.4 percent of the unofficial vote.
Republican Dan Johnson killed himself in December, days after the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting published an on-the-record account from a woman who said Johnson sexually assaulted her in his basement when she was a teenager.
Less than 24 hours after Johnson’s death, his wife announced she would run to replace him in the legislature. Rebecca Johnson said her husband was innocent, a victim of “an assault from the left.”
Belcher is a retired teacher and a former state legislator who held the seat for six years previously.