FRANKFORT — Republicans scored big Tuesday night in a special state senate election in which Jimmy Higdon defeated Democrat Jody Haydon 11,327 to 8,881 despite being heavily outspent in a 2-1 Democratic district.

Higdon’s win was a big blow to Gov. Steve Beshear and proponents of expanded gambling who counted on a Haydon victory to further narrow the Republican margin in the state Senate. Beshear created the election opportunity by appointing Republican Sen. Dan Kelly to the bench and calling the special election for the 14th District which covers Marion, Mercer, Nelson, Taylor and Washington counties. Higdon’s win gives Republicans a 20-17 edge with one independent who usually votes with Republicans.

Meanwhile, Republican Jill York defeated Democrat Barry Webb in a special election for the 96th House District. York polled 2,545 votes to Webb’s 1,663 in the district covering Carter and Lewis counties and previously represented by Robin Webb who won an Aug. 25th special election to fill the seat vacated by Charlie Borders’ appointment by Beshear to the Public Service Commission.

But Higdon’s win was the big news Tuesday night after Haydon vastly outspent Higdon and a 527 group, Keep Our Jobs in Kentucky which was funded largely by horse interests, backed Haydon. Democrats pinned their hopes on Haydon to narrow the Republican margin in the Senate and perhaps topple Senate President David Williams, R-Burkesville, who has opposed Beshear’s proposals for expanded gambling.

Haydon raised over $500,000 for the race while Higdon reported just over $134,000 raised in the most recent reporting period but that doesn’t include what the two raised in the last days of the campaign or what was spent by outside groups..

Higdon and Republicans nationalized the race, running ads on television trying to link Haydon to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and promising Higdon would fight health care reforms which would “put the government between you and your doctor.”

“The race at times almost took on a national character,” Higdon said because of the heavy media advertising and heavy spending. About health care, Higdon said, “Even though it’s a national issue, it’s on the minds of my constituents.”

“Clearly, the national issues are what delivered this election to Jimmy Higdon today,” said U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell Tuesday night in a phone interview from Washington. He compared the race to the 1994 special election which sent Ron Lewis to Congress from Kentucky’s Second District, one in which – like Tuesday’s Higdon-Haydon match-up – Democrats easily outspent the Republican who won anyway.

Beshear also thought national issues were critical to Higdon’s win.

“The Republican Party was successful in their efforts to nationalize the race,” Beshear said in a statement shortly after the outcome became clear. His prepared statement did not mention gambling and he said he would.

McConnell and state Republican Party Chairman Steve Robertson saw Higdon’s win as a major blow for Beshear, however.

“No amount of money can subvert the will of the people,” said Robertson. He said voters in the district were “extremely frustrated” with Washington D.C. and “they understood what would happen in Frankfort with one-party rule.” He said Beshear’s apparent reversal on allowing voters to decide a constitutional amendment on expanding gambling also helped Higdon’s cause. Beshear campaigned in 2007 on an amendment to authorize free standing casinos but says his measure to allow slots at the tracks does not require an amendment.

Robertson said Higdon may have been outspent as much as 5-to-1 when all the money is tallied from the campaign, likely the most expensive state Senate campaign in the state’s history. Even so, Democrats couldn’t take back the seat held by Kelly for nearly 20 years in a district where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1.

Higdon won every county except Haydon’s home county of Nelson where he lost to the Democrat 3,840 to 2,982. But Higdon won 2-1 in his home county of Marion and in Taylor County while winning Mercer and Washington by easy margins.

Despite the dismal weather, 24 percent of registered voters turned out in the senate race, a relatively good turnout for a special election in early December when no other races are on the ballot.

In the 96th House race, businesswoman Jill York easily defeated union member Barry Webb. Lewis County Republican Chairman Ben Harrison said York ran on issues important to her district, especially jobs and eschewed negative advertising.

York said jobs were the top issue but turnout was key in the special election which drew only 14 percent of registered voters to the polls.

RONNIE ELLIS writes for CNHI News Service and is based in Frankfort. Reach him at rellis@cnhi.com. Follow CNHI News Service stories on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cnhifrankfort.