U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said it was "inevitable" Republicans would take control of the Kentucky House of Representatives, the last legislative chamber in the South still controlled by Democrats.
McConnell spoke with reporters briefly following a private meeting with Gov. Matt Bevin at the state Capitol. Bevin is just the second Republican Kentucky governor in more than four decades.
McConnell has the daunting task of trying to preserve the Republican majority in the U.S. Senate this fall. But he said he has been recruiting candidates for Kentucky's state House elections for months.
Democrats have a 50-46 advantage in the House after four lawmakers resigned and two Democrats switched parties. Democratic House Speaker Greg Stumbo told The Courier-Journal the state Democratic Party is considering suing lawmakers who switched parties.
Bevin called Stumbo's comments "embarrassing" and said it shows Democrats are desperate.
Four House seats will be determined during a March 8 special election. All 100 House seats will be up for re-election in November.
