2015 was another year of stalemate in Washington, with Republicans largely conceding to the President on spending issues.
The Presidential primary campaigns are well underway. Establishment favorites Jeb Bush, John Kasich, and Chris Christie quickly tanked. The race appears to be down to three candidates. Donald Trump is conservative on immigration but moderate on most other issues. He has a unique style that cuts through the media filter but also misses key facts and unnecessarily offends many. Ted Cruz is a solid anti-establishment conservative who has run a shrewd campaign and has good shot at the nomination. Marco Rubio is trying to bridge the gap between conservatives and the establishment, but will be hampered by his work on the Gang of Eight amnesty bill.
Meanwhile, there was one significant conservative victory at the state level. In Kentucky, Matt Bevin was elected Governor. Bevin is a businessman who in 2014 challenged Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in the 2014 primary. He lost, but put up a strong showing that gained him a following around the state. In 2015, he ran for governor, and barely won a three-way primary against two less conservative candidates. He was considered the underdog against democrat Attorney General Jack Conway, a position supported by polls that showed him trailing. But on election day, Bevin won by a nine-point margin.
Bevin campaigned on eliminating Kentucky's Obamacare exchange and Medicaid expansion, ending Common Core, passing Right to Work, and other conservative priorities. He will have the opportunity to implement many conservative reforms in a state that has mostly been run by democrats for generations. He is already working to flip the democrat-controlled state house in 2016.
Matt Bevin showed that conservatives can win without compromising their principles if they run good candidates with good campaigns. He is 2015's conservative of the year.
Previous winners (including retroactive):
2014: Dave Brat
2013: Jeff Sessions
2012: Ted Cruz
2011: Scott Walker
2010: Jim DeMint
2009: Glenn Beck
2008: Sarah Palin
2007: Ron Paul
2006: Jerome Corsi
2005: Tom Tancredo
2004: John O'Neill
2003: Roy Moore
2002: John Ashcroft
2001: George W. Bush
2000: William Rehnquist
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