LEXINGTON, Ky. _ A Republican House candidate who was denounced by his own party for offensive online comments beat an incumbent Democrat in a state House race.
According to unofficial results, Dan Johnson beat Democrat Linda Belcher by only a few hundred votes. Johnson had 9,342 votes compared with Belcher, who had 9,182 with 100 percent of precincts reporting.
Johnson refused the Republican Party's request to quit the race for House District 49, after his social media comments came into question.
The Republican Party of Kentucky sent Johnson a public letter asking him to withdraw from the race after Johnson came under criticism for posting images depicting President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama as apes. He also posted several images that disparaged Muslims.
Johnson, the bishop of Heart of Fire Church in Louisville, said his posts were meant to be satire and that he is not racist.
He later made his Facebook account private. It now displays images of him with diverse religious leaders and Republican President-elect Donald Trump.
