Four more years: Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat in a red state, wins another term

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who is set to remain in office for four more years, said his election win sends "a loud and clear message" about the Bluegrass State.

Voters rejected PACs that had aired ads "full of hate and division," said Beshear, the only Democrat to win a statewide race Tuesday in deep-red Kentucky. And instead, he said, they rallied around "a clear statement that anger politics should end right here and right now."

"Kentucky made a choice — a choice not to move to the right or to the left, but to move forward for every single family," Beshear said Tuesday night at the Democrats' election party in Louisville. "A choice to reject Team R or Team D and to state clearly that we are one Team Kentucky."

Beshear defeated Daniel Cameron, his Republican challenger who has spent the past four years as the state's attorney general. Beshear received support from 53% of voters, racking up 693,370 votes to Cameron's 626,196 total.

Cameron conceded at 9:15 p.m., thanking supporters and encouraging them to pray for Beshear as he keeps the seat in 2024 and beyond.

"This was about future generations," Cameron said. "... We all want the same thing for our future generations. We want a better commonwealth." Speaking Wednesday following his win, Beshear said Cameron was kind in the concession.

"I think the people of the Commonwealth of Kentucky said last night I was doing a pretty good job, and we're going to make sure we continue to do it," Beshear added. "... I'm going to serve every single day these next four years. This job will have my sole attention."

Beshear was first elected in 2019 after previously serving as Kentucky’s attorney general. He has been the only Democrat elected to statewide office throughout his time as governor, a status he'll keep in 2024 and beyond.

The two candidates had clashed throughout the campaign, with bitter divisions over Beshear's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic (as attorney general, Cameron opposed many of the governor's measures) and on issues including the economy and abortion rights — Cameron was never clear on whether he personally opposed exceptions to Kentucky's ban for rape and incest, while Beshear's campaign ran an ad in September centered around a 21-year-old woman recounting a pregnancy caused by a family member who raped her when she was 12.

Beshear thanked that woman, Hadley Duvall, for sharing her story during his speech Tuesday night on behalf of "so many that couldn't speak for themselves.

"Because of her courage, this commonwealth is going to be a better place and people are going to reach out for the help they need," he said.

Cameron and Beshear took part in five debates leading up to Tuesday's election, with Beshear framing his opponent as "the most partisan candidate we have seen in a long time" and Cameron, a protégé of U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, describing the race as one that pits "crazy vs. normal."

Beshear led in most polls throughout the campaign. After edging former Gov. Matt Bevin by about 5,000 votes in 2019, he built popularity in the state as he led Kentucky through the pandemic as well as the aftermath of the 2021 tornadoes in Western Kentucky and 2022 flooding that devastated the eastern portion of the state. Those two regions were key for Beshear in building a bigger lead than he'd enjoyed four years earlier, and the governor was dominant in metro areas like Louisville and Lexington.

Still, his perceived advantage tightened toward Election Day. While an aggregation of polls at fivethirtyeight.com has had Beshear in the lead for most of the summer and fall, a poll released four days before the election by Emerson College Polling found the two were in a dead heat.

Cameron worked to tie his opponent to President Joe Biden, an unpopular figure in Kentucky, while touting his endorsement from former President Donald Trump, who took part in a tele-rally Monday night for the GOP. In turn, Beshear tried to promote a message that Kentucky voters are familiar with him and his "Team Kentucky" bipartisan track record.

Biden called Beshear on Tuesday to congratulate him on the win, according to the White House press office. Trump, meanwhile, said Cameron "lost because he couldn't alleviate the stench of Mitch McConnell" in a Wednesday post on his Truth Social platform.

Groups that had supported Beshear in the campaign were quick to celebrate Tuesday night.

Chris Hartman, executive director of the pro-LGBTQ+ advocacy group the Fairness Campaign, said the election was "a resounding victory for LGBTQ Kentuckians, and especially transgender kids, who were forced to bear the brunt of attacks not just from the Kentucky General Assembly, but also by Daniel Cameron, who sought to score cheap political points with anti-trans attack ads and harmful rhetoric."

Kentucky Education Association President Eddie Campbell, meanwhile, said Beshear's win "serves notice that Kentuckians value our public schools and strongly support our public school educators.” Cameron had worked to win teachers' votes during the campaign, as that group came out in force against Bevin in 2019.

And Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg congratulated Beshear in a social media post, calling the victory "a huge win for our city and Commonwealth."

Beshear was all smiles at noon Wednesday in his first press conference since winning reelection, pledging to raise pay for teachers and state employees and to work to attract new businesses to Kentucky. Without the option of seeking a third term in 2027, he said, "my only goal is to get the right things done."

"Today, we are back here at the Capitol getting back to work," Beshear told reporters in Frankfort. "It is time to get more big things done for our families."

Reporter Matt Glowicki contributed. Reach Lucas Aulbach at laulbach@courier-journal.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky election results: Governor Andy Beshear beats Daniel Cameron