The 2023 Gubernatorial election is officially in the books as Governor Andy Beshear beat out competitor Daniel Cameron. Cameron ran a strong campaign, especially after receiving the endorsement of former president Donald Trump, but that was not enough to beat out the wave of support Beshear has received during his time in office. Beshear took home the win, receiving about 67,000 more total votes than Cameron (694,167 to 627,086) (as well as 178 write-ins, I might add), But this win for Beshear was projected since the start.
For some background on Daniel Cameron, he was born in Texas but moved to Elizabethtown as a child. Cameron grew up in Kentucky and enrolled at the University of Louisville to study law. Cameron became a legal clerk for U.S. District Judge Gregory F. Van Tatenhove, for whom he worked for 2 years before becoming legal counsel for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, again for 2 years. Cameron was a finalist for Donald Trump’s 2020 Supreme Court nominees, all before his run for Kentucky’s Attorney General in 2019, where he won with 57.7 percent of the vote, becoming Kentucky’s first ever African American elected to the position, as well as the first Republican to hold the office since 1943.
During Cameron’s term as Attorney General, he held a slight focus on abortion laws in Kentucky. He called for a ban on the procedure during the pandemic, arguing that it fell under the label of “elective medical procedure” which was under a statewide ban during the pandemic. Cameron was successful in getting this approved by legislature, giving him the power to regulate abortion clinics, but this was vetoed by Governor Beshear.
Cameron’s most infamous decision as Attorney General was in the case of Breonna Taylor. Cameron appointed his own office as the prosecution for the case, which came 6 months after the initial murder. The prosecution landed on the verdict that the 2 officers who fired at and killed Breonna Taylor were not to be charged with any wrongdoing, as it was decided that the use of force in this situation was valid. The prosecution did end up charging a third officer with Wanton Endangerment after he fired a bullet into a neighboring home. The prosecution’s decision sparked outrage in the community, state, and entire country as countless celebrities called out Cameron on the decision, as well as numerous protests happening outside of Cameron’s home in Louisville.
Both of these actions fall into a commonly seen right-wing viewpoint, which earned Cameron the support needed for the nomination as the Republican Candidate. Beshear, however, maintained the unwavering support of many Kentuckians. During Beshear’s first term as Governor, he received a generationally high approval rating, which was very important in this election, as Beshear was able to swing previously republican voters. Most of this came from Beshear’s work with relief during the natural disasters that struck both Western and Eastern Kentucky throughout his term. It is also important to mention Beshear’s work in handling the pandemic as it struck in 2020 and maintained its numbers throughout over half of this term.
Earlier in his life, before becoming the Governor, Beshear studied anthropology at Vanderbilt University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts. He then attended and graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law. Beshear worked at his father’s Law Firm, Sites and Harbison, where he represented the Bluegrass Pipeline project, which transported natural gas liquid through the state.
Beshear started out his political career as Attorney General for Kentucky, where he succeeded Democrat Jack Conway, who could no longer run due to term limits. Throughout Beshear’s term, he and Governor Matt Bevin Butted heads often. Beshear had sued Bevin multiple times over the course of this term over budget cuts and the overhaul of the University of Louisville board of trustees. Beshear would eventually announce his candidacy for Governor in July of 2018, running against Bevin and winning a close race, (49.20%-48.83%). As previously mentioned, Beshear’s term was filled with tragedy for the state, as it was hit with natural disasters as well as the pandemic. All of this helped Beshear in the long run though. Through his thorough work in aiding those affected, Beshear gained the trust and support of many Kentuckians, which earned him the win this time around, bringing together Democrats and Republicans alike as one of the most approved Governors in history.
