Beshear Defeats Cameron in Kentucky Governor’s Race

Incumbent Andy Beshear defeated Kentucky state Attorney General Daniel Cameron in the state's race for governor Tuesday, giving Democrats a win in a state that has trended solidly Republican in recent years.

"Tonight, Kentucky made a choice" Beshear told a cheering crowd at his campaign headquarters in Louisville. "We proved tonight that to win, you must run for something and not against someone."

The result comes against the backdrop of a significant abortion-related win for the traditionally red state, where voters last year rejected a constitutional amendment aimed at removing any restrictions on abortion. Experts and abortion advocates had hoped that a Beshear win would continue a national winning streak for reproductive rights advocates, proving that Kentucky voters, and voters across the board, support abortion rights.

While Beshear is the son of a former governor and also has gotten high marks from voters for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, his victory in a state that in recent decades has been strongly Republican - former president Donald Trump defeated President Biden by more than 25 percentage points in 2020 - underlines the political power of the abortion issue.

in possibly one of the most illustrative ads run in 2023, Beshear's campaign ran a spot that featured the story of Hadley Duvall, who was raped by her stepfather at 12 years old. In the ad, Duvall directly takes on Cameron for supporting strict abortion laws with no exceptions for rape or incest.

"This is to you, Daniel Cameron,” Duvall says. “To tell a 12-year-old girl she must have the baby of her stepfather who raped her is unthinkable.” Beshear thanked Duvall for her courage during his victory speech Tuesday night."She is a brave young woman who came forward to share her story… 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."

Cameron's defeat marks a major stumble for a candidate who has been as something of a protege to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and who had been endorsed by former president Donald Trump.

By winning reelection in a state that hadn't voted for a Democratic president since 1996, Beshear rockets up the list of Democratic leaders who would be seen as top presidential candidates in 2028.

The way Beshear won will especially help this argument: He was able to hold his diverse coalition together in Kentucky's cities while winning over rural counties that backed Trump three years ago. It's a combination that has flummoxed Democrats in the past and would be seen as a huge asset to any presidential or vice presidential candidate.

In Elliot County, Beshear earned 53% of the vote in a county that backed Trump with 75% support. And in Breathitt County, which was hard hit by flooding in 2022, Beshear — who was hailed for his handling of the natural disaster — is currently winning by 22 points with almost all of the votes there counted. He won the county by two points in 2019, while Trump carried it with 75% of the vote in 2020.

Beshear also cut his margins in red counties. In Bell County, along the southern border of Kentucky, he lost the county by 20 points after losing it by 25 in 2019.

He also expanded his support in Democratic strongholds like Lexington. He blew out Cameron 77%-23%, after winning 65% of the vote here in 2019.