Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) won reelection after defeating his former Attorney General Daniel Cameron (R) in the gubernatorial race on Tuesday.
Decision Desk called the race in favor of Beshear at 7:45 p.m EST. As of 8:10 p.m. EST, Beshear collected over 53% of the vote to defeat Cameron. This will be Beshear’s second and final four-year term in office, per Kentucky’s term limit laws. The Democrat has been able to hold the position despite Kentucky being a traditionally red state; abortion was likely on the minds of many voters Tuesday.
Cameron is a staunch anti-abortion rights advocate and has called for a total abortion ban in Kentucky despite voters rejecting a ballot measure last November that would have done just that. The medical procedure is severely restricted in Kentucky because of trigger laws that went into effect after the Dobbs v. Jackson decision in the summer of 2022. But Beshear has vetoed more severe restrictions passed by the GOP-controlled legislature in the past.
Beshear also served as Kentucky’s attorney general from 2015-2019, where he filed several lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies for their roles in the opioid epidemic. As Kentucky’s governor, Beshear has supported LGBTQ rights, Medicaid expansion, red flag laws and the restoration of voting rights for nonviolent felons.
Cameron is a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump, and he received Trump’s endorsement when he ran for attorney general in 2019. He also appeared on Trump’s list of potential Supreme Court nominees despite never serving as a judge.