Andy Beshear
Democratic Party
Governor of Kentucky
Tenure
2019 - Present
Term ends
2027
Years in position
6
Predecessor:
Matt Bevin (R)
Prior offices:
Attorney General of Kentucky
Years in office: 2016 - 2019
Successor:
Daniel Cameron (R)
Compensation
Base salary
$164,355
Elections and appointments
Last election
November 7, 2023
Education
High school
Henry Clay High School
Bachelor's
Vanderbilt University
Law
University of Virginia School of Law
Personal
Profession
Attorney
Contact
Official website
Andy Beshear (
Democratic Party) is the
Governor of Kentucky. He assumed office on December 10, 2019. His current term ends on December 7, 2027.
Beshear received a bachelor's degree from Vanderbilt University and a J.D. from the University of Virginia. After graduating from law school, Beshear was a partner at Stites & Harbison, where he specialized in consumer and nonprofit law.<a href="
https://ballotpedia.org/Andy_Beshear#cite_note-Bio-1">[1]</a>
Beshear won the
2015 Kentucky Attorney General election, defeating
Whitney Westerfield (R) 50.1%-49.9%. As attorney general, Beshear sued then-Gov.
Matt Bevin (R) on
four separate occasions, winning two of those suits. The
Kentucky Supreme Court ruled 5-2 in favor of Beshear, who sued Bevin for abusing executive powers as governor by wrongfully making budget cuts to the state's university system without the
Kentucky General Assembly's approval.<a href="
https://ballotpedia.org/Andy_Beshear#cite_note-2">[2]</a> The court also unanimously struck down Kentucky Senate Bill 151 regarding teachers' pensions, which Bevin had signed into law.<a href="
https://ballotpedia.org/Andy_Beshear#cite_note-3">[3]</a> According to Beshear's website, he focused on suing opioid manufacturers and distributors, arresting child predators, protecting seniors from fraud and abuse, and protecting teachers' pensions.<a href="
https://ballotpedia.org/Andy_Beshear#cite_note-govky-4">[4]</a>
Beshear won the
2019 election for governor of Kentucky against Bevin 49.2%-48.8%. During his campaign, Beshear said, "Governors have a moral responsibility to act with decency, to do their best, to provide good-paying jobs, and to provide justice to all Kentuckians."<a href="
https://ballotpedia.org/Andy_Beshear#cite_note-5">[5]</a> Beshear campaigned on his healthcare and education policies and said he would enact consumer protections based on the Affordable Care Act and increase public education funding.<a href="
https://ballotpedia.org/Andy_Beshear#cite_note-6">[6]</a><a href="
https://ballotpedia.org/Andy_Beshear#cite_note-7">[7]</a>Beshear's 2019 victory changed Kentucky's
trifecta status from a Republican trifecta to a divided government.
As governor, Beshear has supported infrastructure projects to build the Brent Spence Companion Bridge and the Mountain Parkway Expansion in Eastern Kentucky. Beshear signed legislation legalizing sports betting and cannabis for medical use and expanding access to
Medicaid.<a href="
https://ballotpedia.org/Andy_Beshear#cite_note-govky-4">[4]</a><a href="
https://ballotpedia.org/Andy_Beshear#cite_note-8">[8]</a> According to Beshear's website, Kentucky was one of eight states that decreased drug overdose deaths during his administration after signing two pieces of legislation that increased resources for drug treatment and recovery programs.<a href="
https://ballotpedia.org/Andy_Beshear#cite_note-govky-4">[4]</a><a href="
https://ballotpedia.org/Andy_Beshear#cite_note-9">[9]</a>
Beshear won re-election in
2023, defeating former Attorney General
Daniel Cameron (R) 52.5%-47.5% — a 4.6 percentage point
margin-of-victory increase compared to 2019.