By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today
Gov. Andy Beshear was sworn in to a second term this month, and although his victory margin in November was some 13 times higher than what it was in 2019, he remains the only statewide elected Democrat in an increasingly red state.
He says he’s grateful for the trust the people of Kentucky have put in him. “In this last election, people were willing to cross party lines, think differently, or vote differently, to put their faith in this administration to continue moving Kentucky forward. I don’t take that lightly. It means I have to govern in a way that lifts everybody up. I think that’s why you saw that outcome.”
Beshear says his philosophy is to govern where people are.
“People don’t wake up every morning thinking about Democrat or Republican, or for Biden or Trump, like cable news does. They think about their job and their salary, how they can provide for their family, the road they’re going to travel that day to work, to church, about the education their kids are getting about the future, about public safety. When you govern that way, and not whatever issue of the day is going on in DC, but actually focusing on where people are, I believe you can convince people that you’re trying to build a better life for them, and that’s definitely what we’re seeing around Kentucky.”
He also says he believes the differences in the types of campaigns run by him and his opponent, Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron, also played a factor in the outcome.
“The incredible negative tone we saw there is something that I think Kentuckians firmly rejected, and I think that’s important. Hopefully, it means we are at a tipping point where people will say the politics of hate and division are no longer going to be tolerated, and we’re going to look for candidates who talk about what they’re going to do, and that are hopefully trying to be good to everyone, even if they don’t agree with everyone.”
Despite having to deal with a Republican supermajority in the General Assembly, Beshear said there have been some good accomplishments when the two branches of government work together.
“The career and technical school renovations were [Senate President] Robert Stiver’s idea, and it’s perfect in terms of the timing of all these new industries that are coming in, and giving our high schools the ability to totally reshape what those facilities will look like to bring in more of those industries or to serve them, to prepare people to work at them.”
He added, “A little bit comes from this side, and a little bit comes from that side. But if they’re good ideas, let’s run with them.”
Now, Beshear and lawmakers will have to come up with a two-year spending plan when the General Assembly convenes on Jan. 2.