An incumbent Democrat running on kitchen table issues will be pitted against a Republican culture warrior in the Kentucky governor’s race this fall, and the results could send a signal about voters’ priorities in close races heading into 2024.
At the annual Fancy Farm picnic in rural far-west Kentucky this past weekend, Gov. Andy Beshear and his Republican challenger, state Attorney General Daniel Cameron, channeled what might become familiar playbooks for Democratic and GOP candidates next year.
Beshear is seeking a second term this November as one of America’s most popular governors with the approval of not just a majority of Democrats and independents, but also about half of the state’s GOP voters. He’s achieved that by presiding over Kentucky’s largest budget surplus ever and leading the state through a strong economic recovery from the pandemic, as well as recovery from tornadoes and floods that hit red, rural areas of the state particularly hard. He’s using that record to contrast himself with Cameron: “Daniel Cameron will show up for a political rally, but not for tornado survivors,” Beshear said at the picnic.
But Cameron, who would become the first Black Republican governor in the US if elected, is also popular in Kentucky. He made a name for himself by suing the Beshear and Biden administrations over issues such as abortion, vaccine mandates, and the termination of a Trump-era border policy. He also led the criminal investigation into the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor in which he opted not to pursue charges against any of the officers involved. He won the May primary with former President Donald Trump’s endorsement.
And on the campaign trail, he’s sought to attack Beshear’s positions on issues from the state’s ban on care for trans youth to crime. At the picnic, he asked, “Governor, are you auditioning for a job with Bud Light’s marketing team?” referencing the massive conservative boycott of the beer brand…
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