Despite a visceral run to the finish, a close race never materialized for governor of Kentucky, as incumbent Andy Beshear toppled challenger and former Attorney General Daniel Cameron by five points Tuesday night — 52.5% to 47.5%.
The spread: nearly 70,000 votes — far more than Beshear’s fledgling margin of success in 2019 against former Governor Matt Bevin.
Gripped with multiple natural disasters, the COVID-19 pandemic and a litany of national hot-button concerns in this first term, the son of former governor Steve Beshear now gets a second term as the state’s only leading Democrat in Frankfort.
And while incumbency is relatively new to the Commonwealth’s political history, he’s just the third-ever governor to win again.
Beshear was bolstered not only by the vote of the Golden Triangle, but in other Democrat bastions across the state, a handful of bellwether counties, and a wide swathe of eastern Kentucky — perhaps thankful of the governor’s efforts during historic flooding.
Furthermore, for the first time in Kentucky’s history, more Republicans than Democrats were, and currently are, registered to vote. Yet, this didn’t play the role conservatives expected. Voter turnout was 38% in the Commonwealth, a subpar number, and fewer Republicans voted for Cameron than Bevin four years ago.
In his concession speech, Cameron said he called Beshear to congratulate him — and simply asked for a brighter tomorrow in Kentucky.
Despite efforts in economic development and the bipartisan, outsourced Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund, Beshear gained little — if any — ground support in the News Edge listening area. Todd, Christian, Trigg, Caldwell and Lyon counties staunchly fell in Cameron’s favor, as did border counties like Marshall, Hopkins, Muhlenberg, Calloway and Crittenden.
Graves County and its county seat of Mayfield, another community devastated by the state’s worst tornado on record, finished with Cameron outpacing Beshear nearly 3-to-2.
So what lies ahead for Beshear and for Cameron?
On the former, a continued economic surge, a biennium budget addressing teachers and a better relationship with the Republican supermajority Kentucky General Assembly lie right in front. A future in Washington D.C. — either in the Senate, or perhaps even the White House — can’t be dismissed.
On the latter, Cameron remains endorsed by former President Donald Trump, is a protege of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and isn’t even 40 years old. His political career is just beginning — though he kept those plans coy Tuesday evening.
Many other Republican careers took major steps Tuesday night, as well.
A Paducah native, Michael Adams received a resounding endorsement in a second term for Secretary of State — receiving more votes than any candidate from any race. Touting bipartisan voting bills, a cleaned-up voting registry, a balloon in Republican registrations and a commitment against voting fraud, he beat Democrat candidate Charles “Buddy” Wheatley by more than 280,000 votes.
Russell Coleman will be Kentucky’s next attorney general — outpacing Louisville’s Col. Pamela Stevenson by more than 200,000 votes.
Allison Ball earned the second-most votes in this year’s election, and will be Kentucky’s next state auditor after defeating Kimberley Reeder by nearly 280,000.
Mark Metcalf and Jonathan Shell, meanwhile, each rolled to large victories in their races, respectively securing spots as state treasurer and commissioner of agriculture.
