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Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear is one of the most popular governors in the country — even in the deep-red state — and has been an avid LGBTQ+ rights supporter.
Kentucky’s Gov. Andy Beshear has been projected to win a second term, according to several media outlets. The governor has been an LGBTQ+ ally and has vetoed anti-LGBTQ+ legislation passed by the Republican-controlled legislature.
The Democrat is one of the most popular governors in the country. That’s saying something since the state voted largely for former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election. The governor is seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party, with Tuesday's victory underscoring that potential.
Beshear, 45, beat out Republican Daniel Cameron, the state’s attorney general. During his campaign, Beshear focused on making abortion a significant issue.
Abortion is illegal in the majority of cases in Kentucky, but voters in the Bluegrass State voted down a measure last year to amend the state’s constitution to state it didn’t “secure or protect a right” to abortion or the funding of abortion, according to CNN.
Cameron had voiced support of the current law that only allows exceptions in case the mother’s life is in danger. It does not allow exceptions if the pregnancy is due to rape or incest.
In March, Beshear vetoed a bill that would ban gender-affirming health care for transgender minors, limit school instruction on LGBTQ+ issues, and allow outing of LGBTQ+ students, but the Republican-controlled legislature overrode the veto.
Democratic legislators spoke out passionately against the bill, among them Sen. Karen Berg, whose transgender son, activist Henry Berg-Brousseau, died by suicide last December at age 24.
Republicans still maintain a supermajority in both of the state's legislative chambers, which means the legislation they pass is veto-proof.
About 144,000 LGBTQ+ people live in Kentucky, according to the Movement Advancement Project.
