Democratic Governor Beshear Poised for Re-election in Deep-Red Kentucky Amid Biden's Unpopularity

Beshear leverages local focus, distancing from federal Democratic policies, while combating a deeply unpopular Biden and the state's firm GOP leanings for surprising lead in polls.

• Democratic Governor Andy Beshear of Kentucky, who is up for re-election, is maintaining a lead in the polls despite the state’s strong Republican leanings and the current unpopularity of President Biden.
• The Beshear family has a long history in Kentucky politics, allowing Andy Beshear to leverage his local focus and distance himself from federal Democratic policies, a tactic proving successful in his campaign despite Biden’s unpopularity.
• Despite the state’s preference for Republican presidential candidates, over the course of this century it has frequently elected Democrat governors— potentially due to their ability to strike a balance between promoting the economic benefits of federal spending while preserving the state's conservative values.
• Governor Beshear’s Republican opponent, State Attorney General Daniel Cameron, has been attempting to connect Beshear with President Biden while criticizing the economic issues in the state, including a decreasing median household income and low workforce participation.
• Despite Kentucky’s staunch anti-abortion stance, Beshear has used the issue to attack his opponent for supporting the state’s near-total ban on abortion with no exceptions for rape and incest.

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