FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Playing up some great benefits of incumbency he hopes to ride to reelectio n, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear recently touted the state’s newest round of job-creation successes, honored a retiring police officer and highlighted recovery assistance for a flood-stricken region.
The Democratic governor packed all three feel-good developments into his most up-to-date news conference Thursday. In his regular media events — and at frequent appearances across the Bluegrass State — Beshear has nurtured his own upbeat political brand. He’s known simply as “Andy” across a state that has mostly turned against his political party and change into a Republican stronghold.
“I believe people see that this administration isn’t attempting to pull Kentucky to the appropriate or left, but just to maneuver it forward,” Beshear said when asked Thursday a few fresh round of excellent polling news greater than nine months before the November general election.
A dozen Republicans are competing for a shot at attempting to unseat Beshear, whose approval rankings remain high despite regular criticism from the opposite side. He’s won praise for his responses to devastating tornadoes and flooding in addition to a string of economic development and infrastructure successes. His GOP challengers include Attorney General Daniel Cameron, state Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles, former United Nations Ambassador Kelly Craft, state Auditor Mike Harmon and Somerset Mayor Alan Keck.
Beshear’s efforts to fend off red-state attacks by offering a gentle dose of optimism come the 12 months before national elections that can resolve control of the White House and Congress. Beshear can have loads of money to fight back, and the Democratic Governors Association has pegged his campaign as its top priority in 2023.
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DGA spokesperson Sam Newton said the favorable polling stems from Beshear having “led the commonwealth through crises and delivered where it counts.”
The approaching blitz of attack ads against the governor began recently when Craft tried connecting Beshear to President Joe Biden’s immigration policies on the nation’s southern border. Craft, who has made fighting illegal drugs a lynchpin of her campaign, blames those border policies for contributing to an influx of illegal drugs into Kentucky.
“We simply cannot wait any longer for Andy Beshear, Joe Biden and the federal government to secure the border,” Craft said in a follow-up statement.
Beshear, who has displayed a knack for strategic pushback, counterpunched by invoking the border’s defenders.
At his Thursday news conference, he declared that a “strong national security requires strong border security.”
Kentucky has done its part, he said, noting that lots of of Kentucky National Guard soldiers have been deployed to the nation’s southwest border during his tenure and that a Kentucky guard member died while serving as a part of the mission.
“For anyone wanting to be governor to speak concerning the border and to not mention the sacrifice and heroic service of our National Guard, and recognize their loss, I believe is disrespectful and disqualifying,” the governor said.
For essentially the most part, though, Beshear has tried to avoid national politics.
His ability to “operate mostly in non-ideological arenas” has positioned him because the early frontrunner, however the GOP has loads of room to run against the incumbent, including his personal values which can be “quite liberal,” said Scott Jennings, a Kentucky-based Republican political commentator and former adviser to former President George W. Bush with close ties to Sen. Mitch McConnell. Beshear’s policy disputes with the state’s GOP-dominated legislature also could change into fodder for Republicans.
“He’s not unbeatable,” Jennings said. “There’s a path, but he starts the race ahead.”
Beshear’s deftness at steering clear of the national political fray was on display in recent days.
As he does at each weekly news conference, the governor touted recent economic development projects Thursday — this time expected to create nearly 320 jobs and totaling greater than $360 million in investments. Coming off a two-year stretch of record-setting private sector investments and job growth in Kentucky, the brand new projects show “we are usually not slowing down in any respect,” he said.
“With all of those recent jobs and recent industries we’re locating, we’re getting ever closer to reversing that trend of our youngsters leaving Kentucky to go elsewhere,” Beshear said.
During a recent visit to Pikeville in eastern Kentucky — where he announced assistance to expand access to wash water and support nonprofits — the governor promoted efforts, backed by state lawmakers, to assist the region get better from last summer’s historic flooding. Beshear gives frequent updates on recovery efforts from tornadoes in western Kentucky and flooding within the east.
Pointing to the state’s resilience to beat epic storms and the COVID-19 pandemic, Beshear said: “I really imagine as a state that we’re turning the page from adversity to prosperity.”
At his Thursday news conference, the governor said he’s plugged into issues that matter most to families — good-paying jobs, inexpensive health care and quality education. It is a reprise of his 2019 campaign, when he unseated the state’s former Republican governor, Matt Bevin. Public safety is one other core issue, Beshear said Thursday as he honored a retiring police officer from Georgetown, Kentucky.
“To all our law enforcement across the commonwealth, we love you,” said Beshear, a former state attorney general. “We care about you. Please stay secure.”
Republicans, meanwhile, aren’t persuaded that Beshear can ride the feel-good vibes to a second term. They are saying he’s simply out of step with Kentuckians on too many issues.
“Andy Beshear can drape himself in whatever costume he likes, nevertheless it won’t change the undeniable fact that he’s an ideological believer within the values of the Democrat Party,” said Kentucky Republican Party spokesperson Sean Southard.
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