Kentucky gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2023

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← 2019
Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky
Democratic primary Republican primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: January 6, 2023
Primary: May 16, 2023 General: November 7, 2023 Pre-election incumbent(s): Gov. Andy Beshear (Democratic) Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman (Democratic)
How to vote
Poll times: 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Voting in Kentucky
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Lean Democratic Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Democratic Inside Elections: Toss-up
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2023 Impact of term limits in 2023 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2023
Kentucky executive elections
Governor Lieutenant Governor Attorney General Secretary of State Treasurer Auditor of Public Accounts Commissioner of Agriculture

Incumbent Andy Beshear (D) and Daniel Cameron (R) are running in the November 7, 2023, Kentucky gubernatorial election. The primary was May 16, 2023. The filing deadline was January 6, 2023.

According to CNN’s Eric Bradner, "The race between Beshear and Cameron, much like Virginia’s state legislative races this fall, carries significant implications for 2024’s elections, as both parties test-drive messages they’ll seek to use across the map next year and Democrats look for lessons about which messages connect with voters in increasingly red states."

"The race will test whether a Democratic incumbent can survive in a deep-red state where his party’s voter registration advantage has been erased in recent years and the political environment is increasingly dominated by national themes," Bradner wrote.

"[Cameron] is seen as a rising star in GOP politics and made history as the first Black candidate to become a major party's nominee in a Kentucky gubernatorial race,” wrote Newsweek’s Andrew Stanton. “Meanwhile, Beshear remains one of the most popular governors across the United States," he added.

Beshear was first elected in 2019, when he defeated incumbent Gov. Matt Bevin (R) 49.2% to 48.8%. He is the son of former Gov. Steve Beshear (2007-2015) and previously served as attorney general from 2015 to 2019.

Beshear has campaigned on his economic record and his administration’s handling of a number of crises that took place during his tenure, including the COVID-19 pandemic and a series of natural disasters that hit the state in recent years. In a campaign ad, Beshear said, "We've been through a lot these past four years, and some days have been tougher than others, but I will always show up to help the people of Kentucky. ... Bringing thousands of good paying jobs to the commonwealth, 46 thousand more jobs than before the pandemic; clean drinking water to folks who've been overlooked and underserved; and making sure communities across Kentucky have what they need to recover from natural disasters."

Cameron has served as attorney general since 2019, when he defeated Gregory Stumbo (D) 58% to 42%. The state's first Black attorney general and the first Republican elected to the office since 1943, Cameron previously worked as a law clerk and as legal counsel to U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R).

Cameron has criticized Beshear’s policies during the COVID-19 pandemic and has highlighted lawsuits he’s brought against the Beshear and Biden administrations in his capacity as attorney general. Cameron’s campaign website says he "stood up for individual liberty by successfully stopping the Biden Administration’s vaccine mandate for private businesses … successfully defended multiple laws passed by the General Assembly that limited Governor Beshear’s overreaching powers during a national pandemic … defended Kentucky’s pro-life laws … [and] stood with the General Assembly in support of a bill to protect women’s sports and promised to defend the law if it was challenged in court."

The lieutenant governor is also up for election. In Kentucky, gubernatorial and lieutenant governor candidates run as a ticket. Beshear named current Attorney General Jacqueline Coleman (D) as his running-mate. Cameron has until Aug. 8 to designate his.

The outcome of the general election will determine the state’s trifecta status until at least 2024. The state currently has a divided government: Democrats control the governorship, and Republicans control both legislative chambers. The Cook Political Report and Larry J. Sabato’s Crystal Ball rate the general election Lean Democratic, while Inside Elections rates the election a Toss up.

Kentucky—alongside Kansas, Louisiana, and North Carolina—is one of four states with a Democratic governor that President Donald Trump (R) won in 2020. That year, Trump defeated Joe Biden (D) 62% to 36% in the state. The last Democratic presidential nominee to carry Kentucky was former President Bill Clinton in 1996.

At the state level, Democratic governors have led Kentucky for 64 of the past 76 years. The state has elected three Republican governors since World War II, each serving single terms from 1967 to 1971, 2003 to 2007, and 2015 to 2019.

For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

• Kentucky gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2023 (May 16 Democratic primary)
• Kentucky gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2023 (May 16 Republican primary)

Election news

This section includes a timeline of events leading up to the election. The timeline is updated regularly as polling, debates, and other noteworthy events occur.

• June 1: Cygnal released a poll of 600 likely voters showing Beshear and Cameron tied at 47% of support each, with 6% undecided. The poll had a margin of error of ±3.9%

• May 24: The Kentucky Professional Fire Fighters, a group of 43 fire fighter & EMS unions, endorsed Beshear.

• May 23:
  • Senate Minority Leader and Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell (R) endorsed Cameron.
  • The United Mine Workers of America's Coal Miners Political Action Committee endorsed Beshear.

• Click to expand a timeline of earlier election updates
  • May 16: Kentucky held its gubernatorial primaries. Beshear and Cameron advanced to the general election.

Candidates and election results

Governor

General election

General election for Governor of Kentucky

Incumbent Andy Beshear and Daniel Cameron are running in the general election for Governor of Kentucky on November 7, 2023.

		Candidate
		Andy Beshear (D)
		Daniel Cameron (R)

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Kentucky

Incumbent Andy Beshear defeated Geoff Young and Peppy Martin in the Democratic primary for Governor of Kentucky on May 16, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Andy Beshear	91.1	158,092
		Geoff Young	5.3	9,215
		Peppy Martin	3.6	6,320

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. Source	Total votes: 173,627
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Kentucky

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Governor of Kentucky on May 16, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Daniel Cameron	46.9	127,411
		Ryan Quarles	21.9	59,353
		Kelly Knight Craft	17.5	47,490
		Eric Deters	6.0	16,246
		Mike Harmon	2.6	7,157
		Alan Keck	2.5	6,710
		David Cooper	0.7	2,012
		Jacob Clark	0.6	1,679
		Robbie Smith	0.5	1,269
		Bob DeVore	0.3	830
		Johnny Ray Rice	0.2	652
		Dennis Ray Ormerod	0.2	627

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	There were no incumbents in this race. Source	Total votes: 271,436
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Savannah Maddox (R)

Lieutenant Governor

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

General election

The general election will occur on November 7, 2023.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Kentucky

Election information in Kentucky: Nov. 7, 2023, election.

What is the voter registration deadline?

• In-person: Oct. 10, 2023
• By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 10, 2023
• Online: Oct. 9, 2023

Is absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

• In-person: N/A
• By mail: Received by N/A
• Online: Oct. 24, 2023

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

• In-person: Nov. 7, 2023
• By mail: Received by Nov. 7, 2023

Is early voting available to all voters?

N/A

What are the early voting start and end dates?

Nov. 2, 2023 to Nov. 4, 2023

Are all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, is a photo or non-photo ID required?

Photo ID

When are polls open on Election Day?

6:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Candidate Comparison

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff compiled a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Andy Beshear

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office: 

• Governor of Kentucky (Assumed office: 2019)
• Attorney General of Kentucky (2016-2019)

Biography:  Beshear received a B.A. in political science and anthropology from Vanderbilt University and a J.D. from the University of Virginia. After graduating from law school, he worked at a law firm in Washington, D.C. Prior to being elected to public office, Beshear was a partner at Stites & Harbison, where he specialized in consumer and nonprofit law.

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Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

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Beshear highlighted his administration’s policies during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I ran for governor to do right by our neighbors. During COVID, that has meant standing up to misinformation and politics-as-usual. I’ve done the right thing, even when it’s unpopular,” Beshear said.

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Beshear said he “has helped create tens of thousands of new jobs with more than $24 billion invested in Kentucky from private companies since he took office.” 

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On healthcare, Beshear said he “has protected access to healthcare for more than 100,000 Kentuckians and relaunched KYnect, the state-based health insurance exchange, which will soon begin enrolling Kentuckians for coverage.”

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Show sources

Sources: Andy Beshear for Kentucky, “Meet Andy,” accessed June 12, 2023; Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, “Governor Andy Beshear,” accessed June 12, 2023

Daniel Cameron

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

Attorney General of Kentucky (Assumed office: 2019)

Biography:  Cameron earned a B.S. in political science and a J.D. from the University of Louisville in 2008 and 2011, respectively. Cameron clerked for United States District Court Judge Gregory F. Van Tatenhove and worked as an attorney with Stites & Harbison. Cameron then worked as legal counsel to U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell and as an attorney at Frost Brown Todd.

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Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

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Cameron said, “As Governor, Daniel will fight hard to support law enforcement. A Cameron Administration means that victims – not criminals – get our priority.”

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On abortion, Cameron’s website said he is “[a] pro-life champion” who “defended Kentucky’s pro-life laws, including the Heartbeat Law, Humanity in Healthcare Act, and House Bill 5 which outlaws discriminatory abortions based on race, gender, and perceived disability.”

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Cameron criticized Beshear’s policies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cameron said he stopped “the Biden Administration’s vaccine mandate for private businesses” and “defended multiple laws ... that limited Governor Beshear’s overreaching powers during a national pandemic.” 

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Show sources

Sources: Cameron for Kentucky, "ACCOMPLISHMENTS," accessed June 12, 2023; Cameron for Kentucky, “DANIEL’S STORY,” accessed June 12, 2023; LinkedIn, "Daniel Cameron," accessed June 12, 2023

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.

Campaign ads

This section includes a selection of up to three campaign advertisements per candidate released in this race, as well as links to candidates' YouTube, Vimeo, and/or Facebook video pages. If you are aware of other links that should be included, please email us.

Andy Beshear

View more ads here:

• Facebook

Daniel Cameron

May 18, 2023

April 12, 2023

View more ads here:

• YouTube
• Facebook

Election competitiveness

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

Kentucky gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2023: General election polls
Poll	Date	Beshear	Cameron	Undecided/Other	Margin of error	Sample size	Sponsor
Cygnal	May 22-23, 2023	47%	47%	6%	±3.9	600 LVs	N/A

General election race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from three outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, and Sabato's Crystal Ball. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

• Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
• Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
• Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.
• Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.

Race ratings: Kentucky gubernatorial election, 2023
Race tracker	Race ratings
	June 13, 2023	June 6, 2023	May 30, 2023	May 23, 2023
The Cook Political Report	Lean Democratic	Lean Democratic	Lean Democratic	Lean Democratic
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Lean Democratic	Lean Democratic	Lean Democratic	Lean Democratic
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Noteworthy endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please email us.

Noteworthy endorsements
Endorser	Andy Beshear	Daniel Cameron
Government officials
U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R)  source		✔
Individuals
President of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America Marjorie Dannenfelser  source		✔
Former U.S. President Donald Trump  source		✔
Organizations
Fairness PAC  source	✔
Kentucky AFL-CIO  source	✔
Kentucky Professional Fire Fighters  source	✔
Kentucky Right to Life Committee  source		✔
Susan B. Anthony List  source		✔
United Mine Workers of America - Coal Miners Political Action Committee  source	✔

Election spending

Campaign finance

This section contains campaign finance figures from candidates submitted to the Kentucky Registry of Public Finance in this election. It does not include information on spending by satellite groups. Click here to access the reports.

Election context

2019

See also: Kentucky gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2019

General election

General election for Governor of Kentucky

Andy Beshear defeated incumbent Matt Bevin and John Hicks in the general election for Governor of Kentucky on November 5, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Andy Beshear (D)	49.2	709,890
		Matt Bevin (R)	48.8	704,754
		John Hicks (L)	2.0	28,433
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	46

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,443,123 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Kentucky

Andy Beshear defeated Rocky Adkins, Adam Edelen, and Geoff Young in the Democratic primary for Governor of Kentucky on May 21, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Andy Beshear	37.9	149,448
		Rocky Adkins	31.9	125,981
		Adam Edelen	27.9	110,161
		Geoff Young	2.3	8,923

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 394,513
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Kentucky

Incumbent Matt Bevin defeated Robert Goforth, William Woods, and Ike Lawrence in the Republican primary for Governor of Kentucky on May 21, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Matt Bevin	52.3	136,069
		Robert Goforth	38.9	101,345
		William Woods	5.5	14,440
		Ike Lawrence	3.2	8,412

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 260,266
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2015

See also: Kentucky gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2015

There was a regularly scheduled election for governor in 2015. Steve Beshear (D) was not eligible for re-election due to term limits. The primary election occurred on May 19, 2015, and the general election took place on November 3, 2015.

Republican Matt Bevin and his running mate, Jenean M. Hampton, defeated Attorney General Jack Conway and independent Drew Curtis.

Governor and Lieutenant Governor, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Matt Bevin/Jenean M. Hampton	52.5%	511,771
	Democrat	Jack Conway/Sannie Overly	43.8%	426,827
	Independent	Drew Curtis/Heather Curtis	3.7%	35,627
Total Votes				974,225
Election results via Kentucky Secretary of State

2023 battleground elections

See also: Battlegrounds

This election is a battleground race. Other 2023 battleground elections include:

• City elections in St. Louis, Missouri (March 7, 2023 primary)
• Louisiana gubernatorial election, 2023 (October 14 primary)
• Pennsylvania Supreme Court elections, 2023 (May 16, 2023, Democratic primary)

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Governor of Kentucky official website
• Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky official website