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Kentucky Gov. Beshear wins Democratic primary, awaits GOP challenger
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear won his party’s nomination Tuesday for a second term and awaited the winner of a contentious Republican primary that will determine his challenger in November.
The 12-candidate GOP field includes Daniel Cameron, the state’s first Black attorney general, and Kelly Craft, who served as United Nations ambassador in the Trump administration. Former President Donald Trump put his backing behind Cameron, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, considered a top Trump rival in the 2024 race, made a last-minute endorsement of Craft.
Beshear easily dispatched two under-the-radar challengers in his own primary.
The November general election will test the strength of a popular Democratic governor in a state dominated by Republicans. Beshear’s first term has been marked by a series of tragedies — the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters and a mass shooting that killed one of his closest friends — and through it all he has forged an identity as the state’s consoler in chief.