Democrat Andy Beshear will keep his job as governor in Kentucky. Beshear was reelected Tuesday in a competitive race against Republican state Attorney General Daniel Cameron, reports the AP. The 45-year-old Beshear, who flipped the governor's seat from red to blue in 2019 with his defeat of Matt Bevin, has high approval ratings despite governing in a red state, per the Hill. Cameron, 37, was vying to become the nation's first Black Republican to be elected governor.
The contest between the two men was among the most closely watched in Tuesday's off-year election, given that abortion was one of the campaign's dominant issues. Beshear attacked Cameron for supporting Kentucky's abortion ban, which includes no exceptions for rape or incest. Cameron accused Beshear of being too lenient on the issue. The same narrative applied to LGBTQ rights, per CNBC. Beshear's win could give Democrats a blueprint for more victories in 2024, the AP suggests. (More Election Day stories.)