WINCHESTER, Ky. (LEX 18) — On Monday, during a campaign stop in Richmond, former Governor Steve Beshear joked that his son is the second-best governor in the family. On Friday, his parents arrived at the Clark County Courthouse to fill out their ballots to vote for their son.
“We never thought he’d have to deal with so many things. He’s stronger than we could have imagined,” said the governor’s mother, Jane.
“He said at first he had to throw politics out the window when the pandemic hit, and it was life and death, not Democrat and Republican,” his father, Steve, added.
The former governor said he knew his son might be throwing out the politics at his peril, but as he said, he was doing it for Kentuckians, not himself. It’s one of the many reasons they feel a sense of pride when reflecting on their son’s first term.
“We watched him as he handled all of these matters: flooding, tornadoes, the pandemic; I can’t think of anything he could’ve done differently or better,” Mr. Beshear said.
The current governor took a lot of heat for his restrictions on the public when the pandemic first arrived in March 2020. It’s been part of the message voters have heard from Attorney General Daniel Cameron, his opponent in this gubernatorial race.
“He followed the science, and the science saved so many lives in Kentucky. There was no road map for that,” Mrs. Beshear added of her son’s handling of COVID-19.
Governor Beshear is touting the state’s current economic condition, which includes a surplus (rainy day fund), a historically low unemployment rate, and his support of educators and the profession. His father likes to look at tangible accomplishments that require working across the aisle.
“He helped sign and pass over 600 bipartisan bills. And look at what they worked together on, like medical marijuana and sports betting,” the former governor stressed.
And giving Kentuckians a chance to vote on a Friday morning before Election Day.
“Today is a primary example of working together. All of us wouldn’t be able to vote yesterday, today, or tomorrow,” Jane Beshear said of the new voting laws her son and the Republican secretary of state helped draft.
