Andy Beshear facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Andy Beshear
Beshear in 2025
63rd Governor of Kentucky
Incumbent
Assumed office December 10, 2019
Lieutenant	Jacqueline Coleman
Preceded by	Matt Bevin
50th Attorney General of Kentucky
In office January 4, 2016 – December 10, 2019
Governor	Matt Bevin
Preceded by	Jack Conway
Succeeded by	Daniel Cameron
Personal details
Born	Andrew Graham Beshear (1977-11-29) November 29, 1977 (age 47) Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Britainy Colman ​ (m. 2006)​
Children	2
Parents	Steve Beshear Jane Beshear
Education	Vanderbilt University (BA) University of Virginia (JD)
Signature

Andrew Graham Beshear (born November 29, 1977) is an American politician and lawyer. He has been the 63rd governor of Kentucky since 2019. Before becoming governor, he served as the 50th Attorney General of Kentucky from 2016 to 2019. He is a member of the Democratic Party. His father, Steve Beshear, was also a governor of Kentucky from 2007 to 2015.

As Attorney General, Beshear filed several lawsuits against the Republican Governor Matt Bevin. These lawsuits were about issues like pension reform. In the 2019 election for governor, Beshear ran against Bevin and won by a very small margin. He was reelected for a second term in 2023. He defeated Daniel Cameron, who was the Attorney General at the time. As of 2025, Beshear and Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman are the only Democrats elected to statewide office in Kentucky.

Early Life and Education

Beshear was born in Louisville, Kentucky. His parents are Jane Beshear and Steve Beshear. He grew up in Lexington and went to Henry Clay High School. His father, a lawyer and politician, was the governor of Kentucky from 2007 to 2015.

After high school, Beshear studied political science and anthropology at Vanderbilt University. He earned a bachelor's degree with high honors in 2000. He then went to the University of Virginia School of Law, where he earned his law degree (Juris Doctor) in 2003.

Legal Career

After law school, Beshear worked at a law firm in Washington D.C. for two years. In 2005, he joined the law firm Stites & Harbison, where his father was a partner. He worked on different legal cases. In 2013, a magazine called Lawyer Monthly named Beshear its "Consumer Lawyer of the Year – USA".

Kentucky Attorney General (2016–2019)

2015 Election

Results by county

     Beshear

     50–60%
     60–70%

     Westerfield

     50–60%
     60–70%
     70–80%
     80–90%

In November 2013, Beshear announced he would run for Attorney General of Kentucky in the 2015 election. The previous Attorney General, Jack Conway, could not run again because of term limits.

Beshear won the election against Republican Whitney Westerfield. He received 50.1% of the votes, winning by a very small difference of 2,194 votes.

Time in Office

Beshear speaks at a teachers' rally at the Kentucky State Capitol in 2018. This was part of a larger countrywide teacher protest movement.

Beshear sued Governor Matt Bevin several times while he was Attorney General. He argued that Bevin was using his executive powers unfairly. Beshear won some of these cases and lost others. For example, in 2016, the Kentucky Supreme Court agreed with Beshear that Bevin could not cut the state university budget without the legislature's approval.

In April 2018, Beshear successfully sued Bevin over a plan to change teacher pensions. The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled that the plan was against the state's constitution. Bevin said Beshear's lawsuits were for his own political career.

In October 2019, Beshear filed nine lawsuits against drug companies. .....

Beshear decided not to run for a second term as Attorney General. Instead, he ran for governor against Bevin. He left the Attorney General's office on December 10, 2019, the same day he became governor. He appointed Daniel Cameron to finish his term. Cameron later became Kentucky's first African-American Attorney General.

Governor of Kentucky (2019–present)

Elections

2019 Election

Results by county

     Beshear

     40–50%
     50–60%
     60–70%

     Bevin

     40–50%
     50–60%
     60–70%
     70–80%

On July 9, 2018, Beshear announced he would run for the Democratic nomination for governor of Kentucky in the 2019 election. He chose Jacqueline Coleman as his running mate. Beshear said he would make public education a top priority. In May 2019, he won the Democratic nomination.

Beshear then faced the current Governor Matt Bevin in the general election on November 5. He defeated Bevin with 49.20% of the votes to Bevin's 48.83%. This was the closest gubernatorial election in Kentucky's history.

After the election, Bevin did not immediately accept the results. He claimed there were voting problems. However, Kentucky's Secretary of State declared Beshear the winner. On November 14, Bevin accepted the election results after a recount confirmed Beshear's win.

Beshear won by getting a lot of votes in Kentucky's two largest counties, Jefferson (Louisville) and Fayette (Lexington). He also won some counties in Northern and Eastern Kentucky that usually vote Republican.

2023 Election

Results by county

     Beshear

     50–60%
     60–70%
     70–80%

     Cameron

     50–60%
     60–70%
     70–80%

On October 1, 2021, Beshear announced he would run for reelection as governor in the 2023 election. He won the Democratic primary election with over 90% of the votes.

On November 7, 2023, Beshear defeated Republican candidate Daniel Cameron. Beshear won with 53% of the votes to Cameron's 47%. This made Beshear the third governor in Kentucky history to serve two terms in a row.

Beshear's victory was due to his popularity among Democrats and independent voters. He also gained support from about half of the Republicans in the state. .....

Time in Office

Beshear meets with U.S. Army Cadet Command leadership at Fort Knox in August 2021.

Beshear became governor on December 10, 2019. In his first speech, he asked Republicans and Democrats to work together to solve Kentucky's problems.

Soon after taking office, Beshear changed all 11 members of the Kentucky Board of Education. This was a promise he made during his campaign. He also signed an order that gave voting rights back to over 180,000 Kentuckians who had been convicted of nonviolent crimes.

In April 2020, Beshear ordered state police to record license plate numbers of churchgoers who broke the state's COVID-19 stay-at-home order. This caused a lot of discussion.

In June 2020, Beshear promised to provide free health care to all African-American residents of Kentucky who needed it. This was to help with health care differences that became clear during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In November 2020, as COVID-19 cases increased, Beshear ordered Kentucky schools to stop in-person learning. This was the first time he ordered schools to close, rather than just recommending it. The U.S. Supreme Court supported Beshear's order after a lawsuit challenged it.

In March 2021, Beshear vetoed parts of 27 bills passed by the Kentucky legislature. However, the legislature voted to override his vetoes, meaning the bills still became law.

Beshear and President Joe Biden discuss the government response to severe flooding in Kentucky in July 2022.

Beshear's time as governor has included several natural disasters. In December 2021, he led the response to a tornado outbreak in western Kentucky. This event caused a lot of damage in Mayfield and led to over 70 deaths. In July 2022, heavy rains caused severe flooding in Eastern Kentucky, killing over 25 people. Beshear worked with the federal government to help with rescue efforts.

In January 2023, other governors from the Appalachian region chose Beshear to be a co-chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission for 2023. This commission helps with development in the Appalachian region.

In 2024, Beshear created a political group to raise money for candidates in the 2024 United States elections. He said these candidates would "push back against this national trend of anger politics and division."

Federal Government Agencies

In March 2025, Beshear shared his concerns about federal agencies. He said that the solution is to make them work better, not to "destroy" them. He believes that firing many government employees who provide important services is not caring for the American people.

Political Views

COVID-19

Members of the Kentucky National Guard called up by Beshear provide medical supplies to assist in the COVID-19 pandemic response, March 2020.

On March 25, 2020, Beshear declared a state of emergency because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He encouraged businesses to ask customers to wear face coverings indoors. He also banned "mass gatherings," including protests, but not regular gatherings at malls.

In August 2020, Beshear signed an order to release some inmates from crowded prisons and jails. This was to help slow the spread of the virus.

Beshear was criticized for not calling the Kentucky General Assembly into a special meeting to work on pandemic needs. In November 2020, the Kentucky Supreme Court supported Beshear's emergency orders. In late November 2020, Beshear put new rules in place to slow the virus. These included closing indoor dining at restaurants and bars and limiting in-person learning at schools.

On June 11, 2021, Beshear lifted most of Kentucky's COVID-19 rules. In August 2021, as cases increased again, Beshear required face masks in public schools. However, a U.S. District Judge blocked this mask rule. The Kentucky Supreme Court later ruled that new state laws limited the governor's power to issue emergency orders for more than 30 days. On August 23, 2021, Beshear removed his mask order for schools.

Economic Policy

In 2019, Beshear promised to bring more advanced manufacturing and health care jobs to Kentucky. This was to help make up for jobs lost as the coal industry declined.

Beshear announces construction of a new paper mill in Henderson, 2021.

Beshear is against Kentucky's right-to-work law.

In June 2021, Beshear signed an order that allowed college athletes to earn money from their name, image, and likeness. Kentucky was the first state to do this through an executive order.

Education

In 2019, Beshear promised to include a $2,000 pay raise for all Kentucky teachers in his budgets. He has proposed this pay raise, but the Kentucky legislature has not included it in the budgets they passed.

Beshear is against all charter schools in Kentucky. He says that "schools run by corporations are not public schools." He believes funding them would go against the state constitution.

Beshear also opposes school choice programs. He said that a certain amendment would mean "less money in public schools."

Environment

Beshear accepts the scientific understanding of climate change. In 2019, he said he wanted to create more clean energy jobs. These jobs would help people who lost their jobs in the coal industry.

Gambling

Beshear supports making casino gambling, sports betting, fantasy sports betting, and online poker legal in Kentucky. On March 31, 2023, Beshear signed a bill into law that made sports betting legal in Kentucky.

Gun Rights

Beshear has said he would not support a ban on certain types of weapons. Instead, he supports a red flag law. This law would allow courts to let police temporarily take firearms from people a judge believes are a danger to themselves or others.

On April 10, 2023, a friend of Beshear's was killed in the Louisville bank shooting.

Health Care

Beshear supports Kentucky's Medicaid expansion. This program provides affordable health care to over 500,000 Kentuckians. He has supported the Affordable Care Act and criticized efforts to remove the law. On October 5, 2020, he announced the return and expansion of kynect. This is the state's health insurance marketplace.

Beshear also believes that health care is a "human right."

Immigration

In December 2019, Beshear told President Donald Trump's administration that Kentucky would continue to accept refugees. Trump had told state governments they could choose not to accept refugees.

Infrastructure

Beshear supports a $2.5-billion project to build a new bridge next to the Brent Spence Bridge. This bridge carries Interstates 71 and 75 over the Ohio River between Covington, Kentucky, and Cincinnati, Ohio. He hoped to pay for the bridge without tolls.

In August 2019, Beshear promised to build the Interstate 69 Ohio River Crossing between Henderson, Kentucky, and Evansville, Indiana, by 2023. He believed this project would help the economy in Western Kentucky.

LGBT Rights

Beshear supports legal same-sex marriage. He also supports laws that protect gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people from unfair treatment. He was the first sitting governor of Kentucky to attend a rally by the Fairness Campaign. He supports banning the practice of conversion therapy for LGBTQ youth. In 2024, he signed an executive order to ban conversion therapy for minors.

In March 2023, Beshear vetoed a bill that would have created new rules and limits for transgender youth, including a ban on certain medical care. The legislature overrode his veto.

Pensions

Beshear has worked to fund the state's pension system. This system has a lot of debt. He was against pension cuts made by Bevin. He wants to make sure all workers receive their pensions when they retire.

Foreign Policy

Beshear has met with leaders from other countries to promote Kentucky as a good place for business. He also took part in the 2024 World Economic Forum. In a July 2024 interview, when asked about a former President's decision to strike Iran, he said, "History would be the judge." He added, "We cannot have a nuclear Iran. But was it effective? If you're going to commit this act, it better work." He was hopeful for a possible ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in July 2025. He described Israel as "a critical ally."

Other Work

In April 2025, Beshear started a podcast that covers many different topics.

On July 10, 2025, Beshear acted in a play called 42nd Street at the Lexington Opera House.

Personal Life

Beshear and his wife Britainy are deacons at Beargrass Christian Church in Louisville. They have two children.

Electoral History

2015 Beshear ran unopposed in the 2015 Democratic primary for Kentucky attorney general.

2019

2023

See also

In Spanish: Andy Beshear para niños

• Political family