Democrat Andy Beshear Wins 2nd Term As Kentucky's Governor, Defeating Daniel Cameron

Forbes Breaking News

Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) wins a second term as Governor of Kentucky, defeating Attorney General Daniel Cameron.

Transcript

00:00 Thank you, Kentucky.

00:18 Tonight Kentucky made a choice.

00:24 A choice not to move to the right or to the left, but to move forward for every single

00:30 family.

00:36 A choice to reject Team R or Team D and to state clearly that we are one Team Kentucky.

00:50 A choice of Jack Harlow over Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

01:05 And tonight, and tonight, the people of Kentucky elected me as just the third two consecutive

01:14 term governor in our history.

01:24 But folks, this wasn't my win.

01:27 This was our victory.

01:32 It was a victory that sends a loud, clear message.

01:36 A message that candidates should run for something and not against someone.

01:47 That a candidate should show vision and not sow division.

01:55 And a clear statement that anger politics should end right here and right now.

02:10 Just look at what we were up against.

02:12 Five super PACs.

02:14 My opponent's super PAC.

02:16 Mitch McConnell's super PAC.

02:18 Rand Paul's super PAC.

02:20 The Club for Growth.

02:22 The Republican Governors Association.

02:26 All running ads full of hate and division.

02:30 And you know what?

02:32 We beat them all at the same time.

02:45 This election shows who we are as Kentuckians.

02:49 We are a proud people who take care of each other.

02:53 We believe in the golden rule that says we love our neighbor as ourselves.

02:57 And the parable of the Good Samaritan that says we are all each other's neighbors.

03:01 No exceptions.

03:09 Our neighbors aren't just Democrats.

03:11 They're not just Republicans.

03:13 They're not just independents.

03:15 Every single person is a child of God and they are all our neighbor.

03:26 We get through the hard times and we get through them together.

03:30 We get to the good times and we get to them together.

03:35 And wow are we getting to them.

03:41 Kentucky is on a historic win streak.

03:44 The two best years of economic development in the history of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

03:55 We're building the Brent Spence Companion Bridge without tolls.

04:02 We're four-laning the entire Mountain Parkway.

04:07 And we're pushing I-69 forward so fast that Indiana's scrambling to catch up.

04:17 We're bringing clean drinking water to our counties and we are running high-speed internet

04:22 access to every home in Kentucky.

04:30 We're building the two biggest battery plants on planet Earth.

04:36 And the cleanest, greenest recycled paper mill in this country.

04:44 We have record high budget surpluses and record low unemployment.

04:49 We've created almost 50,000 new jobs, $27.8 billion in new private sector investments.

04:56 So tonight I stand here excited and optimistic about what we're going to do these next four

05:03 years together.

05:25 Over these next four years, it's time for a couple things.

05:31 First, it's time to get our educators the big pay raise they deserve.

05:43 It's time for universal pre-K for every Kentucky child.

05:51 We're going to keep attracting new jobs and new industries, building our workforce, building

05:56 the Kentucky we have always dreamed of.

06:00 And it's amazing that we're here because we have been through a lot together.

06:06 Devastating tornadoes in the West, historic flooding in the East, and after each I made

06:13 a promise.

06:14 A promise that I would help rebuild every home and every life.

06:19 And thanks to the people of Kentucky and thanks to this election, we're going to see that

06:24 promise through.

06:34 I pledge tonight to continue to be a governor who serves all our people, regardless of your

06:40 party and regardless of who you voted for.

06:48 These next four years, we have an opportunity, an opportunity to come further together.

06:53 This is our chance to build that commonwealth we have always dreamed of.

06:57 To stop the fighting, to push away the division, to recognize that we have more that unites

07:03 us that can ever pull us apart and that the opportunity right in front of us is more promising

07:10 than at any time in our lifetimes.

07:21 I have a lot of thank yous.

07:25 First to my parents.

07:35 To Steve and Jane Beshear, thank you for all your support, your service, and your leadership.

07:41 I love you.

07:42 To my wife, Brittany.

08:01 And to my kids, Will and Lila.

08:10 You are the reason I do this.

08:14 You're the reason I do everything.

08:36 Emily is here tonight.

08:41 She is a brave young woman who came forward to share her story, to speak for so many that

08:48 couldn't speak for themselves.

08:50 And because of her courage, because of her courage, this commonwealth is going to be

09:02 a better place.

09:03 And people are going to reach out for the help they need.

09:07 Thank you, Adlai.

09:11 Thanks to my close friends here tonight.

09:14 And I just want to take a minute to recognize that we've lost some incredible people recently

09:19 who stood on a similar stage with us just four years ago.

09:24 I know they're smiling down.

09:27 I know they're so pleased at where we're going.

09:30 And I know they know that we love them and that we will see them again.

09:35 I want to say thank you to every volunteer and field organizer that did the hard work

09:39 of knocking doors.

09:44 See, it's that type of energy that helped us win.

09:58 I want to thank the entire campaign staff and my campaign manager, Eric Hires, who ran

10:04 a perfect race.

10:11 And I want to say a huge thank you to the official Commonwealth of Kentucky staff.

10:18 Not just everyone in the governor's office, but every single state employee.

10:29 The work that they do every day is why we are at this special place in our history.

10:35 I love serving on Team Kentucky with each and every one of those state employees.

10:42 And we have an opportunity now, not for four, but for eight years that will set up decades

10:48 of prosperity.

10:56 I know that every day I have left as governor is special.

11:01 That every day we have left working together is a day to improve the lives of our fellow

11:06 Kentuckians.

11:08 I love this commonwealth.

11:14 And I'm going to work as hard as I can for each and every one of you.

11:18 So from the Beshear family to every Kentucky family, we love you, good night, and God bless.

11:25 (Applause)

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