MEMO: Andy Beshear’s Primary Win Means the Kentucky Governor’s Race is About Right vs. Wrong

To: Interested Parties
From: Eric Hyers, Campaign Manager for Beshear/Coleman 2019
Date: Tuesday, May 28, 2019
Re: Andy Beshear’s Primary Win Means the Kentucky Governor’s Race is About Right vs. Wrong

Overview of the General Election:

After earning 13,000 more net votes than incumbent governor Matt Bevin in his primary victory last week, Andy Beshear showed that the upcoming general election isn’t about right vs. left, it’s about right vs. wrong.

For Andy and Jacqueline, this is about doing right by Kentuckians. Too many Kentucky families are seeing their bills go up while their wages are stagnant. Access to quality affordable health care is under attack. Public education — both K-12 and higher ed — is being undercut. Our teachers, first responders, social workers and other civil servants are worried about the constant attacks on their retirement security. And far too many Kentucky families have lost a loved one to the opioid epidemic. That’s why Andy and Jacqueline are running.

The Beshear/Coleman ticket is tuned into the challenges facing Kentucky families and Andy and Jacqueline have both proven they can get things done. Andy has delivered as attorney general — taking on the opioid companies, fighting the insurance companies to protect health care for people with pre-existing conditions and being there for our public employees at every turn. He kept his promises as attorney general and he will do so as governor. Jacqueline Coleman is an active educator, a vice-principal and a basketball coach from rural Kentucky. She will be a staunch advocate for public education and rural economic development.

Their vision to make life better for Kentuckians includes expanding access to affordable health care, improving public schools, creating good-paying jobs and tackling the opioid crisis. It is also about restoring to Frankfort a culture of decency, respect and transparency that has been lost during this administration.

State of the Race:

Matt Bevin’s bullying, backroom deals, attacks on public pensions, and attempts to strip health care away are widely disliked and wrong for Kentucky. Bevin is known as the “most unpopular governor in the country” and, as the incumbent, could barely garner more than 50% of the vote against a little-known and poorly-financed Republican challenger.

Additionally, the overall number of Democratic primary voters who went to the ballot box last week outnumbered Republican primary voters by over 134,000. This primary election also saw the most votes cast in a Democratic gubernatorial primary since 1991. There is a huge amount of interest and excitement around this campaign.

As a result, it’s not surprising Bevin and his special interest donors are already starting the general election with a series of desperate smears and distractions. But no matter how Bevin runs his campaign, Andy and Jacqueline are going to focus on what actually makes a difference for our families.

Andy is also no stranger to tough elections. He won his first election in 2015 — a tough year for Democrats in Kentucky in which the top of the ticket lost by more than eight points. Upon taking office, Andy didn’t play it safe or do the easy thing for his own personal politics. Instead, he went to bat each and every day to do what’s right. And despite getting outspent by nearly three to one in this Democratic primary, Andy won by staying focused on his positive vision for lifting up working families.

Right vs. Wrong: Key Policy Differences

Expanding Access to Health Care: While Matt Bevin has wrongfully tried to rip Kentuckians off Medicaid and gut protections for pre-existing conditions, Andy Beshear has a record of fighting to protect health care for Kentucky families and lower prescription drug costs. Andy and Jacqueline are running on a comprehensive health care plan that strengthens consumer protections by bringing them into state law and cuts the amount families pay for medicine.

Creating Good-Paying Jobs: Too many Kentuckians are stuck in dead-end jobs, while everyday costs continue to rise. Kentucky ranks 47th in per-capita income. Andy will be a governor who puts the interests of workers first, instead of the out-of-state CEOs who have benefited from Bevin’s administration. The Beshear/Coleman vision to expand the economy means there will be more jobs paying wages you can actually raise a family on, and they will be in economic sectors that can benefit every corner of the Commonwealth like agritech, advanced manufacturing, and health care.

Aggressively Tackling the Opioid Crisis: Andy Beshear has been the most aggressive attorney general in the country going after the big drug companies that make and distribute opioids. He also launched the Kentucky Opioid Disposal Program, which helps people safely dispose of opioid medications. While Bevin has allowed this major crisis to grow, Andy has a proven record of results that shows he’s ready to take real action and make ending the opioid crisis a top priority.

Improving Public Schools & Standing With Teachers: A Beshear/Coleman administration will champion public schools and teachers. When Matt Bevin has bullied teachers and tried to rip their pensions away, Andy Beshear stood with teachers to fight back and win. This is such an important issue that Andy made sure to pick Jacqueline, an active educator and former public school assistant principal, as his running mate.