From an early age, Governor Andy Beshear's parents, former Governor Steve Beshear and First Lady Jane Beshear, along with his family and community, instilled in him the values of faith and public service.
He has leaned on those values during his time as Governor, especially during the global pandemic and two historic natural disasters: the Western Kentucky tornadoes and the Eastern Kentucky floods.
During the pandemic, he made it a priority to communicate directly with Kentuckians on how to stay safe by providing daily briefings that were broadcast online and on television. In each decision he made, he focused not on what was most popular, but on what would save lives.
At first light after the tornadoes in 2021 and floods in 2022, he made a promise to be with the impacted communities until every home and every life was rebuilt. He is keeping that promise by helping secure hundreds of millions of dollars in state and federal aid and pushing for new homes for affected families. Now, thanks to millions of dollars in private donations raised by the Governor and with support from nonprofit organizations, more than 300 homes will be built or rehabilitated in the west, and seven new high-ground communities are being built in the east.
The Governor is grateful to the health-care heroes, first responders, service members, educators, frontline workers, volunteers and neighbors who came to help their fellow Kentuckians face these and many other challenges.
Under Governor Beshear's leadership, Kentucky is rebuilding stronger than ever, and our economy is booming. Even as our state faced some of its toughest challenges, Gov. Beshear prioritized bringing good-paying jobs to every corner of the commonwealth.
In his first term alone, he announced nearly $29 billion in private-sector investment – the largest amount secured by any Kentucky governor – and secured nearly 1,000 economic development projects creating nearly 51,300 full-time jobs.
The best two years on record for economic development occurred under Gov. Beshear's leadership. He landed the two biggest electric vehicle battery plants on planet Earth, making the commonwealth the EV battery production capital of the United States.
As Governor, he has also secured record-high budget surpluses and record-low unemployment.
On top of that, Gov. Beshear has moved major infrastructure projects forward, including building the Brent Spence Companion Bridge in Northern Kentucky, without tolls, the Mountain Parkway Expansion in Eastern Kentucky and the I-69 project in Western Kentucky. He has secured the largest investments in high-speed internet in our history, which will be used to connect every home and business in the state.
Working with the General Assembly, Gov. Beshear has achieved things some people said would never be possible, like passing sports betting and legalizing medical cannabis. He and state legislators have also made transformational investments, like the $500 million Cleaner Water Program, which is providing clean drinking water to thousands of Kentuckians for the first time.
The Governor's administration has prioritized bringing new prosperity to every family and community, in every corner of the commonwealth.
Governor Beshear has led an education-first administration and has worked tirelessly to protect public education and support teachers while making sure Kentuckians have access to affordable health care, which he believes is a basic human right.
During his first week in office as Governor, he expanded access to health care for nearly 100,000 Kentuckians by eliminating governmental roadblocks. Later, he relaunched kynect and further expanded Medicaid to help more families get access to health care. During his administration, health care is expanding all over the commonwealth, including the construction of the first hospital in West Louisville in 150 years.
With Gov. Beshear's fight to combat addiction, in 2022 Kentucky was one of only eight states to see a decrease in drug overdose deaths During his administration, treatment beds for Kentuckians in recovery increased by 50%.
The Governor's work in his first term built on his record of fighting for Kentucky families throughout his legal career and as Kentucky's 50th Attorney General. As Attorney General, he fought against the opioid epidemic by suing more opioid manufacturers and distributors than any other Attorney General. Under his leadership, the office arrested record numbers of child predators, ended Kentucky's rape kit backlog, protected seniors from scams, fraud and abuse and fought and won to protect the hard-earned pensions of Kentucky's teachers.
In his second term, Gov. Beshear is committed to continuing to move the state forward by working together to turn four years of progress into decades of prosperity for generations to come. The Governor is committed to working with Kentuckians to build that better Kentucky – one where our children never have to leave home to chase their dreams.
The Governor and his wife, First Lady Britainy Beshear, along with their two children, Will and Lila, live in Frankfort and are members of Louisville's Beargrass Christian Church.