Kentucky’s Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear told MSNBC host Jen Psaki on Monday that the one of the reasons he won reelection was due to the Republicans’ focus on anti-transgender rhetoric in campaign ads.
Earlier this month, Beshear won his reelection over Republican candidate Daniel Cameron with 52.5% of the vote to Cameron’s 47.5%. Beshear proved even more popular this year than when he was first elected in 2019 with 49.2% of the vote in a tight race with incumbent Matt Bevin.
“I will say, the way these Super PACS and my opponent went about their campaign was just mean, and it was gross, and it was cruel,” Beshear told Psaki. “And people don’t like that. That is not who we are, and this oughta be a message that you can’t scapegoat people just to get folks angry, and it’s wrong. Right?
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“Think about what some people are doing, trying to dehumanize other human beings. Trying to turn people against each other. To even foster hate and anger towards another American, here, another Kentuckian. And why? So you can elect one more person that has a certain letter behind their name? This can’t be right and left, some things have to be basic right and wrong.”
Republicans focused on Beshear’s veto of a bill that would ban gender-affirming care for minors, even in cases where a patient is already being treated. The bill also banned teachers from using trans students’ correct pronouns and from discussing gender and sexual identity.
At the time, Beshear said that the bill would “cause an increase in suicide among Kentucky’s youth” and that it “strips freedom from parents to make personal family decisions,” according to LGBTQ Nation. Despite Beshear’s concerns, the Kentucky General Assembly voted to override his veto.
Ads funded by the American Principles Project PAC made unfounded claims that Beshear would use the FBI to remove trans children from unsupportive parents, according to LGBTQ Nation. Other ads featured the former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines, who became an anti-trans activist after tying for fifth place in the 2022 NCAA freestyle championship with Lia Thomas, a trans woman.
Kentucky isn’t the only state to see notable losses by the GOP. Across the country, Republican candidates and policies were struck down at the polls. Ohio voters voted to put the right to abortion into the state constitution, Virginia voters flipped the House of Delegates blue and in many cities, far-right school board candidates lost.