2023 Kentucky gubernatorial election
The 2023 Kentucky gubernatorial election will be held on November 7, 2023, to choose the governor and lieutenant governor of Kentucky. Incumbent Democratic Governor Andy Beshear is running for re-election to a second term. Primaries were held on May 16, 2023. The winner of the 2023 gubernatorial election is scheduled to be sworn in on December 12, 2023.
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| Elections in Kentucky |
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 Government |
Incumbent Democratic governor Andy Beshear is running for re-election to a second term in office. The Republican nominee is Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron. This race is one of two Democratic-held governorships up for election in 2023 in a state Donald Trump won in 2020, the other being in Louisiana. This is also the first gubernational election in the state's history where both major party candidates have occupied the position of Attorney General; Beshear held the position from 2016 to 2019, after which he was succeeded by Cameron.
Background
A socially conservative southern state, Kentucky is considered safely Republican in federal elections, with Republicans holding both of its U.S. Senate seats and all but one U.S. House seat. In the 2020 presidential election, Republican Donald Trump carried Kentucky by 26 percentage points. However, the state was much more competitive as recently as the 1990s (Bill Clinton carried it twice at the presidential level), and Democrats remain competitive in some local and state-level elections.
Beshear was first elected in 2019, narrowly defeating incumbent Republican Matt Bevin, who had been saddled with low approval ratings and heavy criticism for, among other things, signing a pension reform bill for teachers.
The 2023 election is expected to be competitive, as Beshear enjoys high approval ratings with Kentucky voters, but must overcome the heavy partisan lean of the state.
Democratic primary
Nominee
- Andy Beshear, incumbent governor[1][2]
- Running mate: Jacqueline Coleman, incumbent lieutenant governor[1]
Eliminated in primary
- Peppy Martin, businesswoman, consultant, perennial candidate, and Republican nominee for governor in 1999[3][2]
- Geoff Young, perennial candidate[lower-alpha 1][4][2]
Endorsements
Andy Beshear
Fundraising
Beshear is the only candidate who has filed a financial disclosure.
| Campaign finance reports as of January 3, 2023[9] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Cash on hand |
| Andy Beshear | $647,000 | $7,400,000 |
Results
County results
Beshear
- 70–80%
- 80–90%
- >90%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Andy Beshear (incumbent) | 176,681 | 91.3 | |
| Democratic | Geoff Young | 9,877 | 5.1 | |
| Democratic | Peppy Martin | 6,920 | 3.6 | |
| Total votes | 193,478 | 100.0 | ||
Republican primary
Eliminated in primary
- Jacob Clark[2]
- David Cooper, member of the Kentucky Army National Guard[4][2]
- Kelly Craft, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations[11][2]
- Running mate: Max Wise, state senator[12]
- Eric Deters, suspended attorney[12][13][2]
- Running mate: Wesley Deters, former Park Hills city councilor[12]
- Bob DeVore, former McCreary County school board member and perennial candidate[lower-alpha 2][4][2]
- Mike Harmon, Kentucky State Auditor[14][2]
- Alan Keck, mayor of Somerset[15][2]
- Dennis Ormerod[2]
- Ryan Quarles, Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture[16][2]
- Johnny Rice, militia activist and former police officer[4][2]
- Robbie Smith, high school teacher[4][2]
Did not file
- Anthony Moore, wellwater drilling contractor[4]
Withdrawn
Declined
- Ralph Alvarado, state senator and nominee for lieutenant governor in 2019 (appointed commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health)[19]
- Allison Ball, Kentucky State Treasurer[20] (running for state auditor)[21]
- Matt Bevin, former governor[22]
- James Comer, U.S. Representative for Kentucky's 1st congressional district and candidate for governor in 2015[23] (endorsed Craft)[11][24]
- Thomas Massie, U.S. Representative for Kentucky's 4th congressional district (previously endorsed Maddox)[25]
- John Schnatter, founder and former CEO of Papa John's[26]
- Max Wise, state senator[27] (ran for lieutenant governor with Craft)[12]
Endorsements
Daniel Cameron
- Executive Branch officials
- Donald Trump, 45th President of the United States (2017–2021)[28]
- State legislators
- Kevin Bratcher, state representative from the 29th district (1997–present)[29]
- Individuals
- Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America (1993–present)[30]
- Organizations
- Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America[30]
- Kentucky Right to Life Committee (co-endorsed with Harmon and Quarles)[31]
Kelly Craft
- Executive Branch officials
- Mike Pompeo, 70th United States Secretary of State (2018–2021), 8th Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (2017–2018), and former U.S. Representative from KS-04 (2011–2017)[32]
- Statewide officials
- Ron DeSantis, 46th Governor of Florida (2019-present) and former U.S. Representative from FL-06 (2013–2018)[33]
- U.S. Senators
- Ted Cruz, U.S. Senator from Texas (2013–present) and candidate for President in 2016[34]
- U.S. Representatives
- James Comer, U.S. Representative from KY-01 (2016–present) and former Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture (2012–2016)[11]
- State legislators
- Josh Branscum, state representative from the 83rd district (2021–present)[35]
- Jason Nemes, state representative from the 33rd district (2017–present)[35]
- Michael Pollock, state representative from 51st district (2021–present)[35]
- Steve Riley, state representative from the 23rd district (2017–present)[35]
- Max Wise, state senator from the 16th district (2015–present) (Craft's running mate)[12]
- Individuals
- Vivek Ramaswamy, entrepreneur and 2024 presidential candidate[36]
- Jeff Roe, political consultant and strategist[35]
Savannah Maddox (withdrawn)
Ryan Quarles
- State senators
- Matt Castlen, state senator from the 8th district (2019–present) and former state representative from the 14th district (2017–2019)[38]
- Paul Hornback, former state senator from the 20th district (2011–2023)[38]
- Jason Howell, state senator from the 1st district (2021–present)[38]
- Mike Wilson, state senator from the 32nd district (2011–present) and Majority Whip of the Kentucky State Senate (2018–present)[38]
- State representatives
- Danny Bentley, state representative from the 98th district (2017–present)[38]
- John Blanton, state representative from the 92nd district (2017–present) [38]
- Jennifer Decker, state representative from the 58th district (2021–present)[38]
- Jonathan Dixon, state representative from the 11th district (2021–present)[38]
- Daniel Fister, state representative from the 56th district (2021–present)[38]
- Chris Freeland, state representative from the 6th district (2019–present)[38]
- Chris Fugate, state representative from the 84th district (2017–present)[38]
- Mary Beth Imes, state representative from the 5th district (2021–present)[38]
- DJ Johnson, state representative from the 13th district (2017–2019, 2021–present)[38]
- Kim King, state representative from the 55th district (2011–present)[38]
- Matthew Koch, state representative from the 72nd district (2019–present)[38]
- Derek Lewis, state representative from the 90th district (2019–present)[38]
- Bobby McCool, state representative from the 97th district (2019–present)[38]
- Michael Meredith, state representative from the 19th district (2011–present)[38]
- Kimberly Moser, state representative from the 64th district (2017–present)[38]
- Phillip Pratt, state representative from the 62nd district (2017–present)[38]
- Walker Thomas, state representative from the 8th district (2017–present)[38]
- Killian Timoney, state representative from the 45th district (2021–present)[38]
- James Tipton, state representative from the 53rd district (2015–present)[38]
- Richard White, state representative from the 99th district (2020–present)[38]
- Russell Webber, state representative from the 26th district (2015–present) and from the 49th district (2013–2015)[38]
- Organizations
- Kentucky Right to Life Committee (co-endorsed with Harmon and Cameron)[31]
- Newspapers
- Lexington Herald-Leader (primary only)[8]
Mike Harmon
- Organizations
- Kentucky Right to Life Committee (co-endorsed with Cameron and Quarles)[31]
Fundraising
Financial disclosures for major candidates are below:
| Campaign finance reports as of April 18, 2023[39] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| Daniel Cameron | $1,370,904 | $777,446 | $593,458 |
| Kelly Craft | $8,563,233[lower-alpha 3] | $8,156,315 | $406,918 |
| Eric Deters | $669,064[lower-alpha 4] | $659,746 | $9,319 |
| Mike Harmon | $84,547[lower-alpha 5] | $70,693 | $13,854 |
| Alan Keck | $311,717[lower-alpha 6] | $257,577 | $54,139 |
| Ryan Quarles | $1,202,650 | $299,419 | $903,231 |
Debates
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Participants | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Non-invitee I Invitee W Withdrawn | ||||||||||
| Daniel Cameron | Kelly Craft | Eric Deters | Mike Harmon | Alan Keck | Ryan Quarles | |||||
| 1 | March 7, 2023 | Jefferson County Republican Party Spectrum News 1 Kentucky |
Mario Anderson | Spectrum News 1 | P | A | N | P | P | P |
| 2 | April 26, 2023 | Kenton County Republican Party WCPO LINK nky |
Evan Millward Shane Noem Mark Payne |
YouTube | A | A | P | P | P | P |
| 3 | May 1, 2023 | Kentucky Educational Television | Renee Shaw | YouTube | P | P | P | N | P | P |
| 4 | May 8, 2023 | WKYT Transylvania University |
Bill Bryant | WSAZ | A | A | P | P | N | P |
| 5 | May 9, 2023 | WDKY | Marvin Bartlett Gilbert Corsey Ashley Kirklen |
WDKY | P | A | P | N | N | P |
Graphical summary
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[lower-alpha 7] |
Margin of error |
Daniel Cameron |
David Cooper |
Kelly Craft |
Eric Deters |
Bob DeVore |
Mike Harmon |
Alan Keck |
Savannah Maddox |
Ryan Quarles |
Robbie Smith |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emerson College | May 10–12, 2023 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.3% | 33% | 2% | 18% | 10% | <1% | 4% | 3% | – | 13% | <1% | <1%[lower-alpha 8] | 13% |
| Emerson College | April 10–11, 2023 | 900 (LV) | ± 3.2% | 30% | <1% | 24% | 6% | <1% | 2% | <1% | – | 15% | <1% | <1%[lower-alpha 9] | 21% |
| Mason-Dixon | January 18–23, 2023 | 404 (LV) | ± 5% | 39% | 1% | 13% | 2% | 1% | 5% | 2% | – | 8% | 1% | – | 28% |
| Meeting Street[upper-alpha 1] | January 9–11, 2023 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 39% | – | 8% | 2% | – | 2% | 1% | – | 8% | – | 2% | 38% |
| Maddox withdraws from the race | |||||||||||||||
| co/efficient (R)[upper-alpha 1] | June 13–14, 2022 | 974 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 46% | – | 3% | 4% | – | 5% | – | 7% | 9% | – | 3% | 22% |
Results
County results
Cameron
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
Quarles
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
Craft
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Daniel Cameron | 144,527 | 47.7 | |
| Republican | Ryan Quarles | 65,692 | 21.7 | |
| Republican | Kelly Craft | 52,157 | 17.2 | |
| Republican | Eric Deters | 17,462 | 5.8 | |
| Republican | Mike Harmon | 7,795 | 2.6 | |
| Republican | Alan Keck | 7,316 | 2.4 | |
| Republican | David Cooper | 2,283 | 0.8 | |
| Republican | Jacob Clark | 1,899 | 0.6 | |
| Republican | Robbie Smith | 1,388 | 0.5 | |
| Republican | Bob DeVore | 930 | 0.3 | |
| Republican | Johnny Rice | 726 | 0.2 | |
| Republican | Dennis Ormerod | 696 | 0.2 | |
| Total votes | 302,871 | 100.0 | ||
Independents
General election
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[40] | Lean D | February 16, 2023 |
| Inside Elections[41] | Tossup | May 5, 2023 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[42] | Lean D | January 19, 2023 |
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[lower-alpha 7] |
Margin of error |
Andy Beshear (D) |
Daniel Cameron (R) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mason-Dixon | January 18–23, 2023 | 625 (RV) | ± 4% | 49% | 40% | 11% |
Hypothetical polling
- Andy Beshear vs. Kelly Craft
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[lower-alpha 7] |
Margin of error |
Andy Beshear (D) |
Kelly Craft (R) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mason-Dixon | January 18–23, 2023 | 625 (RV) | ± 4% | 57% | 32% | 11% |
- Andy Beshear vs. Mike Harmon
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[lower-alpha 7] |
Margin of error |
Andy Beshear (D) |
Mike Harmon (R) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mason-Dixon | January 18–23, 2023 | 625 (RV) | ± 4% | 53% | 33% | 14% |
- Andy Beshear vs. Ryan Quarles
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[lower-alpha 7] |
Margin of error |
Andy Beshear (D) |
Ryan Quarles (R) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mason-Dixon | January 18–23, 2023 | 625 (RV) | ± 4% | 52% | 35% | 13% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |
|
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| Republican | |||||
| Independent |
|
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| Independent |
|
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| Independent |
|
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| Write-in | |||||
| Total votes | |||||
See also
Notes
- Green nominee for Kentucky's 45th House district in 2012; Democratic candidate for Kentucky's 6th congressional district in 2014, 2016, and 2018, Republican candidate in 2020, and Democratic nominee in 2022; Democratic candidate for governor in 2015 and 2019
- Candidate for Kentucky's 3rd congressional district in 2008, 2012, and 2016; candidate for Kentucky's 46th House district in 2010 and nominee in 2020; Republican nominee for Mayor of Louisville in 2014 and candidate in 2018
- $7,001,000 of this total was self-funded by Craft
- $52,500 of this total was self-funded by Deters
- $10,772 of this total was self-funded by Harmon
- $32,000 of this total was self-funded by Keck
- Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear - Ormerod with 0.5%
- Jacob Clark with 0.5%
- Partisan clients
- This poll was sponsored by Cameron's campaign
References
- Brammer, Jack (October 1, 2021). "KY Gov. Andy Beshear kicks off re-election bid, will keep Coleman as running mate". Lexington Herald-Leader. McClatchy. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- "Election Candidate Filings - Governor". web.sos.ky.gov. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
- Martin, Ryland (December 2, 2022). "Beshear draws a primary challenger…former Republican Peppy Martin". WEKU.
- Duvall, Tessa (November 22, 2022). "Here's the complete list of candidates running for Kentucky governor in 2023". Lexington Herald Leader. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
- "Kentucky's working families stand with Governor Beshear". Kentucky AFL–CIO. January 11, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
- "KY Democratic Party Endorses Gov. Beshear for Re-Election". Kentucky Fried Politics. March 27, 2023. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
- Kentucky – COMPAC Endorsements Archived April 17, 2023, at the Wayback Machine
- "Herald-Leader endorses two clear, qualified choices in Ky's gubernatorial primaries". Lexington Herald-Leader. April 28, 2023. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
- "Beshear maintains big fundraising lead over Republican rivals". January 3, 2023.
- "Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron Announces Gubernatorial Run". National Review. May 11, 2022. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
- Schreiner, Bruce (September 7, 2022). "Trump ambassador Kelly Craft joins Kentucky governor's race". Associated Press. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
- "Craft taps Sen. Max Wise as early 2023 GOP running mate". Spectrum News. September 22, 2022. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
- Karthikeyan, Divya (October 6, 2022). "Beshear leads in gubernatorial fundraising; Craft closes in on Quarles".
- Sonka, Joe (July 12, 2021). "Kentucky Auditor Mike Harmon is running for governor". Courier-Journal. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
- Horn, Austin (November 21, 2022). "Ky. GOP governor primary was already crowded. One more candidate just jumped in". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
- Schreiner, Bruce (April 30, 2022). "GOP's Quarles announces run for Kentucky governor in 2023". Associated Press. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- "State Rep. Savannah Maddox joining Kentucky governor's race". WKYT-TV. June 6, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
- Fowler, Audrey (December 20, 2022). "State Rep. Savannah Maddox drops out of Kentucky governor's race". WLEX-TV. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
- Horn, Austin. "Sen. Ralph Alvarado leaving office to lead Tennessee health department". Lexington Herald Leader. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
- Bacon, Perry (November 7, 2019). "Kentucky May Have Gotten Even More Red This Week". Louisville Eccentric Observer. Louisville Eccentric Observer. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
- Storm, Nick (July 25, 2022). "Treasurer Allison Ball Announces Campaign for KY Auditor". www.kentuckyfried.com. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
- Delouche, Conroy. "Matt Bevin teases run for Kentucky governor, walks out as deadline passes". WDRB. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
- Schreiner, Bruce (August 5, 2021). "US Rep. Comer eyeing House chairmanship, not governorship". Associated Press. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
- May, Adam (July 8, 2022). "Comer says he'll endorse a GOP gov candidate who hasn't announced yet". Retrieved July 8, 2022.
- Horn, Austin (August 6, 2022). "Maddox picks up endorsement; Comer hints at new candidate for governor". Lexington Herald-Leader. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
- Horn, Austin (December 21, 2022). "Savannah Maddox drops out of Republican primary for 2023 Kentucky governor's race". Lexington Herald-Leader.
- Schreiner, Bruce (August 18, 2021). "Kentucky elections: Republican state Sen. Max Wise eying possible run for governor". The Courier-Journal. Gannett. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
- "Trump endorses Cameron's bid for governor in Kentucky". spectrumnews1.com. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
- Schreiner, Bruce (April 28, 2023). "Rising GOP star embroiled in tough Kentucky primary fight". Retrieved May 18, 2023.
- Owens, Mary (June 22, 2022). "SBA Pro-Life America's Candidate Fund Endorses Pro-Life Champion Daniel Cameron for Kentucky Governor". Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
- "Kentucky Right to Life Endorsements". Kentucky Right to Life Committee. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
- "Kelly Craft for Governor I Pompeo Endorsement". YouTube. May 9, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
- Crain, Brennan (May 15, 2023). "Craft touts U.N. experience, hometown roots ahead of primary election during 'election eve rally'". WBKO News. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
- Vakil, Caroline. "Ted Cruz to stump for Kelly Craft in heated Kentucky GOP primary". The Hill. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
- Storm, Nick (September 13, 2022). "Kelly Craft Attempts to Nationalize Gubernatorial Race in Campaign Rollout". Kentucky Fried Politics. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
- Kamisar, Ben (May 9, 2023). "Ramaswamy endorses Craft's Kentucky gubernatorial bid". NBC News. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
- Republican Liberty Caucus [@RLibertyCaucus] (July 13, 2022). "The Republican Liberty Caucus proudly endorses Savannah Maddox for KY Governor. @SavannahLMaddox has been an unwavering liberty warrior in the KY legislature. As Governor, Savannah will continue to fight for personal liberty, smaller government and economic freedom. #RLCendorsed" (Tweet). Retrieved July 28, 2022 – via Twitter.
- Storm, Nick (July 27, 2022). "Ryan Quarles Endorsed by 150+ KY Elected Officials". Kentucky Fried Politics. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
- "Candidate Search". Kentucky Registry of Election Finance. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
- "2024 Governor Race ratings". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
- "Gubernatorial Ratings". Inside Elections. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
- "2024 Gubernatorial race ratings". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
External links
- Official campaign websites
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