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It’s possible many Kentuckians didn’t think about the power a governor has until Gov. Andy Beshear told residents of the commonwealth when and where they had to wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Every four years, Kentucky holds a gubernatorial election. This year, the commonwealth will choose to either elect a new governor or re-elect Beshear, a Democrat.
Governors act as chief executives of the state, with the power to pardon criminals, fill vacancies on commissions, sign or veto laws and issue executive orders.
But what else can a governor do, and what powers do they have? LINK nky talked with University of Kentucky political science professor D. Stephen Voss, Ph.D., about the power of Kentucky’s executive branch.
“Kentucky governors historically have held more power than their peers in most other states,” he said. “The most important source of gubernatorial strength has been the short legislative sessions required by Kentucky’s constitution, combined with the governor’s monopoly over when the state can hold special sessions and what legislation those sessions could consider.”
However, during Beshear’s tenure – with supermajorities in both chambers of the Legislature – Republicans have dictated more of the legislative agenda than usual in the state. During the 2022 legislative session, they upstaged the governor by releasing their budget ahead of Beshear – a first in Kentucky history.
“Kentucky governors do have one major limitation on their power, which is that veto overrides only require majority support in the legislative chambers,” Voss said. “Now that the governor represents a different party from the Legislature, veto overrides suddenly have become a major feature in Kentucky politics, eroding gubernatorial power compared to when the governor was the highest-ranking member of the party controlling the legislative branch.”
During the last two legislative sessions, Republicans have exerted control by overriding the governor’s veto on major legislation – such as an omnibus abortion bill and a bill banning gender-affirming care for transgender youth.
Beshear, on the other hand, exercised his power during the pandemic by issuing executive orders to close businesses to prevent the spread of COVID-19. With legislators unable to call themselves back into session — something they attempted to change via a failed 2022 constitutional amendment — they were left on the sidelines until the Legislature could reconvene.
“For most of the year, Kentucky governors could exploit their discretion, especially their emergency powers, to set policy without needing to consult with elected representatives,” Voss said. “Kentucky’s part-time legislators typically lack both the resources and the time necessary to rival the executive branch’s policy knowledge and influence.
“Kentucky’s legislative branch periodically tries to gain some policy leverage over the governor, for example, by funding a relatively professional Legislative Research Commission and by organizing interim committees so that they will be ready to hit the ground running when legislative sessions officially start.”
But for the first time in 2022, Republicans saw statewide party registration flip over Democrats. Typically, the latter party has held power in Kentucky, though Kentucky Democrats have been more conservative than elsewhere in the country. Kentucky Democrats have traditionally been anti-abortion, for example.
“The governor’s lopsided power mostly relied on the same party, generally the Democratic Party, dominating the statewide elected offices and the General Assembly,” Voss said. “Kentucky’s recent shift toward divided government, not just between the executive and legislative branch but also across the statewide constitutional offices, undercut some of the reasons why governors could dominate the state.”
Voss thinks that if a Republican wins the office in November, the power that has shifted toward the Legislature and other constitutional seats – attorney general, agriculture commissioner, secretary of state, state auditor, treasurer – could be transferred back toward the governor’s office.
“Republican legislators have used their supermajority to pass legislation that shifts the balance of power in their direction, but so far they have used their new strength modestly, overruling Gov. Beshear on specific policies but only eroding the power of the governor’s office modestly,” Voss said. “Should a Republican take the governor’s mansion, I would expect that we will see the pendulum shift back toward strong governors, although probably not to what Kentucky used to have in the late 20th century.”
Meet the candidates for governor
Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear was one of the most popular state leaders in the country as of April, according to a Morning Consult poll.
The organization released an updated poll in April that shows the governor with a 59% approval rating among voters ahead of the 2023 Kentucky gubernatorial election.
Forty-six percent of Republicans approve of Beshear’s handling of the state. Further, 49% of independent voters and 87% of Democrats approve of the governor.
“Public sentiment in Kentucky about Gov. Andy Beshear remains overwhelmingly positive as the Democrat prepares to defend his seat this year,” the report reads.
Despite his popularity, Beshear will face an uphill battle in the gubernatorial election, according to the poll. Kentucky has a history of electing Democratic governors but has voted overwhelmingly in favor of Republicans on the state and federal levels over the past two decades.
“He flipped the seat in 2019 thanks in large part to former Republican Gov. Matt Bevin’s unpopularity, an advantage he will not likely have this fall as he faces a slate of potential Republican challengers, including state Attorney General Daniel Cameron, former U.S. ambassador to Canada and the United Nations Kelly Craft and Agricultural Commissioner Ryan Quarles,” the poll reads.
Bevin’s unpopularity was the only significant advantage Beshear enjoyed, with Bevin carrying a lot of baggage inside and outside his party, according to University of Kentucky political science professor D. Stephen Voss.
“Beshear still needed to establish credibility with voters who normally do not support Democrats, a challenge made easier by his father’s brand name, but that still resulted in a very narrow victory,” Voss said, referring to Andy’s father, Steve Beshear, who was governor from 2007 to 2015. “This time, Beshear will be entering his re-election contest with all of the benefits that come from a successful run as governor.”
With Beshear likely to move forward from the primary – he faces Peppy Martin and Geoff Young – most Kentuckians are focused on the GOP primary, which features 12 contenders.
Here are the 12 candidates vying to become the Republican nominee.
State Auditor Mike Harmon
Harmon is serving his second term as auditor – a term-limited position, meaning he will be moving on from that role at the end of 2023. He was the first to launch his campaign against Beshear.
As auditor, Harmon is responsible for the transparency and accountability of how Kentucky’s government spends state tax dollars. One of Harmon’s most high-profile moves involved referring audit findings of Kentucky State University to state and federal prosecutors.
The move came after the audit found that the university had a confusing budget situation that led to financial disarray at the small Franklin County college.
Before that, he served in the Kentucky House of Representatives and was vice chairman of the House Standing Committee on Tourism, Development and Energy.
Key issues:
Medical cannabis: against
Sports betting: against
Abortion rights: against
Income tax cuts: supports
Website:
Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles
Like Harmon, Quarles is term-limited in his role as agriculture commissioner and will see his term expire at the end of 2023.
Quarles said he launched his campaign because he wants to unite Kentuckians at a time when the state is further divided along party lines.
Before becoming agriculture commissioner, Quarles served in the Kentucky House of Representatives. He has served as president of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA), president of the Southern Association of State Departments of Agriculture (SASDA) and chairman of the Republican Agriculture Commissioners Committee (RACC).
In March, Quarles began releasing the main points of his “commonsense” plan, detailing his stance on key issues in the race.
Key issues:
Medical cannabis: supports
Sports betting: supports
Abortion rights: against
Income tax cuts: supports
Website:
Former U.N. Ambassador Kelly Craft
Craft’s entrance to the race came after months of speculation. The former ambassador to Canada and the United Nations under President Donald Trump, Craft is running a campaign around what she calls the “kitchen table.”
The theme focuses on what’s important to everyday Kentuckians. She came under fire for her “empty chair” speech – a reference to an empty chair at a table caused by the fatal overdose of a loved one. Craft later clarified her campaign stance, saying her daughter has a drug addiction and, while she was sitting at the table, she wasn’t fully present. Hence the empty chair.
Craft’s campaign also hits hard on the push for coal as a primary energy source, despite the state’s move away from the once-important energy source. Her husband is billionaire coal magnate Joe Craft, who regularly contributes to Republican campaigns across the country.
Key issues
Medical cannabis: unclear
Sports betting: unclear
Abortion rights: unclear
Income tax cuts: unclear
Website:
Attorney General Daniel Cameron
While Kelly Craft served as a U.N. ambassador under President Donald Trump, Daniel Cameron received the endorsement from the former president in this race.
Trump endorsed Cameron last June – nearly a year before the May primary. In his endorsement message, Trump said Cameron is tough on crime, strong on issues important to the military and veterans, a fierce defender of the border and a protector of the Second Amendment.
“A young star is born before our very eyes, his name is Daniel Cameron,” wrote Trump in a statement. “The Attorney General of the great Commonwealth of Kentucky, and he has just announced he is running for governor.”
Cameron’s campaign has focused on attacking Beshear for closures during the COVID-19 pandemic and solving the state’s fentanyl crisis.
Key issues
Medical cannabis: supports
Sports betting: supports
Abortion rights: against
Income tax cuts: supports
Website:
cameronforkentucky.com
Somerset Mayor Alan Keck
Keck joined the race in November of 2022 – the last of the current crop of candidates.
Keck lists his faith and family as his top values and cites education, the economy and public safety and his priorities.
In the first GOP gubernatorial debate in March, Keck differentiated himself from the other top candidates in the race by saying he supports exceptions to abortion rights in the cases of rape and incest.
“You know, as a dad of three girls, the abortion rights issue is incredibly challenging for me,” Keck said. “I’m pro-life. I want you all to know that. But when it comes to violent crime, you know, I think we have to give consideration to the woman that was affected, and these decisions aren’t made in a vacuum.”
Key issues
Medical cannabis: supports
Sports betting: supports
Abortion rights: against — with exceptions for rape and incest
Income tax cuts: supports
Website:
keckforkentucky.com
Former attorney Eric Deters
Deters brings his reputation as a firebrand to the gubernatorial race as what he calls the only “self-funded” candidate.
While Cameron received President Trump’s endorsement, Deters invited Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump to his farm last fall for Freedom Fest. Deters called the one-day event – which celebrated conservatism and Donald Trump – on his family’s Independence farm a “political Woodstock.”
The former NKY attorney often makes headlines for the myriad of legal issues he’s involved in – including a guilty plea to menacing his nephew and a lawsuit against former Trump adviser Corey Lewandowski.
Key issues
Medical cannabis: supports
Sports betting: supports
Abortion rights: against
Income tax cuts: supports
Website:
detersforgovernor.com
Jacob Clark
An outspoken liberty-aligned Republican – another name for Libertarian Republicans – Clark said that if elected governor, he will use executive orders to accomplish his legislative agenda.
He lost a GOP primary to state Rep. Samara Heaven (R-Leitchfield) in 2022.
Clark calls himself an inventor, Machinist, welder, engineer and all-around problem-solver.
“He has run for office twice before,” according to his website. “He has been an activist and a voice for the average American who is fed up with our bloated and wasteful government. Clark believes there are many voters who are also fed up and are ready to do something about it.”
Clark, who petitioned to have Beshear impeached during the COVID-19 pandemic, said he would ban lockdowns of the kind Beshear enacted during that time. Beshear publicly called out Clark for a Facebook post in 2021 that featured Clark making veiled threats against the governor and showed a gun in the background of the picture.
Key issues
Medical cannabis: supports
Sports betting: unclear
Abortion rights: against
Income tax cuts: supports
Website:
David Cooper
Independence resident David Cooper is an Army National Guard member and an ordained minister. He has served in the Guard for more than 22 years.
Cooper said he is running because Kentucky needs genuine leadership.
“A strong, even-tempered, bipartisan, steady leader who can work with Senate and House members on both sides of the aisle is what’s going to unite Kentucky together again, and I believe I am that leader who can make it happen,” according to his website.
Key issues
Medical cannabis: supports
Sports betting: supports
Abortion rights: against — with exceptions for rape, incest or dangerous pregnancy
Income tax cuts: supports
Website:
cooperforky.com
Bob DeVore
Devore has run for office multiple times in Jefferson County. He previously ran for a seat in the 3rd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives and for Louisville mayor.
DeVore has not made additional information available about his campaign.
Key issues
Medical cannabis: unclear
Sports betting: unclear
Abortion rights: unclear
Income tax cuts: unclear
Website:
None
Robbie Smith
Smith, a high school math teacher from Madison County, said he is running because the current crop of Frankfort politicians isn’t addressing the needs of Kentuckians.
“I’ve sat back, feeling helpless, as the elite have run our Commonwealth; making decision after decision that either punishes or neglects us hardworking Kentuckians,” according to his website.
Key issues
Medical cannabis: unclear
Sports betting: unclear
Abortion rights: against
Income tax cuts: supports
Website:
Dennis Ray Ormerod
Ormerod is a Louisville native. There isn’t much known about his campaign, and he doesn’t have a website.
Johnny Ray Rice
Rice is from Berry. There isn’t much known about his campaign, and he doesn’t have a website.
About the three Democratic candidates
Gov. Andy Beshear
Beshear has navigated the state through the COVID-19 pandemic, Western Kentucky tornadoes, and Eastern Kentucky flooding. During the pandemic, he maintained an ever-present voice during his weekly Team Kentucky updates.
During his tenure, the state has experienced windfalls in the budget, but the majority of the surplus comes from federal emergency funds received during the pandemic. Both Republicans and Democrats in the statehouse take credit for the positive financial outlook.
While Beshear has helped navigate the state through tough times, he has seen his power limited by Republican supermajorities that override any gubernatorial veto. The Legislature also upstaged the governor by releasing its budget ahead of the governor during the 2022 legislative session – a first in Kentucky history.
While the Legislature works to limit the executive branch’s power, Beshear took executive action during the pandemic and on the issue of medical cannabis.
Key issues
Medical cannabis: supports
Sports betting: supports
Abortion rights: supports
Income tax cuts: against – though he did sign the latest cut into law
Website:
andybeshear.com
Peppy Martin
A former Republican gubernatorial candidate, Martin is now running for office as a Democrat 24 years after her first attempt in 1999.
Martin lost to Paul Patton in the general election after she made questionable comments at that year’s Fancy Farm. She called U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell’s marriage to former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao his “Chinese connection,” prompting McConnell and Chao to leave the event.
She also ran for president in 2000 under the Reform Party.
In 2003, she ran for the GOP nomination for auditor, finishing second.
Key issues
Medical cannabis: supports
Sports betting: unclear
Abortion rights: unclear
Income tax cut: unclear
Website:
peppymartinforkygov.wordpress.com/
Geoff Young
Young ran against Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Barr in the 6th Congressional District in 2022. He came under fire for comments about Ukraine, saying its government is controlled by Nazis.
Beshear and the Kentucky Democratic Party said they wouldn’t support him in his run for Congress, with Beshear saying Young “needs help.”
Key issues
Medical cannabis: supports
Sports betting: unclear
Abortion rights: unclear
Income tax cuts: unclear
Website: https://www.young4ky.com/