Andy Beshear: Education, Career, and Commitment to Kentucky

Andy Beshear, the current governor of Kentucky, has dedicated his career to public service and advocating for the well-being of Kentuckians. His journey, rooted in a strong educational foundation and diverse professional experiences, reflects a deep commitment to his home state.

Early Life and Education

Born and raised in Kentucky, Andy Beshear, 46, graduated from Henry Clay High School in 1996. He then pursued higher education at Vanderbilt University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in political science and anthropology. His involvement in the Sigma Chi fraternity further enriched his college experience. Beshear has said that studying anthropology taught him the importance of trying to understand where other people are coming from, and trying to establish good communication with people who may come from a very different place, but that you may have more in common with than you initially believed.

Following his graduation from Vanderbilt in 2000, Beshear attended the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was a Dean’s Scholar, earning his Juris Doctor degree in 2003.

Early Career

Beshear's professional career began at the international law firm White & Case LLP in Washington, D.C. After two years, he returned to Kentucky and joined Stites & Harbison in Louisville, where his father previously served as managing partner. At Stites & Harbison, he was recognized as the nation’s top consumer lawyer by Lawyer Monthly.

Attorney General of Kentucky (2016-2019)

Beshear transitioned from practicing law to public service when he was elected as Kentucky's 50th Attorney General, a position his father held from 1979-1983. He won the election by approximately 2,000 votes and served as attorney general from 2016-2019. As Attorney General, Beshear fought against the opioid epidemic, creating the Kentucky Opioid Disposal Program to remove unused opioids from Kentuckians’ homes. The Office of the Attorney General, under Beshear, also arrested record numbers of child predators and trained thousands of Kentuckians on how to recognize and report child abuse and human trafficking. Beshear also launched a voting rights unit to protect and fight for every Kentuckian’s right to vote.

During his time as Attorney General, Beshear also fought against unscrupulous for-profit colleges and secured over $5 million in restitution or debt relief for Kentucky students. He also stopped Matt Bevin when he tried to illegally cut the budgets of our universities and community colleges.

Governor of Kentucky (2019-Present)

In 2018, Beshear launched his gubernatorial campaign, winning the election in 2019 and successfully securing reelection in 2023. Andy Beshear was sworn in as Kentucky’s Governor in December 2019.

Focus on Education

Beshear has demonstrated a strong commitment to public education throughout his career. He believes in a Kentucky where every public school is fully funded and every child has a shot at the American dream-regardless of zip code or family income. He recognizes the need to provide students with up-to-date resources, stating, “It’s a disgrace that some of our kids read from ten-year-old text books held together with duct tape.”

Despite being a Democratic governor with a Republican-controlled legislature and supermajority, Beshear has advocated for substantial investments in the state’s higher education institutions. One of his earliest actions as governor was announcing the state Board of Education would waive fees for students taking the GED test for the first time.

Beshear's commitment to education extends to higher education as well. His 2022-2024 state budget proposal included an 11.7% increase for the state’s nine public postsecondary education institutions, more than $100 million in funding for local vocational centers and state-operated area technical schools, and funding for 19 new university capital projects. His most recent budget proposal for 2024-2026 includes another $100 million to improve secondary career and technical education centers, an almost 8% increase in funding to postsecondary education institutions over the two years, and almost $50 million each year for three new student loan forgiveness programs for teachers, social service workers, and state employees.

Read also: The Making of Andy Dalton

He also stopped Matt Bevin when he tried to illegally cut the budgets of our universities and community colleges.

Healthcare Advocacy

Beshear is a strong advocate for accessible and affordable healthcare for all Kentuckians. He believes that health care is a basic human right and that all Kentuckians, no matter where they live or how much they earn, deserve access to affordable health care. He is currently fighting against a federal court ruling which would eliminate mandatory coverage for pre-existing conditions and could eliminate health coverage for 1.3 million Kentuckians - costing Kentucky in both money and lives.

Economic Development

Beshear is focused on creating good-paying jobs for Kentuckians. He states, “Under Matt Bevin, Kentucky is near the bottom in the nation for job and wage growth. I will work every day to bring good-paying jobs that enable our hardworking men and women to raise their families. My vision for growing our economy doesn’t depend on massive give-aways for wealthy out-of-state CEOs like we’ve seen from Matt Bevin.”

He also recognizes the importance of preparing the workforce for the future: “We must prepare our workforce for the 21st century in jobs well-suited for Kentucky in fields like agritech, automation, data analytics and healthcare; we can build an economy and workforce for the future. In a global economy, it’s vitally important that skills training continue after high school. As governor, I’ll promote apprenticeship training and work to ensure that Kentuckians can afford community college, technical school or college.”

Commitment to Public Servants

Beshear is a staunch supporter of public employees, including teachers, police officers, and firefighters. He emphasizes the importance of keeping the promise made to these individuals regarding their retirement: “We’ve made a promise to our teachers, police officers, firefighters and other public employees that they’ll be able to retire with dignity, and under my watch, Kentucky will keep that promise. When this governor tried to slash pensions, I went to the Supreme Court and personally argued for the promised pensions of more than 200,000 teachers, police officers, firefighters, EMS, social workers and nearly all city and county employees in Kentucky.”

Transparency and Accountability

Beshear emphasizes the importance of transparency in government. He states, “I believe that all candidates for governor and lieutenant governor must embrace full transparency. That’s why I became the first sitting Kentucky attorney general to release my taxes outside of an election year. I have released my tax returns for three straight years- including my 2018 returns in February-and Jacqueline has released her 2017 and 2018 returns.”

Criminal Justice Reform

Beshear is committed to criminal justice reform, including restoring voting rights for individuals with felony convictions who have completed their sentences. In my first week as governor, I’ll sign an executive order that automatically restores voting rights for Kentuckians with felony convictions who have completed their sentences. I’m also committed to rooting out the bias and discrimination that exists in our criminal justice system, which leads to disproportionately high incarceration rates for people of color.

Diversity and Inclusion

Beshear is a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion. He believes that our state government works best when people with a wide range of voices and backgrounds have a seat at the table. I’m proud to lead an AG’s office in which more than 60% of the leadership positions are held by women or people of color. DEI is not a four-letter word, Beshear said in a March 5 speech commemorating the 60th anniversary of the 1964 March on Frankfort. DEI is a three-letter acronym for very important values that are found in our Bible. Diversity, equity, and inclusion is about loving each other. It’s about living out the Golden Rule. … Diversity will always make us stronger. It is an asset and never a liability.

Addressing Key Issues

Beshear has taken clear stances on several critical issues facing Kentucky:

Climate Change: Climate change is real, and Kentucky needs an all-the-above energy policy that includes renewables and clean-coal technology.
Energy Costs: At the same time, one of the biggest challenges our Kentucky families face, especially in the eastern part of the state, is that their energy bills go up year after year, while good jobs are hard to find and wages remain flat. Kentucky families shouldn’t have to choose between putting food on the table and paying their utility bills. Unfortunately, that’s a decision many families have to make. It’s wrong and absurd that women in Kentucky make significantly less than men for doing the same job. As the father of both a son and a daughter, this is personal for me. Kentuckians should not be paid different amounts just because of their sex.
Equal Pay: It’s wrong and absurd that women in Kentucky make significantly less than men for doing the same job. As the father of both a son and a daughter, this is personal for me. Kentuckians should not be paid different amounts just because of their sex.
Expanded Gaming: Kentucky can’t afford to fall behind our neighboring states who are moving forward with the rest of the country on expanded gaming. We lose out on hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
Workers' Rights: I oppose so-called Right-To-Work (for less) laws that undermine workers’ rights, and every year as governor, I will support a bill to repeal this law and reinstate the prevailing wage law. Right-To-Work (for less) results in lower wages and fewer benefits for working families. Unlike this governor, who is dismissive of the struggles facing working families, I understand that our economy is stronger when working families make a truly living wage.
Marriage Equality: I support the right of all Kentuckians to marry the person they love.
Medical Marijuana: I support placing medical marijuana legalization on the ballot as a constitutional amendment and would vote in its favor. I would vote for it because I’ve seen the impact opioids have had on every Kentucky community. So many Kentucky families have seen a loved one fall into addiction, and their lives have been devastated.
Reproductive Rights: I support the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v Wade. Women should be able to make their own reproductive healthcare decisions without interference from the government.
Opioid Crisis: We lose 30 Kentuckians a week to the drug epidemic. Our state has been devastated by this crisis. I’m the most aggressive attorney general in the nation fighting opioid manufacturers and distributors in court. I’ve kept all nine lawsuits in Kentucky, because these companies should have to show up in the communities they’ve ravaged and explain themselves. So far, we’ve directed $9.5 million in settlements to 16 treatment centers and programs across the state.
Voting Rights: I believe that our democracy is strongest when more Kentuckians are involved in the process. As Attorney General, I launched a voting rights unit to protect and fight for every Kentuckian’s right to vote. I also support the automatic restoration of voting rights for Kentuckians with a non-violent felony who have completed their sentences, and will sign an executive order doing so.

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