Andrew Graham Beshear (/bəˈʃɪər/ bə-SHEER;[1] born November 29, 1977) is an American attorney and politician serving as the 63rd governor of Kentucky since 2019.

[8] After high school, Beshear studied political science and anthropology at Vanderbilt University, where he was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.

[17][18][19][20] Beshear also represented the Indian company UFlex, which sought $20 million in tax breaks from his father's administration, drawing criticism from ethics watchdogs over a potential conflict of interest.

[22] In November 2013, Beshear announced his candidacy in the 2015 election for Attorney General of Kentucky, to succeed Democrat Jack Conway, who could not run for reelection, due to term limits.

[36] In October 2019, Beshear filed nine lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies for their alleged involvement in fueling Kentucky's opioid epidemic.

[43] He chose Jacqueline Coleman, a nonprofit president, assistant principal, and former state house candidate, as his running mate.

[51][54] On November 14, Bevin conceded the election after a recanvass was performed at his request that resulted in just a single change, an additional vote for a write-in candidate.

[55] Beshear defeated Bevin largely by winning the state's two most populous counties, Jefferson and Fayette (respectively home to Louisville and Lexington), by an overwhelming margin, taking over 65% of the vote in each.

[57] On November 7, 2023, Beshear defeated Republican nominee Daniel Cameron by a vote of 694,482 (53%) to 627,457 (47%) in the 2023 Kentucky gubernatorial election, winning reelection to a second term.

[65] On December 12, 2019, Beshear signed an executive order restoring voting rights to 180,315 Kentuckians, who he said were disproportionately African American who had been convicted of nonviolent felonies.

In December 2021, Beshear led the emergency response to a tornado outbreak in western Kentucky, which devastated the town of Mayfield and killed more than 70 people, making it the deadliest in the state's history.

[95] In August 2020, Beshear signed an executive order releasing inmates from overcrowded prisons and jails in an effort to slow the virus's spread.

[96] Beshear was criticized for not calling the Kentucky General Assembly into a special session (a power only the governor has) in order to work with state representatives to better address the needs of their constituents during the pandemic.

[99] House Speaker David Osborne and Senate President Robert Stivers criticized Beshear for failing to consult the legislature before making his decisions.

[100] Beshear's targeted closures were criticized after it was discovered that state and local authorities were unable to establish contact tracing as it relates to certain types of businesses listed in his restrictions.

[102][103][104][105][106] In August 2021, amid an upsurge in cases driven by the Delta variant, Beshear mandated that face masks be worn in public schools.

[107] On August 19, 2021, U.S. District Judge William Bertelsman issued a temporary restraining order blocking the school mask mandate.

The Supreme Court's opinion, by Justice Lawrence VanMeter, addressed separation of powers between the governor and the General Assembly.

[67] In March 2021, Beshear signed a law that allows judges to decide whether to transfer minors 14 and older to adult court if they are charged with a crime involving a firearm.

[124][64] After the Kentucky legislature voted to allow distilleries and breweries to qualify for a sales tax break on new equipment, Beshear vetoed the provision.

[125] In June 2021, Beshear signed an executive order to allow college athletes to receive name, image, and likeness compensation.

He said he would instead support a red flag law authorizing courts to allow police to temporarily confiscate firearms from people a judge deemed a danger to themselves or others.

[138][139] Beshear supports Kentucky's Medicaid expansion, which provides affordable health care to over 500,000 Kentuckians, including anyone with a preexisting condition.

As attorney general and governor, Beshear expressed support for the Affordable Care Act and criticized efforts to strike the law down in the courts.

[133] On October 5, 2020, he announced the relaunch and expansion of kynect, the state health insurance marketplace that was started in 2013 during Steve Beshear's term as governor and dismantled by Bevin in 2017.

[141] In December 2019, Beshear told President Donald Trump's administration that he planned to have Kentucky continue to accept refugees under the U.S. immigration program.

[145] In August 2019, Beshear promised to construct the Interstate 69 Ohio River Crossing between Henderson, Kentucky, and Evansville, Indiana, by 2023, saying, "we will build that I-69 bridge in my first term as governor.

[148] He was the first sitting governor of Kentucky to attend a rally staged by the Fairness Campaign, and he supports banning the practice of conversion therapy for LGBTQ youth.

[149] In 2024, he signed an executive order to ban conversion therapy for minors after Republicans in the state legislature had repeatedly blocked legislative efforts to do so.

[151] Beshear also showed support for a group of drag queens he took a selfie with and strongly defended his actions when criticized by Republicans.