Candidate Comparison:

Kentucky Races

Gubernatorial Candidates Attorney General Candidates Secretary of State Candidates

Candidate Comparison:

Governor

Andy Beshear (D)

Daniel Cameron (R)

Wages

Beshear supports raising the minimum wage and ensuring that women receive equal pay for equal work. As governor, he pushed for bonuses for essential workers during the COVID pandemic. Beshear supported allocating $400 million in ‘hero pay’ for essential workers, including health care workers, child care workers, and grocery store workers in his FY 22 budget.[1]	Cameron has not said if he will support raising the federal minimum wage or hazard pay for essential workers.

Paid Time Off & Sick Leave

Beshear urged companies to provide their employees with paid sick leave during the pandemic.[2]	Cameron has not said anything about what he would do to support working families who need to care for themselves or a family member.

Helping Essential Workers

Beshear fights for essential workers. In 2021 and 2022, he pushed the legislature to approve $400 million in bonus pay for essential workers including grocery store workers. Beshear expanded COVID-related workers’ compensation benefits and disability benefits to include grocery workers.[3]	Cameron has fought to remove healthcare protections from essential workers. As attorney general, Cameron filed multiple lawsuits seeking to block pandemic protections for healthcare workers. Cameron pushed to end the vaccine requirement for healthcare workers, which could have put the state’s frontline workers at risk.[4]

Healthcare

Beshear removed roadblocks for nearly 100,000 Kentuckians to access health care and pharmacy benefits. Beshear expanded Medicaid coverage for dental, vision, and hearing care to roughly 900,000 adults. Kentucky hospitals also received an additional $800 million to $1 billion per year to improve the quality of care. Beshear has defended the Affordable Care Act (ACA) which expanded health insurance coverage to tens of millions of Americans, reduced drug costs and health care costs for seniors, as well as protected millions of Americans with preexisting conditions. Beshear believes in making health care more affordable, saying, “No Kentuckian should have to choose between paying their bills and getting their mom or child to a doctor.” In 2020, he relaunched Kynect, a state-run insurance exchange portal, to make health care more accessible for Kentuckians, making assistance programs such as Medicaid and Kentucky Children’s Health Insurance Program (KCHIP), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and the Child Care Assistance Program more accessible. Under Beshear’s leadership, KCHIP expanded in early 2023 to include coverage for pregnant women. In 2022, Beshear signed legislation to make telehealth more accessible. He also expanded access to health care through a $100 million investment by Goodwill Industries and Norton Healthcare in West Louisville to bring programs and services to this geographic area. In 2021, Beshear signed legislation capping the price of insulin at $30 a month for qualifying Kentuckians. Beshear is also committed to helping Kentuckians who suffer from addiction, saying, “We are making sure Kentuckians have what they need to succeed.” In 2022, Kentucky’s drug overdose deaths declined by 5% compared to the year prior, signifying the first decline since 2018. Beshear assigned an executive order in late 2022 allowing Kentuckians with certain medical conditions and seeking relief from chronic pain or alternatives to addictive opioids to possess and use small amounts of medical cannabis. Since the governor took office in 2019, Kentucky’s number of treatment beds has increased by 50%.[5]	Cameron has not said what he will do to lower health care and prescription drugs prices in Kentucky or address the opioid crisis.

Economic Insecurity & Inflation

Under Beshear Kentucky has experienced impressive job and economic growth. As of May 2023, Kentucky’s unemployment rate is at a record low. Beshear has sought to put money in Kentuckians’ pockets. In 2022, he froze the state’s gas tax, and instituted anti-price gouging laws to protect Kentuckians from unnecessarily high gas prices. Additionally, he issued an executive order to prevent price gouging on baby formula during a formula shortage. Beshear also proposed decreasing the state sales tax to help combat inflation.[6]	Cameron has not said how he plans to provide relief to Kentuckians during historically high inflation.

Unions & Labor

Beshear believes that “labor unions are the backbone of America” and is “a proud supporter of unions, because they have raised the standard of living and quality of life for Kentucky workers.” As attorney general, Beshear opposed Kentucky’s “right-to-work law,” saying, “I wanted to be Attorney General to better protect families, and all right-to-work does is pay our working families less.” Beshear also earned several labor endorsements during his first gubernatorial bid in 2019 including UFCW Locals 75 and 227. Beshear is committed to protecting Kentucky workers. In 2020, he re-established a workplace safety board to implement regulations making workplaces safer. [7]	While attorney general, Cameron fought the PRO Act, which protects workers’ rights to organize and collectively bargain, claiming that it would “negate state right-to-work laws.” [8]

CHECK THE FACTS – GOVERNOR

Candidate Comparison:

Attorney General

Pamela Stevenson (D)

Russell Coleman (R)

Wages

Stevenson is a proponent of paying Kentucky workers what they deserve. She cosponsored wage transparency legislation which would require employers to include the wages or wage range for the advertised position in any job posting. [1]	Coleman has not said whether he supports wage transparency legislation.

Paid Time Off & Sick Leave

Stevenson supports paid family and medical leave and paid sick days. She said “I will promote policies that will help working families if I am elected as your representative. Living [sic] wages, paid family and sick leave, and safer workplaces.” [2] Stevenson supported the American Rescue Plan which provided emergency paid leave fund for federal employees. She has said that the law “lifted millions of…children out of poverty” and that it “takes care of families, it takes care of education, it’s going to get the economy back.”[3]	Coleman has not said anything about what he would do to support working families who need to care for themselves or a family member.

Worker Safety

Stevenson is dedicated to helping and protecting essential workers. Stevenson supports “having safety regulations that are more strict than federal regulations.” [4]	Coleman has not said anything about what he would do to support essential frontline workers.

Health Care

Stevenson has said that one of her top priorities as attorney general will be to end the opioid epidemic. [5]	Coleman has made tackling the opioid crisis a core part of his campaign and wants to bring a “tough-on-crime” approach. [9]
Stevenson has supported lowing health care costs including voting for legislation which capped the out-of-pocket cost for insulin, sponsoring legislation to require insurers to cover baby formula and breastfeeding support and equipment; educating her constituents about how to get low-cost health insurance and voting to ban copays for Medicaid. [6][7][8]	Coleman has not come out against drug companies’ price gouging.

Economic Insecurity & Inflation

Stevenson spoke out against a host of Republican bills negatively impacting working people, including legislation which would have cut food stamps and legislation that would have added new barriers for Kentuckians living in poverty to access food and medical care. [10]	Coleman has said we need leaders in Washington and Frankfort who are serious about tackling inflation. [13]
Stevenson supported the American Rescue Plan, which included $1,400 direct payments to individuals, provided relief for multiemployer pensions, and expanded the child tax credit. [11] Stevenson has made ending gas companies’ price gouging a core pillar of her campaign, saying it would be among her top priorities as attorney general. [12]	Coleman does not appear to have come out in support of anti-inflation measures such as building more in America, using the state budget surplus to provide relief, suspending the state’s gas tax, combating corporate price gouging, or expanding the child tax credit.

Unions & Labor

Stevenson is a proven advocate for unions and labor. [14] Stevenson received endorsements from CWA-Kentucky, the International Union of Electrical Workers/CWA Local 83761, IBEW Local 369, and the Kentucky AFL-CIO. [15]	Coleman is supported by anti-worker politicians. [16]

CHECK THE FACTS – ATTORNEY GENERAL

Candidate Comparison:

Secretary of State

Charles “Buddy” Wheatley (D)

Michael Adams (R)

Unions & Labor

Wheatley is a strong advocate for workers and supports their right to collectively bargain. Wheatley said, “Collective bargaining is the answer to everything, really, when you think about it.” when UFCW Local 23D and Heaven Hill reached an agreement in 2021. [1] Wheatley has demonstrated his strong support for workers and labor unions in the various roles he has held over his career. He is a fourth-generation Covington firefighter and worked as a labor attorney for public-sector labor unions. Wheatley has always opposed right to work policies.” [2] Wheatley sponsored bills to support a prevailing wage for public works projects, and has appropriated $1.25 million each year to help treat firefighters suffering from a post-traumatic stress injury and disorder. [3] Wheatley has received a number of endorsements from labor organizations over the years including, International Association of Fire Fighters; Kentucky Professional Fire Fighters; KY 120 United-AFT, Covington Professional Fire Fighters Local 38; Kentucky Professional Fire Fighters; Kentucky Fraternal Order of Police; Kentucky Educators Political Action Committee; Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Mechanical Equipment Service Local Union No. 392; Kentucky State AFL-CIO; Kentucky United Auto Workers; Communication Workers of America; International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers; Ironworkers Local 44; General Drivers, Warehousemen, Helpers Local #89; UFCW Local 75; ATU Local 628; United Mine Workers of America; Kentucky Laborer’s District Council; United Steel Workers District 8; and Northern Kentucky Central Labor Council. [4]	Adams has not said what he would to support essential frontline workers.[5]

Voting Rights

Wheatley supports Kentuckians’ fundamental rights to free and fair elections and sponsored numerous bills aimed at making voting more accessible. Wheatley wants to add more polling locations, recruit a greater number of poll workers, expand voting hours, lengthen early voting from three days to two weeks, and allow independents and other registered voters to vote in primary elections. [6]	Adams has supported Kentucky legislation that would make it harder to vote.[9][10]
Wheatley supports giving the public input in the redistricting process. Wheatley opposes redistricting legislation that splits and carves up counties for partisan gain and can negatively impacting minority communities. [7]	Adams opposed federal legislation that would expand voter registration and voting access, limit removing voters from voter rolls, and required states to establish independent redistricting commissions free from political influence. [11]
Wheatley supports making the submission of absentee ballots and mail-in ballots easier. Wheatley supports extending hours for voting locations, expanding in-person absentee voting, and wants to protect poll workers from harassment and intimidation. [8]	Adams dismissed concerns when Kentucky limited the number of polling places for most counties to just one polling station during the 2020 election.

CHECK THE FACTS – SECRETARY OF STATE

CHECK THE FACTS – GOVERNOR:

CHECK THE FACTS – ATTORNEY GENERAL:

CHECK THE FACTS – SECRETARY OF STATE:

1. Twitter, @buddywheatleyky, 12/28/2018; Twitter, @buddywheatleyky, 9/6/2021.
2. Kentucky General Assembly, HB 77, 1/7/2020; Kentucky General Assembly, HB 55, 1/5/2021; Kentucky General Assembly, HB 436, 2/18/2020.
3. Twitter, @buddywheatleyky, 11/2/2022; Twitter, @buddywheatleyky, 5/25/2023; Twitter, @buddywheatleyky, 9/26/2020; Twitter, @buddywheatleyky, 10/25/2018.
4. Kansas City Star, 10/16/2019; NPR, 8/8/2018.
5. Buddy for Kentucky, accessed 6/27/2023; Twitter, @buddywheatleyky, 4/20/2023; Kentucky Fried Politics, 12/20/2022.
6. Kentucky General Assembly, HB 326, 1/24/2020; Kentucky General Assembly, HB 23, 1/5/2021; Vote Smart, accessed 6/27/2023; Louisville Courier Journal, 3/18/2022; Commonwealth of Kentucky, 1/19/2022.
7. Kentucky General Assembly, HB 564, 2/23/2022; Marshall County Daily, 4/25/2022.
8. Commonwealth of Kentucky, 1/8/2020.
9. Commonwealth of Kentucky, 7/16/2020.
10. U.S. House of Representatives, 6/27/2023; Commonwealth of Kentucky, 3/2/2021.