Andy Beshear is the Governor of Kentucky. He assumed office on December 10, 2019. His current term ends on December 7, 2027. Beshear received a bachelor's degree from Vanderbilt University and a J.D. from the University of Virginia. After graduating from law school, Beshear was a partner at Stites & Harbison, where he specialized in consumer and nonprofit law. Beshear won the 2015 Kentucky Attorney General election, defeating Whitney Westerfield 50.1%-49.9%. As attorney general, Beshear sued then-Gov. Matt Bevin on four separate occasions, winning two of those suits. The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled 5-2 in favor of Beshear, who sued Bevin for abusing executive powers as governor by making budget cuts to the state's university system without the Kentucky General Assembly's approval. The court also unanimously struck down Kentucky Senate Bill 151 regarding teachers' pensions, which Bevin had signed into law. Beshear won the 2019 election for governor of Kentucky against Bevin 49.2%-48.8%. During his campaign, Beshear said, "Governors have a moral responsibility to act with decency, to do their best, to provide good-paying jobs, and to provide justice to all Kentuckians." Beshear campaigned on his healthcare and education policies and said he would enact consumer protections based on the Affordable Care Act and increase public education funding. Beshear's 2019 victory changed Kentucky's trifecta status from a Republican trifecta to a divided government.
