Andy Beshear, a Democrat, defeats Daniel Cameron to remain governor of Kentucky

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear won a second term Tuesday, according to The Associated Press, marking a remarkable victory for a Democrat in a deeply conservative state. A victory that confirmed his pragmatic approach during a first term that was plagued by a series of natural disasters.

Mr. Beshear defeated Daniel Cameron, the state’s attorney general, who is a protege of Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and considered a rising star in Republican politics. During the campaign, Mr. Cameron had tried to nationalize the race as much as possible, attacking Mr. Beshear for vetoing a bill that imposed restrictions on transgender youth and tied him to President Biden, who is deeply unpopular in the state.

But Mr. Beshear, 45, one of the nation’s most popular governors, led in the polls throughout the race and raised far more money than Mr. Cameron. Outside groups tried to counter that advantage with ads on Mr. Cameron’s behalf, but Mr. Beshear had his own well-funded backers. And in some cases, Mr. Beshear turned national issues in his favor, repeatedly attacking Mr. Cameron for his initial support of an abortion ban passed by the General Assembly that does not include exceptions for rape or incest.

The expensive and sometimes hard-fought race was one of only three governorship races in the country this year, all in traditionally strong Republican states. That Mr. Beshear, the son of a former Democratic governor of Kentucky, was in power at all was largely a result of the deeply divisive style of Matt Bevin, the Republican incumbent he defeated in 2019. Mr. Bevin’s open hostility toward teachers who went on strike for a raise emboldened Kentucky teachers, who were crucial in delivering Mr. Beshear’s narrow victory.

Once in office, Mr. Beshear faced one disaster after another: first the Covid pandemic and then, in 2021, a tornado outbreak in western Kentucky that killed 57 people, and seven months later a catastrophic flooding in the mountains of eastern Kentucky. which killed 45 people.

His focus on recovery efforts, combined with frequent references to his religious faith and careful avoidance of national political issues, kept his approval ratings high even, apparently, among Kentuckians who voted for former President Donald J. Trump.