Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear said his victory sends a “loud, clear message.”
Beshear defeated Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who was endorsed by former President Trump, on Tuesday.
The now two-term governor thanked voters Tuesday night after the race was called in his favor.
“It was a victory that sends a loud, clear message, a message that candidates should run for something and not against someone,” he told supporters.
Beshear has seen strong approval despite being the Democratic governor of a red state. He flipped the governor’s mansion blue in 2019.
“Tonight, Kentucky made a choice, a choice not to move to the right or to the left, but to move forward to every single family,” Beshear said.
“A choice to reject ‘Team R’ or ‘Team D’ and to state clearly that we are one Team Kentucky,” he continued. “And tonight, the people of Kentucky elected me as just the third, two-consecutive-term governor in our history.”
Polls showed Beshear holding onto a lead ahead of the election, although a recent survey showed the candidates tied at 47 percent.
The Kentucky gubernatorial race has been closely watched, as it may be an indication of how Democrats will perform in the polls in deeply red states ahead of the 2024 election.