KY Governor’s Race: Here’s when Andy Beshear and Daniel Cameron debated

Debate season has come and gone.

The two candidates seeking to win a term as Kentucky’s chief executive — Gov. Andy Beshear and Attorney General Daniel Cameron — have completed their fall debate schedules.

Luckily for Kentucky voters, there was overlap among the debates Beshear and Cameron have committed to attend, so they will be side-by-side on stage before voters head to the polls Nov. 7.

Prior to the debates, we’d only seen the incumbent Democrat and Republican challenger appear together just once — at the St. Jerome Catholic Church Fancy Farm Picnic in early August — but not in a head-to-head, back-and-forth format.

Below is each candidate’s debate and forum schedule, as well as Herald-Leader coverage from those events.

Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman and Cameron’s running mate, State Sen. Robby Mills, R-Henderson, will also face off in October. Both have committed to the KET debate on Oct. 30 at 8 p.m. Eastern.

Kentucky Chamber Gubernatorial Forum

The Kentucky Chamber hosted its annual meeting Sept. 20 at The Omni in Downtown Louisville, and Cameron and Beshear both spoke at the event.

To read coverage from the event:

• KY gov candidates say something nice about each other. ‘Stop Cameron’ movement starts | Trail to ’23

• Abortion at forefront of KY governor’s race as Beshear again hits Cameron on exemptions

Canceled: FOX 56, WDRB and Nexstar Media Debate

Only Cameron’s announced debate schedule included this Sept. 28 event, which was to be co-hosted by FOX 56 in Lexington, parent company Nexstar Media and WDRB in Louisville.

But now, the debate is “not being held,” according to FOX 56.

Spectrum News 1 Kentucky

Only Cameron took part in this Oct. 3 conversation hosted by Spectrum News 1 Kentucky in Louisville.

“The sit-down conversation will discuss the economy, jobs, abortion access, and education in Kentucky,” according to a news release from Spectrum. “We invited both candidates to debate the issues, but incumbent Gov. Andy Beshear declined the opportunity.”

The 30-minute program was hosted by Spectrum News 1 anchor Mario Anderson, live at 8 p.m.

To read coverage of the forum:

• ‘A delicate issue’: Cameron addresses rape survivor from Beshear abortion ad during forum

Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce Gubernatorial Candidate Forum

Both Beshear and Cameron both participated in this Oct. 12 luncheon.

The Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce’s Gubernatorial Candidate Forum took place at the Paducah-McCracken County Convention and Expo Center.

The debate was streamed live on WPSD Local 6 during the noon news hour, and on WPSD’s Facebook page.

To read coverage from the forum:

• Cameron goes on offense, Beshear plays above fray in first general election debate

• Five key moments in the first Kentucky governor’s debate between Andy Beshear and Daniel Cameron

Northern Kentucky Gubernatorial Debate

Both Beshear and Cameron participated in this Oct. 16 debate in Northern Kentucky.

This debate was hosted by Northern Kentucky University and sponsored by WCPO 9, LINK nky, the League of Women Voters and the Northern Kentucky Forum. Additional media partners included: LEX18 in Lexington, WDRB in Louisville, WPSD Local 6 in Paducah and WNKY News 40 in Bowling Green.

The debate began at 7 p.m. Eastern time and lasted for one hour.

To read coverage from the debate:

• Beshear, Cameron debate splitting up JCPS, death penalty and more in Northern Kentucky

• Missed the Kentucky governor debate? Here are 4 key takeaways.

WLKY & League of Women Voters Candidate Debate

Beshear and Cameron both took part in this Oct. 21 debate.

This debate was co-hosted by the League of Women Voters and WLKY of Louisville and began at 8 p.m. Eastern for one hour.

To read coverage from the debate:

• In third debate, Kentucky governor candidates argue opioids, COVID response, diversity

• Kentucky governor debate: 5 big moments for Andy Beshear and Daniel Cameron

Kentucky Tonight Debate

Both Beshear and Cameron both took part in the KET Kentucky Tonight Debate on Monday, Oct. 23 at 8 p.m. Eastern, hosted by KET’s Renee Shaw.

To read coverage from the debate:

• In tense KET debate, Beshear, Cameron spar over Trump, school vouchers and abortion

The Kentucky Debate

Both Beshear and Cameron took part in WKYT’s Kentucky Debate at 7 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, Oct. 24, hosted by WKYT Anchor Bill Bryant.

To read coverage from the debate:

• In final Kentucky governor debate, Beshear and Cameron take the gloves off

• We’re done with Kentucky governor debates. How did the candidates finish?

This story was originally published September 15, 2023 at 9:44 AM.

Tessa Duvall

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-334-0430

Tessa has been the Herald-Leader’s Politics and Public Affairs Editor since March 2024, after acting as Frankfort Bureau Chief since joining the paper in August 2022. A native of Bowling Green and a graduate of Western Kentucky University, Tessa has also reported in Texas, Florida and Louisville, where she covered education, criminal justice and policing.