We’ve been fact-checking the Kentucky governor’s race. Here’s what we found

Kentuckians have been inundated with TV commercials, digital ads and text messages in recent months about the governor’s race contest between incumbent Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear and Republican challenger Attorney General Daniel Cameron.

Along the way, Herald-Leader journalists have been diligently fact-checking many of the claims in those ads, as well as statements made by the candidates and campaigns themselves.

Here’s a look at what we found.

Who deserves credit for Kentucky’s opioid settlements?

Both candidates vying to be governor have at one point been the commonwealth’s attorney general. Cameron currently holds that office, while Beshear served a four-year term immediately before becoming governor in 2019.

And as such, both candidates want some — or all — of the credit for bringing in around $900 million in opioid settlement money.

In this piece, accountability reporter John Cheves breaks down the facts about the lawsuits against opioid manufacturers and distributors and the settlement dollars coming to Kentucky.

Read more: Daniel Cameron claims sole credit for Kentucky’s $900M opioid settlements. Is he right?

What do the numbers show about crime in the commonwealth?

Crime and public safety have been recurring themes of the governor’s race, especially in our urban areas of Louisville and Lexington.

In July, Beshear and Kentucky State Police leadership announced the 2022 annual crime report data, which showed a drop in homicides.

However, a key number presented was not accurate, as politics reporter Austin Horn reported.

Read more: Ky crime data, produced by police & touted by Beshear, exaggerated drop in homicides

Does Daniel Cameron want to criminalize birth control?

Renewed scrutiny of Cameron’s answers on the Northern Kentucky Right to Life 2023 primary election questionnaire have raised concerns that if elected Kentucky’s next governor on Nov. 7, he would make contraception illegal.

Cameron told the Herald-Leader that such claims are “absolutely ridiculous” and clarified his position on birth control in this report from Horn, enterprise reporter Alex Acquisto and Frankfort Bureau Chief Tessa Duvall.

Read more: Cameron says claims he wants to criminalize, ban birth control are ‘absolutely ridiculous’

Did Beshear cut the income tax?

A Beshear campaign ad features a supporter for former president Donald Trump explaining he’s voting for the Democratic governor because he “cut the income tax.”

While this is technically true, it’s not the full story, politics reporter Austin Horn explains.

Read more: Pro-Beshear Trump supporter ad claims “Andy cut the income tax.” Here are the facts

What’s the story behind the photo of Beshear and drag queens?

Cameron and conservative groups have hit Beshear hard on social issues, and often recirculate a photo of the governor standing alongside members of an LGBTQ group called The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.

Reporter Aaron Mudd explains the backstory of the photo and what the group stands for.

Read more: Photo of Andy Beshear with drag queens recirculates in governor’s race. What’s the story?

Does Beshear support surgeries for trans kids?

Cameron and his allies have claimed Beshear supports gender-reassignment surgeries for transgender kids following his veto of Senate Bill 150 during the 2023 legislative session. The sweeping anti-trans bill, among other things, made such surgeries illegal for anyone under age 18.

Beshear, however, said he’s never supported gender-reassignment surgeries. Politics reporter Austin Horn and Frankfort Bureau Chief Tessa Duvall explain the background.

Read more: GOP group says KY Gov. Andy Beshear supports surgery for trans kids. He says no.

Read more: New information from UK complicates Democratic narrative on trans surgeries for minors in KY

Did Beshear release prisoners?

Another common Republican line of attack against Beshear that’s been on the airwaves is claims that he let criminals loose on the commonwealth.

Beshear has issued commutations since taking office, but the facts are more nuanced than the attack ads would have you believe. Accountability reporter John Cheves and Frankfort Bureau Chief Tessa Duvall have more.

Read more: GOP ads say Andy Beshear let criminals loose on Kentucky. What are the facts?

Read more: Beshear campaign demands TV stations pull ‘materially false’ commutation attack ad

This story may be updated to reflect future fact-check stories ahead of Election Day on Nov. 7.

This story was originally published October 12, 2023 at 6:30 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.