Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s comforting presence during the COVID-19 pandemic and other disasters helped him to establish a connection with voters, which when combined with the advantages of incumbency made his victory at the polls Tuesday more of a sure thing, according to a veteran observer of Kentucky politics.

Venerable Kentucky journalist and commentator Al Cross, a professor at the University of Kentucky School of Journalism and director of its Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issue, shared his observations about the just-completed election Wednesday at the weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of Bowling Green.

In the months leading up to the election, Cross believed Beshear would triumph over his Republican challenger, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, because Kentucky’s electorate had largely made up its mind about the governor when he became a daily presence at the outset of the pandemic through his addresses to the state, building goodwill that contributed to high approval ratings.

“He came across as caring, sympathetic and firm, and most importantly, he seemed genuine,” Cross said during the meeting at Bowling Green Country Club. “Kentuckians saw him as kind of a greenhorn, he really wasn’t prepared for this but he was trying to get through it the best way he could with the best advice he could get and I think (voters) could see themselves in his shoes, and that empathy going both ways is a pretty powerful thing.”

Beshear was able to defend his record from criticisms leveled by Cameron that the governor’s actions amounted to executive overreach, Cross said.

Cameron was also put on the defensive during the campaign about his stance on Kentucky’s abortion statute.

As attorney general, Cameron has defended the state’s abortion law that went into effect after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which offers no exceptions if a person’s pregnancy was caused by rape or incest, but in a radio interview during his campaign, Cameron said he would sign a law creating those exceptions if the General Assembly approved it.

Cross saw this softening of Cameron’s stance during the general election campaign as an attempt to “have it both ways.”

“All this allowed Beshear, who essentially favored Roe v. Wade, to cast Cameron as an extremist, and I don’t think Cameron ever quite found a way around that,” Cross said.

Former President Donald Trump, still a popular figure in Kentucky, was considered by many to be an x-factor in the gubernatorial race, but Cross said he ultimately had little effect in moving the needle during the general election.

Instead of making a personal appearance on Cameron’s behalf, Trump gave a video endorsement that was circulated online to supporters.

“I think the Cameron campaign was concerned, number one, about the expense of bringing him in,” Cross said. “It is not inexpensive to stage a Donald Trump rally and we all know Trump wants everyone to pay his bills. They were also concerned that they couldn’t manage Trump, they couldn’t guarantee he could give the message they needed.”

Cross said Beshear’s built-in advantage as an incumbent also enabled him to outspend Cameron’s campaign and dedicate more effort to getting out the vote.

The governor will now be expected to build up the state’s flagging Democratic party infrastructure, Cross said.

For the second straight election cycle, Beshear won his election while Republicans swept the down-ballot statewide elected offices, and Republicans now outnumber Democrats among registered voters in Kentucky.

Cross said pressure will be placed on Beshear to shore up Democratic fortunes in Kentucky by getting more Democrats elected to the General Assembly, estimating there were eight or 10 seats in the Kentucky House and the Senate where a “well-funded, experienced, capable Democrat could beat an incumbent Republican, even if Donald Trump is on the ballot.”

“I think Beshear now has political capital to spend and he can come now and campaign for these people and say ‘vote whoever you want for president, we’re trying to fix things in Frankfort,’ ” Cross said.

Cross turned an eye toward future campaigns, telling the audience that he believed U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell was unlikely to run for re-election in 2026, and he fully expects Cameron, U.S. Rep. Andy Barr and U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie to be in the conversation as McConnell’s potential successor.

Looking to the 2027 gubernatorial race, current U.S. Rep. James Comer and Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams seem to be potential Republican candidates, along with State Auditor Allison Ball and Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner-elect Jonathan Shell, Cross said.

On the Democratic side, longtime state representative Rocky Adkins, now a senior advisor to Beshear, seems likely to Cross to emerge as a candidate to keep the governorship in Democratic hands, and Lieutenant Gov. Jacqueline Coleman and U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey could also be potential candidates.

As for Beshear, Cross noted that some national political commentators have taken note of his success in a deep-red state and are floating the governor’s name as someone to consider for national office.

“I think Beshear will be getting calls from lots of people and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him make a lot of visits to Iowa in the next round of caucuses,” Cross said.