FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear will be sworn into office to serve his second four-year term Tuesday with the hopes of signing significant legislation into law including large pay raises for teachers and guaranteed universal pre-K services for children.
After his reelection, Beshear called the election of a Democrat to the highest office in Kentucky alongside a Republican-dominated legislature a message from voters that bipartisanship was the way forward.
"An opportunity to come together to move forward," he said. "Not right, not left, but forward."
To accomplish his legislative agenda, Beshear will need to go through a legislature dominated by Republicans, many of whom are upset at the governor for how he campaigned to defeat Republican challenger and Attorney General Daniel Cameron.
Senate Majority Leader Damon Thayer, (R) District 17, was clear about how important Beshear is to the legislative process on the eve of the inauguration.
"Who the governor is is irrelevant," Thayer said.
The majority leader said voters had sent enough Republican representatives to the legislature to pass legislation without the help of Democrats and then override any veto Beshear might issue.
Thayer said he believes governors getting elected on off years when voter participation is low affects the message sent to lawmakers as a whole.
"I would say we're the ones with the mandate," he said. "We're the ones who were elected when there was a higher voter participation. I think we're the ones with the mandate to lead from a conservative point of view."
Associate Political Science Professor Stephen Voss at the University of Kentucky said Beshear shouldn't expect a post-election moment of peace and unity from across the aisle.
"Andy Beshear is not likely to get much of a honeymoon," he said.
Voss said Beshear will still have power as he can make appointments and make policy decisions during the majority of the year when the legislature isn't in session.
When it comes to crafting, passing, and implementing the law, however, Voss said Beshear is close to powerless.
"Beshear is likely not going to see a lot of cooperation no matter what legislative leaders say in public," he said.
The Governor will be sworn back into office in a ceremony at the capital at 2 p.m. during a day-long celebration in Frankfort.
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