HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. — The first face-to-face debate to be televised across the state of Kentucky between Democratic incumbent Gov. Andy Beshear and Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron showed two statesmen sparring back and forth over key issues like public safety, abortion and education for an uninterrupted hour.
On public safety, Beshear acknowledged more work needed to be done in Kentucky, including paying police more.
"While a lot of our violent crime is going down, people don't feel safer so we have to do more," he said.
Cameron touted his endorsement by the Fraternal Order of Police and said Beshear wasn't doing enough as governor.
"He has no plan to address the increase in violent crime that he caused," Cameron said. "You don't feel safer because you're not safer under this governor."
Watch the entire debate below:
Both candidates used a question concerning abortion and limitations on the practice as an opportunity to attack their opponent as unreasonable.
Beshear said "extreme" limitations on abortion, including current law in Kentucky, were unacceptable.
"The trigger ban removes any and all options from victims of rape and incest, some as young as 9 years old," Beshear said. "That's wrong. Yet, my opponent celebrated it."
Cameron hit back saying he's proud to be the "pro-life" candidate.
"I'm the pro-life candidate, and Andy is the abortion candidate," he said. "He didn't want to answer your question when it comes to what his limit is, because he doesn't want any limit on abortion."
Beshear said he would like to see a return to a Roe V. Wade style of abortion regulation without picking a week at which to ban the practice, while Cameron avoided personally endorsing any limitations.
Cameron said he would sign a bill containing allowances for rape and incest if the legislature put it on his desk.
While discussing education, Beshear attacked Cameron for supporting voucher programs for private schools and focusing on culture war issues.
"People's kids aren't being exposed to things through the classroom or the libraries," Beshear said. "They're being exposed to things because of my opponent's commercials."
Cameron punched back saying he's got a plan to get kids back on track from pandemic-related losses.
"The first person I'm going to enroll in the Cameron Catch-up Plan is my opponent because it appears he has not read my policy," Cameron said. "My policy is about public education."
Northern Kentucky University political science professor Shauna Reilly said face-to-face debates are critically important for the public to understand where candidates stand and how they think and react on their toes.
"This is the only time we will see the candidates side-by-side," Reilly said. "We've certainly seen them in campaign ads and news coverage, but we haven't seen them side-by-side, talking to each other, engaging in that kind of stuff, and I would imagine that would have a lot of pressure attached to it."
Reilly said neither candidate should attempt to win an election in a single debate, but it would be possible to lose an election with a particularly poor performance or mistake.
"I'm certain that, on both sides, that they have been prepping to make sure that those don't happen, but the moment seizes and folks are under pressure. So, for candidates there is a lot of pressure because they're side-by-side," Reilly said.
The general election is on Nov. 7.
