County flips and statewide shifts: The numbers behind Ky. Gov. Andy Beshear's reelection

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear won a second term Tuesday by a comfortable margin, as the incumbent Democrat defeated Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron by roughly five percentage points and 67,174 votes.

Some expected Beshear would struggle to expand on his narrow 5,136 vote margin of victory from his 2019 race against former Gov. Matt Bevin – speculation fueled by a late poll suggesting he was in a dead heat with Cameron.

However, Beshear instead outperformed his first run for governor in most corners of the state to build up a much larger lead, while Cameron ended up with nearly 79,000 fewer votes than Bevin received in the last race for governor.

Here’s a detailed look at the numbers behind Beshear’s victory, including the areas where he performed the strongest, the lower-than-expected turnout that hamstrung Cameron and the lack of “coattails” for down-ballot Democratic candidates.