Scott Jennings: Is Andy Beshear becoming a liberal culture warrior taking on trans rights? – Courier Journal

Scott Jennings| Opinion Contributor

Despite being a very loyal Democrat in a very Republican state, political operatives in both parties acknowledge that Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear carries an above-water favorability rating as he plots his 2023 reelection campaign. A state that sends Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul to Washington D.C. seems, however implausibly, to like its left-of-center governor.

For Beshear, two terrible situations allowed him to present as a non-partisan manager the COVIDpandemic and the Western Kentucky tornados. Beshear made some controversial partisan decisions at the outset of the COVIDemergency, but he also appeared daily on television to somberly recite COVIDstatistics and health care instructions. He had something the states previous governor Matt Bevin did not a sympathetic bedside manner.

Like Governors Charlie Baker and Larry Hogan, two Republicans running the decidedly blue states of Massachusetts and Maryland, Beshear has kept his approval ratings up by not antagonizing his constituents with hyper-partisan rhetoric or actions too often.

Hes run into some managerial turbulence for sure (various scandals in the states unemployment benefits office are fertile ground for a future opponent), but he has been careful not to be perceived as a strident liberal culture warrior in the mold of Alexandria Ocasio Cortez or Elizabeth Warren.

Until now.

Last week, Beshear vetoed Senate Bill 83, legislation that would restrict girls high school and college sports to only those students whose birth certificate registered them as female.

Background: Here's what to know about the Kentucky legislature's passage of the transgender sports ban

In other words, transitioning biological males would be forbidden from competing against biological females, an issue that has separated fringe progressives from mainstream America since University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, formerly a male collegiate swimmer who is transitioning, began dominating female opponents in the pool.

With that veto, along with vetoes striking down bans on teaching critical race theory and abortions after 15-weeks, a governor who had previously kept his head down in our national culture wars jumped out of the left-wing foxhole with a fixed bayonet.

Beshears potential 2023 opponents took notice. Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles tweeted that Beshears veto disrupts athletic competition and opens the door for boys to play in girls sports. Decades of hard work to achieve equality in girls sports is now at risk due to Gov Beshears extreme view that erases all of the hard work female athletes have earned.

Kelly Craft, President Donald Trumps ambassador to the United Nations, said: We need a governor who realizes that its patently unfair to let biological males compete against Kentuckys next generation of female stars. Beshear is no different than Biden and the rest.

And Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who has often tangled with Beshear in court, tweeted: A few short weeks after celebrating International Womens Day, the governor says no to protecting womens sports. The legislature should override his veto of SB 83, and my office is ready to defend the law in court if its challenged.

The transgender bill had bipartisan support in the Kentucky legislature, easily surpassing the threshold needed to override Beshears veto. The governor mustve known this before he struck down the law, begging the question: why now?

One explanation is arrogance and ambition. Some political operatives think Beshear is so confident in his reelection that hes looking ahead to a larger stage in 2024, when the Democratic Party may be looking for fresh, non-Washington blood should President Joe Biden decide to retire.

As the theory goes, the national Democrats, enthralled with identity politics above all else, wont consider candidates for president or vice-president who fail to signal their virtues on issues like transgender athletes.

Knowing this, Beshear gave in and vetoed the bill despite the obvious negative political ramifications back home. But did he miscalculate, thereby putting his reelection in jeopardy?

A 2021 Gallup survey found that 62% of Americans believe trans athletes should only be allowed to play on sports teams that correspond with their birth sex, while 34% say they should be able to play on teams that match their gender identity. A more recent YouGov poll found 49% of Americans oppose allowing transgender athletes to compete based on their identity rather than their biological makeup, with just 29% supporting it.

Opposing view: How Kentucky bills are part of a Republican multi-state anti-trans campaign| Opinion

And remember, Kentuckys electorate is far more conservative than the sample in national surveys.

While Beshear has said transgender athletes arent a problem in Kentucky high schools, University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines was denied a fifth-place trophy at the NCAA womens championships when she tied with UPenns Thomas but found herself snubbed at the podium. Thomas was handed the trophy, and Gaines was told shed get hers in the mail.

I'm fortunate enough to where I have such an amazing support system at the University of Kentucky … I know I can't speak for everyone, but I am almost certain I'm speaking for a large majority of female athletes: This is not OK, and it's not fair, Gaines told Fox News.

Time will tell if Beshears turn toward liberal culture warrior will cost him in 2023. But theres no doubt that a governor who once said he was done with politics has forfeited the non-partisan label he once so carefully cultivated.

Scott Jennings is a Republican adviser, CNN political contributor and partner at RunSwitch Public Relations. He can be reached at Scott@RunSwitchPR.com or on Twitter @ScottJenningsKY.

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Scott Jennings: Is Andy Beshear becoming a liberal culture warrior taking on trans rights? - Courier Journal