Beshear And Cameron Trade Barbs In Paducah Debate

Billed as the only debate and forum in west Kentucky before the November general election, Governor Andy Beshear and Attorney General Daniel Cameron stole the McCracken County Convention Center stage Thursday afternoon — teeing off on regionally-related questions, and then each other, in the Paducah Bank and Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce “Power In Partnership” gubernatorial luncheon.

At the very onset, Cameron made clear that, to him, this race is about the difference between “normal” and “crazy.”

Cameron consistently placed Beshear and U.S. President Joe Biden in the same sentences, and went on the offensive about the Governor’s roles during post-COVID inflation, vaccine mandates and shutdowns, the perpetual “war on coal” and alleged crime increases across the Commonwealth.

Several times, Beshear offered his own barbs while trying to address issues.

Both were lobbed several questions that were McCracken County specific questions. Queries about the City of Paducah’s continued build on its Riverfront Infrastructure Project and Riverboat Excursion Pier, the deactivation and decomission of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant and Kentucky’s need for nuclear energy, and attracting job growth and development in the Purchase region.

However, both also had to tackle concerns on more stately matters like:

— Senate Bill 98, which calls for the exploration of a new regional university in eastern Kentucky and the role of the Kentucky Community & Technical College System;
— Reliable, low-cost energy in the face of clean energy initiatives;
— $5.1 billion in federal funding over the next five years for state infrastructure and transportation;
— The lack of affordable housing and rental options for Kentuckians;
— The Kentucky Product Development Initiative;

And, most importantly, the state’s full push to zero out the income tax.

While benchmarks haven’t been met for the next half-percentage decrease in 2024, Cameron said he wants to be the governor who brings it to zilch.

Beshear, naturally, took a different route.

Beshear noted that “having an overly-partisan governor is dangerous,” and that prospective companies — companies perhaps interested in major west Kentucky developments — would be watching in November.

Cameron, meanwhile, was among many things adamant about his KCTCS support.

Candidates were allowed two-minute opening and closing statements, and gave non-rebuttal answers to 10 questions. WPSD’s Todd Faulkner served as the moderator.

Following the debate, both Beshear and Cameron remained in the Jackson Purchase for various measures. The former went to Calloway County, where Kentucky Transportation Cabinet officials and local leaders convened near the state line for the U.S. 641 four-lane expansion between Murray and Hazel. The latter went to Benton, where he and Marshall County officials unveiled his new west Kentucky satellite office.

Beshear’s Opening Statements

Cameron’s Opening Statements

Closing Statements

Question 1: The City of Paducah will need supplemental funds of approximately $3.5 million to complete its [Riverfront] project. What do you believe the state’s role could be in helping bridge the funding gap?

Question 2: The state recently established a working group to develop goals and objectives for a future [nuclear technology] commission. Tennessee has recently announced a $50 million investment for incentives accelerating advanced nuclear technologies. What can, or should, Kentucky do to promote advanced nuclear energy and new technologies?

Question 3: [Senate Bill 98] authorizes the Council on Post-Secondary Education to complete a study that includes the possibility of establishing a new regional university in Eastern Kentucky. It will also look at the future role of KCTCS to be responsible for providing the only technical education and would transfer traditional general education courses and programs to regional universities. Do you support this study? What do you see as the future role of KCTCS?

Question 4: …How will you work to preserve Kentucky’s natural energy advantages as the nation, as a whole, moves toward clean energy initiatives and carbon-free mandates?

Question 5: More than 1,000 bridges and 1,300 miles of highway are in poor condition in Kentucky. The state is expected to receive approximately $5.1 billion over five years in federal highway formula funding… How will you use federal and state funding to repair and rebuild roads and bridges in western Kentucky, as well as expand infrastructure projects for airports, rail, river and public transit?

Question 6: Homeowners face challenges… Many renters are also in dire straits due to a shortage of affordable rental homes. How can the state help?

Question 7: The Kentucky Legislature has been reducing the state’s Individual Income Tax. Do you support these efforts? Why or why not? What measure would you support as governor to help offset lost revenues?

Question 8: What are the keys to attracting more new employers to the Purchase area and, in particular, this immediate area?

Question 9: Do you see the KDPI program continuing and, if so, is there potential to increase the money allocated to better prepare our sites for prospects across the state…particularly in west and east Kentucky…and small rural areas?