Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, has won reelection

Kentucky voters have reelected Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, according to the Associated Press.

Beshear beat Republican state Attorney General Daniel Cameron.

"Tonight, Kentucky made a choice," Beshear told voters in his victory speech. "A choice not to move to the right or to the left but to move forward for every single family."

The contest had been closely followed, as Beshear fought to hold onto the governorship in the deep red state against Cameron. Issues like abortion access, the state of the economy and culture war topics dominated the race.

Cameron tried to use his endorsement from former President Donald Trump and Kentuckians' high disapproval of President Biden to propel him across the finish line.

If elected, Cameron would've been Kentucky's first Black governor and the first Black Republican governor in the country since Reconstruction.

Despite being a blue dot in a very red state government, Beshear's popularity has remained high. A recent Morning Consult poll found 43% of Kentucky Republicans approve of Beshear.

Beshear, 45, has been able to create a unique brand for himself. Even before he first r for office in 2015, his family name was familiar to many Kentuckians. His father, Steve Beshear, has been involved in state politics since 1974 and served as governor from 2007 to 2015.

Andy Beshear received attention and praise from voters for his leadership through the COVID-19 pandemic, deadly tornadoes, record flooding and ice storms.

Beshear, who won the governor's race in 2019, made increasing abortion access a focal point of his campaign, an unexpected move for a Democrat in the socially conservative state.

But Kentucky voters have already shown a willingness to vote against anti-abortion-rights measures. Last year, Kentuckians rejected adding language to the state constitution that would make it harder to challenge abortion restrictions.