A Letter to Governor Andy Beshear

Dear Governor Beshear:

I trust this letter finds everything well with you and your family. I recently posted a blog letter to President Donald Trump. I felt that it was important that I provide him with an update from my perspective as an Evangelical Christian and a Conservative.  I am sure he appreciated several of the things I shared with him. It is also likely that he did not appreciate a few things I did share with him. My sense is that you will likely have the same reaction to the things I am sharing with you in this blog post. But as was the case with President Trump, I believe it is important for me to share these things with you.

The first thing I want to share with you is to commend you on the way you have handled difficult events in the Commonwealth. The December 2021 catastrophic tornados in western Kentucky; the July 2022 destructive floods in eastern Kentucky; and the tragic UPS Plane crash in Louisville on November 4, 2025, required a steady hand at the wheel and you did that in spades. Your compassion, energy, and hands on approach enabled much needed material and emotional support and assistance for Kentuckians afflicted by these horrific events. All Kentuckians regardless of their political affiliation owe you a great debt of gratitude for your service in these difficult times.  I also want to commend you and the Republican Leadership in the Kentucky Legislature for the relative civility that has characterized your relationship. To be sure, your respective policy differences are significant, but you have both largely avoided the vitriol that is a constant feature of national politics these days.

Based on what I am hearing from several reliable sources, I believe it is highly likely that you will seek the 2028 Democratic nomination for President. I also know that you have made it clear on several occasions that you are a professing Christian. Considering your likely plans for 2028 and your Christian commitment, I believe you will not be surprised that I wish to engage with you on a few cultural topics.

The first topic is Abortion. I understand you have said you would support certain restrictions on Abortion, but I have never heard you say exactly what those would be. With that said, I believe it would be fair to say that your overall view on Abortion is pro-choice. It would be good to hear from you and have clarity on that point. I am sure you are familiar with Psalm 139:13: “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.” In my view, this Psalm is talking about an unborn child that deserves moral dignity and legal protection. I know you receive a great deal of input from Progressives on this issue, and they are important financial supporters for you as well. But I wonder if you have ever had the opportunity to discuss the issue of Abortion with any woman who had an elective Abortion but now deeply regrets the experience and believes that an elective abortion results in taking the life of an unborn child which is a sin. My wife Cathy is one of those women. In her book, Rescued For Unbridled Joy, Cathy recounts her Abortion experience as a frightened 23-year-old professional facing an unplanned pregnancy. At that time, she believed that Abortion would extricate her from a difficult and embarrassing situation but found out instead that it placed her in a web of darkness and despair that haunted her for a decade or more until she experienced forgiveness of this sin through salvation in Jesus Christ. Governor, I believe Cathy’s book would give you a different and much needed perspective on Abortion. You can easily secure a copy from Amazon. I trust you will do so.

The next topic I would like to discuss is Race. As a father of a son and daughter who were far more accomplished as high school athletes than I ever was, I found great joy watching them compete with teammates and opponents of different races and in some instances being coached by coaches of a different race from their own. Seeing talent and ability rewarded based on merit regardless of race sent exactly the right message and life lesson to my teenagers. If they sat on the bench because a teammate of a different race was more talented, this was exactly as it should be. Unfortunately, in recent years, the term “merit” has become a term that many have sought to avoid or even apologize when it was mentioned, while the term “DEI” has been almost deified. This has been especially the case in Corporate America and Higher Education. I totally understand and appreciate it that some folks have been denied fair opportunity because of race, poverty, illness, or other circumstances beyond their control. This is tragic. But is the best way to address these unfortunate situations to implement programs which pick “winners and losers,” and in many cases are based largely on race? Is it appropriate for many Corporate America companies and Higher Education institutions to tie compensation, bonuses, and promotions of executives to the attainment of racial hiring targets and development of “politically correct” diversity statements? Is it possible that offering the same help and assistance to disadvantaged individuals in Appalachian counties in Kentucky that is offered to individuals in Urban Counties is a better way to achieve fairness and opportunity for everyone involved? Could funds spent on the DEI HR bureaucracy in Corporate America and Higher Education be better spent on enhanced employee recruiting and training to secure a diverse and merit-based workplace in Corporate America and Higher Education?  

I know you vetoed Kentucky House Bill 4 that would have banned DEI programs at Kentucky public colleges and universities. Thankfully, the Kentucky Legislature overrode your veto. I trust that you will broaden the universe of those you discuss this topic beyond your Progressive base. I believe there are many farmers, factory workers, teachers, and small business owners in the Commonwealth who can help you better understand how race, privilege, fairness, and opportunity play out in the workplace of our great state. These individuals are the backbone of our great state. They will not qualify as “Progressive Elites”, but their hard work and achievements in life are worth hearing more about. I am confident that the message you will hear is that focus on maximizing the financial performance of a business based on merit and hard work breeds success and sustainability and serves all shareholders, employees, and customers far better than a demoralizing strategy that rewards some and penalizes others.

Governor, as I mentioned above, my kids were high school varsity athletes. For my daughter, it was soccer. As it turned out, most of her high school soccer matches were preceded by the boys’ varsity soccer match. To be sure, my daughter and her teammates were strong, fast, and athletic as they raced up and down the soccer field. But you know Governor, as talented as my daughter and her teammates were, they were no match for the speed, strength, and physicality of the boys. Thankfully, it never occurred in my daughter’s competition, but the thought of a biological boy transitioning to a girl and then competing on a girls’ soccer team sends cold chills up my spine. While most reasonable and objective individuals would quickly affirm that a biological boy playing on a girls’ soccer team would be unfair to the opposing team, there is more to it than that. Governor, you can mark my words that it will only be a matter of time until a biological boy playing on a girls’ soccer team seriously injuries a girl on the other team during the typical rough and tumble which occurs in the soccer match. This will be tragic and should never be the case.

Governor, I know you vetoed Senate Bill 83 (Fairness in Women’s Sports Act”) which would have banned students assigned male at birth from participating on girls’ or women’s sports teams in Kentucky. Thankfully, the Kentucky Legislature overrode your veto. Governor, my Christian commitment makes it clear to me that it is my duty to show love, compassion, and assistance to anyone struggling with gender identity. This struggle should never be discounted or ignored, especially by Christians. But this duty of care and compassion can never ignore God’s clear teaching in Scripture. Genesis 1:27 states clearly: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Jesus affirmed this Scripture in Matthew 19:4 in his dialogue with the Pharisees: “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female.” In Romans 1:19-20 the Apostle Paul discusses that God has made creation order clear since the creation of the world. Further on in Romans 1:18-32 Paul shares that God will hold men accountable who ignore God’s plan for creation order. Governor, I know these teachings from Scripture are not popular with the Progressive left, but I trust that you will take the time to read and prayerfully reflect on these Scriptures.

Governor, I know you are busy, and I do not want this blog to be any longer than it already is. I also want to engage with you on the topics of education and healthcare in Kentucky in a future blog. My late Aunt was a public-school teacher in Lincoln County for decades. She instilled in me the importance and high value of a good education. I spent 39 years as a Corporate Attorney in healthcare, so healthcare is an important topic for me. I also wrote a book on my professional experience, Almost Finished. It is also available on Amazon. Education and healthcare will be big issues for you in National politics.

 When you have the time in one of your future visits to Louisville, please reach out to me so we can meet and discuss these issues over coffee at your favorite coffee shop. I am confident that we can have a civil and productive conversation. In the meantime, I would like to wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving!

To all my readers, God bless you and thank you for the privilege of your time in reading my blog.