Matt Bevin

Matt Bevin

Republican Party

Prior offices

Governor of Kentucky

Successor: Andy Beshear

---

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2019

Education

Bachelor's

Washington and Lee University, 1989

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Army

Years of service

1989 - 1993

Personal

Religion

Christian: Baptist

Profession

Business

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

float:right;
border:1px solid #FFB81F;
background-color: white;
width: 250px;
font-size: .9em;
margin-bottom:0px;

} .infobox p { margin-bottom: 0; } .widget-row { display: inline-block; width: 100%; margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px; } .widget-row.heading { font-size: 1.2em; } .widget-row.value-only { text-align: center; background-color: grey; color: white; font-weight: bold; } .widget-row.value-only.white { background-color: #f9f9f9; } .widget-row.value-only.black { background-color: #f9f9f9; color: black; } .widget-row.Democratic { background-color: #003388; color: white; font-weight: bold; } .widget-row.Republican { background-color: red; color: white; font-weight: bold; } .widget-row.Independent, .widget-row.Nonpartisan, .widget-row.Constitution { background-color: grey; color: white; font-weight: bold; } .widget-row.Libertarian { background-color: #f9d334; color: black; font-weight: bold; } .widget-row.Green { background-color: green; color: white; font-weight: bold; } .widget-key { width: 43%; display: inline-block; padding-left: 10px; vertical-align: top; font-weight: bold; } .widget-value { width: 57%; float: right; display: inline-block; padding-left: 10px; word-wrap: break-word; } .widget-img { width: 150px; display: block; margin: auto; } .clearfix { clear: both; }

Matt Bevin (Republican Party) was the Governor of Kentucky. He assumed office on August 1, 2015. He left office on December 10, 2019.

Bevin (Republican Party) ran for re-election for Governor of Kentucky. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2019.

He ran on a joint ticket with the lieutenant gubernatorial nominee, Ralph Alvarado (R).

Bevin was first elected in 2015, succeeding term-limited Gov. Steve Beshear (D). Bevin defeated three other candidates in the Republican primary, securing victory over then-agriculture commissioner James Comer Jr. (R) by a margin of 83 votes out of nearly 215,000 cast.

In 2014, Bevin ran for a seat in the U.S. Senate but was defeated by incumbent Mitch McConnell (R).

Before seeking elected office, Bevin served as president of bell manufacturer Bevin Brothers. He had previously worked in asset management, founding his own firm in 2003. Bevin served four years as an officer in the U.S. Army, attaining the rank of captain.

Biography

Bevin was raised in Shelburne, New Hampshire, as the second of six children. His father was a factory worker, and the family lived in a farmhouse. Bevin attended Washington and Lee University in Virginia with a four-year ROTC scholarship. After graduating in 1989, he was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army and rose to the rank of captain. He spent four years on active duty with primary responsibilities as the 5th Mechanized Infantry Division Artillery’s counterfire officer.

Bevin met his wife Glenna, then a registered nurse, in 1990 while he was on active duty at Fort Polk in Louisiana. They married in 1996 and moved to Kentucky in 1999 so that he could work with National Asset Management. Bevin founded the money management firm Integrity Asset Management in 2003 and, in 2011, he became president of Bevin Brothers, a bell manufacturing company.

Bevin and his wife are parents to nine children, four of them adopted from Ethiopia. A 10th child died in a car accident at 17. Bevin is the chairman of the Louisville-area American Red Cross, and he and his wife established the Bevin Center for Missions Mobilization in 2012 in memory of their late eldest daughter, Brittiney.

Elections

2019

See also: Kentucky gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2019

General election

General election for Governor of Kentucky

Andy Beshear defeated incumbent Matt Bevin and John Hicks in the general election for Governor of Kentucky on November 5, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Andy Beshear (D)	49.2	709,890
		Matt Bevin (R)	48.8	704,754
		John Hicks (L)	2.0	28,433
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	46

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,443,123 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Kentucky

Andy Beshear defeated Rocky Adkins, Adam Edelen, and Geoff M. Young in the Democratic primary for Governor of Kentucky on May 21, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Andy Beshear	37.9	149,448
		Rocky Adkins	31.9	125,981
		Adam Edelen	27.9	110,161
		Geoff M. Young	2.3	8,923

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 394,513
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Kentucky

Incumbent Matt Bevin defeated Robert Goforth, William Woods, and Ike Lawrence in the Republican primary for Governor of Kentucky on May 21, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Matt Bevin	52.3	136,069
		Robert Goforth	38.9	101,345
		William Woods	5.5	14,440
		Ike Lawrence	3.2	8,412

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 260,266
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2015

See also: Kentucky gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2015

General election

Republican Matt Bevin and his running mate, Jenean M. Hampton, defeated Attorney General Jack Conway and independent Drew Curtis.

Governor and Lieutenant Governor, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Matt Bevin/Jenean M. Hampton	52.5%	511,771
	Democrat	Jack Conway/Sannie Overly	43.8%	426,827
	Independent	Drew Curtis/Heather Curtis	3.7%	35,627
Total Votes				974,225
Election results via Kentucky Secretary of State

Primary election

Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky Republican Primary, 2015
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Matt Bevin/Jenean Hampton	32.9%	70,479
James Comer Jr./Chris McDaniel	32.9%	70,396
Hal Heiner/K.C. Crosbie	27.1%	57,948
Will T. Scott/Rodney Coffey	7.2%	15,364
Total Votes		214,187
Election results via Kentucky State Board of Elections.

2014

See also: United States Senate elections in Kentucky, 2014

U.S. Senate, Kentucky Republican Primary, 2014

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Mitch McConnell Incumbent	60.2%	213,753
Matt Bevin	35.4%	125,787
Shawna Sterling	2%	7,214
Chris Payne	1.5%	5,338
Brad Copas	0.9%	3,024
Total Votes		355,116
Source: Kentucky State Board of Elections

Campaign themes

2019

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Matt Bevin did not complete Ballotpedia's 2019 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

“	Strengthening Kentucky’s Financial Foundation Passed a fiscally conservative budget that makes a historic commitment to our ailing pension system and restores fiscal responsibility in state government. Growing Kentucky’s Economy Kentucky will be the epicenter of engineering and manufacturing excellence in America Creating A Healthier Kentucky Governor Bevin is working to improve the health of Kentuckians on a variety of fronts. Protecting and Strengthening Our Communities Pro-life Legislation Governor Bevin signed "Informed Consent" legislation. Physicians are prohibited from terminating pregnancies after 20 weeks of gestation—a timeframe in which experts say that a fetus can feel pain. Physicians also offer an ultrasound to patients prior to performing an abortion, which allows women to make the most informed medical decision possible. Fighting the Opioid Epidemic Governor Bevin fully funded anti-heroin legislation and created a program to combat substance abuse. Strong penalties have been created for trafficking any amount of heroin, fentanyl, carfentanil and fentanyl derivatives that are destroying Kentucky lives and families. Also, in an effort to shut down the on-ramps to addiction, opioid prescriptions are now limited to a three-day supply, with exceptions for chronic pain, cancer treatment and end of life care. Forster Care and Adoption Youth are allowed temporary placements with non-relative adults who already have a significant emotional relationship with the child. Foster children may also obtain their learner's permits and driver's licenses without the signature of their parent or guardian. Criminal Justice Reform In order for felons to re-enter society effectively, the process must be safer and more efficient. Kentucky now allows prisoners to gain work experience while still incarcerated, reducing probation and parole time for certain offenders. Vulnerable Victims Laws have been tightened to protect children and the most vulnerable adults from abuse. Sexual Assault Victims Provisions were made in the budget to help clear the backlog of rape evidence kits. Good Samaritans Civil immunity is provided to a person who damages a vehicle in order to protect a child from imminent danger. A Second Chance Non-violent felons who have paid their debt to society will now be given a second chance. Abandoned Infants Churches are now recognized as "safe havens" where unwanted babies can be dropped off without fear of parents being criminally charged. Religious Freedom Kentucky public school, public college and university students have the legal right to express their religious and political views in their school work, artwork, speeches, etc., a right now specifically outlined in Kentucky statute. Investing In Education & Workforce This historic charter school legislation represents a truly momentous step forward in providing quality choices for Kentucky’s most vulnerable students, creating the promise of real opportunity for young people and their parents where hope does not currently exist. These are tuition-free public schools, open to any student who wishes to attend. Serving Those Who Serve Us While public servants do not do what they do for recognition, Gov. Bevin strongly believes Kentucky should serve those who serve their communities.	”
—Matt Bevin

2015

Bevin's campaign website listed the following themes for the 2015 race:

“	SHRINK THE SIZE OF GOVERNMENT Our nation was founded on a bedrock of individual liberty, limited government, and constitutional principles. Bloated government is not unique to the federal level - we need to shrink the size of government at the state level in Kentucky through efforts that remove redundancy and waste in every department. As Governor, Matt will dedicate one senior member of his staff whose sole job will be to find and eliminate waste and improve efficiencies in state government. The Bevin-Hampton plan will cut the Governor’s administrative staff at least 20%, by comparison to the current administration, by improving efficiency and accountability - just as Matt and Jenean have done in the private sector. This will be the model for every other department of state government to emulate. PENSION REFORM It's time for a Governor who will deal with Kentucky’s unfunded pension liabilities that are in excess of $20 billion and, based on more realistic actuarial assumptions, likely more than double that amount. Continuing to ignore the problem is a threat to public safety, education and other viable government services. The Bevin-Hampton plan will revamp our public retirement system while ensuring that we meet the existing obligations we have made to retired state workers. This starts with instituting an immediate freeze on the expansion of participants in our current pension plans and implementation of a 401(k) type of defined contribution plan for new employees. EDUCATION REFORM As federal overreach in our education system has grown, positive outcomes have diminished. We need to end the monopoly that exists in Kentucky's school system by supporting school choice and school vouchers. It's time to stop Common Core and its "one size fits all" approach. Instead, let's empower local school boards, local principals and local teachers to make the decisions that are the best for their students, and most importantly, empower parents over bureaucrats. HEALTH CARE REFORM Health care reform in Kentucky begins with freezing and beginning to disband KYNECT immediately and assisting as needed in transitioning our citizens quickly from a state run exchange to the federally run healthcare exchange because Kentucky cannot financially afford to do otherwise. LABOR LAW REFORM The Bevin-Hampton plan will update our current labor laws’ outdated policies that are resulting in self-inflicted economic wounds. This begins with passing comprehensive Right to Work legislation and eliminating prevailing wage requirements for state contracts PRESERVE KY'S ENERGY SECTOR The Bevin-Hampton administration will aggressively fight against the EPA’s ongoing war on the energy sector in Kentucky, particularly the relentless attacks on the coal industry. As Governor, Matt will exercise, to the fullest extent of the law, our state's constitutional rights and sovereignty. For example, he will refuse to enforce federal regulations that are in opposition to our own state interests. TAX REFORM Updating and simplifying our antiquated tax code will allow us to better compete with surrounding states. We will focus on raising only the revenue truly necessary to run the state government. We must also take additional steps such as eliminating the state death tax and lowering individual and corporate tax rates. Under Matt's leadership, tax reform will not be based simply on revenue neutrality, but rather, to the extent possible, on reducing tax revenue itself and leaving as much of Kentucky’s wealth in the hands of those who produce it.	”
—Bevin's campaign website (2015)

2014

At an event sponsored by the FreedomWorks PAC on February 10, 2014, Bevin asserted that McConnell was vulnerable to losing the general election. At the event, Bevin stated that he was the only Republican who would defeat Democratic candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes. Bevin said, “We run a tremendous risk of losing this seat in Kentucky to someone who does not represent Kentucky values. We run the risk of losing this seat because of a sense of apathy and a sense of fatigue for the career politician that is my opponent in this primary, Mitch McConnell."

Campaign finance summary

Ballotpedia currently provides campaign finance data for all federal- and state-level candidates from 2020 and later. We are continuously working to expand our data to include prior elections. That information will be published here as we acquire it. If you would like to help us provide this data, please consider donating to Ballotpedia.

Noteworthy events

Lawsuits with Attorney General Andy Beshear (D)

Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear (D) filed multiple lawsuits against Gov. Matt Bevin (R) during his administration.

Lawsuit over modifications to education board memberships

On June 2, 2017, Gov. Bevin signed an executive order that made modifications to several of the state's education-related boards. The order modified the structure and membership of three existing state educational boards, abolished five more boards and reestablished them under new guidelines, and created a new Charter Schools Advisory Council. In a press release announcing the order, Bevin cited the need to enforce Senate Bill 1, which had revised the state's educational standards, and House Bill 520, which implemented a charter school system. On June 5, Bevin began enacting the order by appointing four non-voting advisers to the Kentucky Board of Education.

On June 7, 2017, Attorney General Beshear threatened legal action if the executive order was not rescinded in seven days. In his statement, Beshear argued that Bevin "cannot ignore laws passed by the General Assembly that create independent boards, lay out their structure and set mandatory terms for their members. Put simply, he cannot rewrite laws he does not like through executive orders." In response, Bevin's office stated that the executive order had its basis in a law that "has been used by Democratic and Republican governors to reorganize executive branch agencies 357 times since 1992, including 103 times by (former) Gov. Steve Beshear."

On the June 14 deadline, Bevin sent Beshear a letter informing him of the governor's intention to revise the executive order by June 16, which led Beshear to announce a temporary halt to any legal challenge to the order. On June 16, Bevin issued an updated executive order, which amended several of the provisions in the original order. Beshear filed a lawsuit in Franklin Circuit Court against the new order on June 20, 2017, and argued that it still exceeded the governor's authority. In November 2017, Franklin County Circuit Judge Thomas Wingate ruled that Bevin's modifications to the education boards were legal, since they were temporary and made while the state legislature was out of session. Wingate also ruled that a part of Bevin's executive order related to the Education Professional Standards board was unconstitutional, since it required teachers to appeal disciplinary decisions to the state board of education instead of the state court system.

Lawsuits over boards of trustees abolishments

On June 22, 2016, Attorney General Beshear announced his intent to sue Gov. Bevin regarding Bevin's executive orders that reorganized the boards of trustees of the Kentucky Retirement Systems, the state's pension agency, and the University of Louisville. In the weeks prior, Bevin had abolished the Kentucky Retirement Systems board and created a new board in its place containing four new members in addition to the original 13 members. He also abolished the University of Louisville board, ousting four board members responsible for the university's nonprofit foundation.

Beshear denounced the actions and sought a temporary restraining order to halt the changes from taking effect; he planned to file the motion as part of a pre-existing lawsuit filed by four current and former members of the Kentucky Retirement Systems board of trustees. Bevin asserted at a press conference that he had authority over the boards of state-controlled agencies.

Franklin County Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd approved a temporary injunction against Bevin's removal of the Kentucky Retirement Systems board chairman, Thomas Elliott, on August 22, 2016, but he also ruled that Bevin did have the authority to reorganize the board. The decision reinstated Elliott as chair pending a final court decision on the matter. Judge Shepherd dismissed Beshear's lawsuit in January 2018 after the state legislature ratified the Kentucky Retirement Systems changes in 2017.

Beshear also sued Bevin in 2016 regarding the University of Louisville board of trustees. As in the Kentucky Retirement Systems lawsuit, Beshear alleged that Bevin did not have the authority to abolish the board. Judge Shepherd approved a temporary injunction against Bevin's actions on July 29. "The record here is devoid of any legal or factual precedent for a Governor to abolish and recreate an entire board of trustees of a public university," wrote Shepherd in the opinion. In response to the injunction, Bevin said, "The circuit court ignored binding precedent from the Kentucky Court of Appeals, the plain language of the statute at issue, and a recent opinion from the Office of the Attorney General, that the Governor has authority to propose and temporarily implement the reorganization of the University of Louisville Board of Trustees." On September 28, 2017, the Kentucky Supreme Court dismissed Beshear's lawsuit after the state legislature ratified Bevin's modifications to the board's structure and granted the governor the power to make similar modifications to the structure of university boards in the future.

Lawsuit over education budget cuts

Beshear filed a civil suit against Bevin on April 11, 2016, which claimed that budget cuts made by Bevin violated the Kentucky Constitution's distribution of powers article. Bevin had announced a 2 percent budget cut to state colleges and universities on April 1, which took effect immediately. Beshear called the decision illegal and asked the court to order Bevin to release the funds.

After his election in 2015, Bevin proposed budget cuts for state agencies in order to address the state pension fund's unfunded liabilities. The pension fund had $30 billion in unfunded liabilities as of January 2016. "We cannot move forward unless we address the crippling debt that faces this state," the governor said in his 2016 State of the State address.

On May 19, 2016, Franklin County Circuit Judge Thomas Wingate ruled against Beshear. His decision stated that the constitution did not prevent Bevin from instructing colleges to spend less money, as he did in the executive order, but did prevent him from altering the funding they receive. Beshear appealed the ruling and on September 22, 2016, the Kentucky Supreme Court ruled that Bevin did not have the authority to control the budgets of public colleges and universities without the legislature’s approval. This reversed the lower court's decision.

2016 Republican National Convention

See also: Republican National Convention, 2016

Matt Bevin
Republican National Convention, 2016
Status:	Delegate
State:	Kentucky
Bound to:	Unknown
Delegates to the RNC 2016
Calendar and delegate rules overview • Types of delegates • Delegate rules by state • State election law and delegates • Delegates by state

Bevin was a delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from Kentucky. In the Kentucky Republican caucuses on March 5, 2016, Donald Trump received 17 delegates, Ted Cruz received 15, and Marco Rubio and John Kasich received seven each. Ballotpedia was not able to identify which candidate Bevin was bound by state party rules to support at the national convention. If you have information on how Kentucky’s Republican delegates were allocated, please email [email protected].

Delegate rules

See also: RNC delegate guidelines from Kentucky, 2016 and Republican delegates from Kentucky, 2016

Delegates from Kentucky to the Republican National Convention were selected by nomination committees and approved at the county and state conventions. Kentucky GOP rules required national convention delegates to have supported the 2012 Republican presidential nominee. Kentucky GOP rules and Kentucky state law required delegates from Kentucky to vote for the candidate to whom they were allocated through the first round of voting at the national convention. If a candidate died or withdrew prior to the first round of voting at the national convention, the chairman of the Kentucky delegation was to call a meeting at which the delegates were to vote on the remaining candidates and be reallocated on the basis of the results.

Kentucky caucus results

See also: Presidential election in Kentucky, 2016

Kentucky Republican Caucus, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes	Delegates
Donald Trump	35.9%	82,493	17
Ted Cruz	31.6%	72,503	15
Marco Rubio	16.4%	37,579	7
John Kasich	14.4%	33,134	7
Ben Carson	0.8%	1,951	0
Rand Paul	0.4%	872	0
Other	0.2%	496	0
Jeb Bush	0.1%	305	0
Mike Huckabee	0.1%	174	0
Chris Christie	0%	65	0
Carly Fiorina	0%	64	0
Rick Santorum	0%	31	0
Totals		229,667	46
Source: The New York Times and Republican Party of Kentucky

Delegate allocation

See also: 2016 presidential nominations: calendar and delegate rules

Kentucky had 46 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, 18 were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's six congressional districts). District delegates were allocated proportionally; a candidate had to win at least 5 percent of the statewide caucus vote in order to be eligible to receive any district delegates.

Of the remaining 28 delegates, 25 served at large. At-large delegates were allocated proportionally; a candidate had to win at least 5 percent of the statewide caucus vote in order to be eligible to receive any of the state's at-large delegates. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention. The RNC delegates were allocated in the same manner as the at-large delegates.

See also

2019 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel Union Station

• 2015 Election Analysis: How Bevin Won in Kentucky
• Open offices draw big names, new faces to Kentucky state executive elections in 2015
• Governor of Kentucky
• Kentucky gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2015
• United States Senate elections, 2014
• United States Senate elections in Kentucky, 2014

External links

Suggest a link

• Search Google News for this topic
• MattBevin.com (Campaign website)

• Social media:
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
• Fact-checking at PolitiFact
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Collected news and commentary at The Hill
• Collected news and commentary at The Huffington Post
• Collected news and commentary at The Washington Times
• Salon collected news and commentary

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Steve Beshear (D)	Governor of Kentucky 2015-2019	Succeeded by Andy Beshear (D)