Candidates for governor discuss crime and safety

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - Election Day is less than a month away, and Governor Andy Beshear and Attorney General Daniel Cameron are making their case to Kentucky Voters.

Both are passionate about sharing their vision for Kentucky but are not mincing words about each other’s policies and ideas.

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“I think it’s incredibly important that we continue to shed light on this governor’s irresponsible actions to let criminals out of jail that ultimately have preyed on our communities and hurt so many families and have caused so many victims,” said Attorney General Cameron.

During a press conference Friday morning, Attorney General Cameron took aim at Gov. Beshear’s COVID-era policy that let some incarcerated individuals out of jail.

“We did what we had to do to save lives and listen, a leader is willing to step up even when it’s hard to make decisions,” said Gov. Beshear at a Lexington event Friday afternoon. “If Daniel Cameron had been governor, thousands of more Kentuckians would have died.”

Gov. Beshear said the policy was in place to prioritize safety during the pandemic.

“What we did was look at non-violent -- non-sex offenders with less than three months left on their sentence. When you do the actual math, and not his fake math, less than 10 percent committed any type of felony during the period in which they would have still been in jail, and only two of those were violent,” said Gov. Beshear.

The data Attorney General Cameron cited in his press conference told a different story.

“Fifty-two percent of all prisoners released by the governor have recommitted felonies, including multiple instances of kidnapping and sodomy,” said Attorney General Cameron.

Both candidates took the opportunity to point the finger at one another Friday.

“It’s amazing that Daniel Cameron says crime is out of control when he’s the top cop, and he takes zero responsibility for it,” said Gov. Beshear.

Attorney General Cameron questioned Gov. Beshear’s defense of the policy.

“He continues to defend his actions as being compassionate, but where is the compassion for the families and the communities ripped apart from the violence of these criminals?” said Attorney General Cameron.

WKYT will host The Kentucky Debate on Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. Both Gov. Andy Beshear and Republican challenger Daniel Cameron have both accepted invitations to the debate.

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