Andy Beshear: 'a fighter in the trenches for working men and women'
By BERRY CRAIG
AFT Local 1360
Gov. Andy Beshear, whom the Kentucky State AFL-CIO unanimously endorsed for reelection, dropped by the Greater Louisville Labor United Picnic on Labor Day.
By all accounts, his reception was as warm at the weather.
But the Democrat who's seeking a second term also had plenty of fans in the crowd down the Ohio River at the Owensboro Council of Labor, AFL-CIO, Labor Day picnic.
Here's what some Owensboro and Daviess County union members had to say about the guy they plan to vote for on Nov. 7:
"He's great, and we sure don't need Daniel Cameron. He's another Trumper, and I'm a 100 percent Democrat." -- retiree Roberta Baker, who belonged to Owensboro Allied Industrial Workers Local 783.
"He'll look after everybody. He doesn't judge people by the color of their skin. He's proven himself that he cares about all of us and as a Black male, that's definitely relevant to me. I put my trust in him." -- Retiree Richard Brown, former Local 783 member.
"He's a good friend of working people, and he needs to be reelected." -- Richard Haas, United Steelworkers District 8 staff representative.
"He's awesome, and we'll keep him until he becomes president." -- Deanna Harrison, Laborers Local 1392.
"When you come right down to it, I'm a Democrat. I've never voted the other way in my life. I've been to a lot of union meetings in my time, and we've had a lot of Democratic candidates talk to us and very few Republicans. You know, a politician might come up with something I didn't like But I can't think of anything Andy's done that I didn't like." -- Doug Hayden, UFCW Local 227 retiree.
"Andy has been excellent for labor and for working families. He was outstanding during [the] COVID [pandemic], making sure people stayed safe. He made a lot of hard decisions that some people didn't like, but his intentions were nothing but the best. His intentions were not to trample on anybody's rights. He just wanted to keep people safe, and he did that. We had a horrible tornado and horrible floods, and he was on the spot with assistance. He is truly a good person. His heart is in the right place. His heart is for the people of Kentucky." -- President of the Owensboro Council of Labor, president of USW Local 9423 and a member of the state AFL-CIO Executive Board.
"Andy Beshear has gone far beyond the call of duty in protecting this state. [Nature] has thrown everything at him, and he has come out on top. He has protected us. The mayor of Mayfield [Kathy O'Nan] adores him because she knows what he did for that [tornado ravaged] town. Our governor's wife [Britainy] Beshear was down there handing out Christmas gifts to those poor people. Then then the floods and the pandemic. In the pandemic he got zero help [from Republican legislators]. I don't mean to be hateful, but dad blame it, they're idiots. Just because he's got a 'D' by his name, that makes him a bad person? What is wrong with people today? I vote for whoever is going to protect my best interests, and that's Andy." The other guy is too busy going to Washington and New York to be on TV. I want somebody who goes around the state, sees what's happening and takes care of us." -- Donna Haynes, Owensboro CLC financial secretary and member of the state AFL-CIO E-board.
"We've had some major catastrophes in the state. I was in Mayfield after the tornado. I was in eastern Kentucky after the floods. He did a great job of handling those situations. He's done a great job for labor--a fantastic job." -- Todd Johnson, Sprinkler Fitters Local 669.
"It's important to keep Andy in office because he is pro-union. With Kentucky going 'right to work,' we need a governor fighting in the trenches for working men and women. He kept us safe during COVID. He made the tough decisions, and our state numbers reflected that. They showed that Kentucky was one of the safer states, and we owe all that to Andy Beshear. He'll keep on fighting for us -- Shena Link, Local 1392.
"He's got all this labor work going on. He's helped bring all these plants into the state of Kentucky. He's a good man." -- Ray Mills, Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 633.
"Andy Beshear has been an advocate for labor who makes sure that working people have a voice. At the end of the day, if we don't have a voice [in the governor's office], we don't have a voice anywhere." -- Anthony Rusher, UFCW Local 227.