Steve Beshear

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Steven L. Beshear (1944-), a Democrat, won election as a member of the Kentucky State Senate, Attorney General of Kentucky and Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky before losing races for Governor of Kentucky and the United States Senate.

Beshear was educated at the University of Kentucky, where he was a member of Delta Tau Delta social fraternity.

Beshear was elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives to begin his political career. He represented the 76th District and served in the House 1974-1979. He was elected Attorney General of Kentucky in 1979, defeating Republican nominee Ron Snyder with 471,177 votes to Snyder's 302,951. Beshear served as Attorney General from 1980 to 1984.

In 1983 Beshear was elected Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky on a Democratic ticket headed by Martha Layne Collins. Beshear defeated Eugene P. Stuart, the running mate of Jim Bunning, 568,869 votes to 321,352.

In 1987 Beshear ran for Governor of Kentucky and lost in a packed Democratic primary field. Beshear won 114,439 votes in the primary, good for a third place finish behind former governor John Y. Brown, Jr.'s 163,204 votes and 221,138 votes garnered by Wallace G. Wilkinson, who went on to win the general election that fall. Beshear placed ahead of former governor Julian Carroll's 42,137 votes and also defeated Grady Stumbo who won 84,613 votes. Three other candidates combined for an additional 8,187 votes in that primary.

After his defeat in the 1987 election Beshear practiced law in Lexington, Kentucky. He was the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate in 1996, losing to Mitch McConnell.

Some Democrats have mentioned Beshear as a possible candidate for Governor of Kentucky in 2007 with Dr. Daniel Mongiardo as his Lt. Governor.

Preceded by: Martha Layne Collins	Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky 1983–1987	Succeeded by: Brereton C. Jones
Preceded by: Robert F. Stephens	Attorney General of Kentucky 1980–1984	Succeeded by: David L. Armstrong
Preceded by: Martha Layne Collins	Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky 1983–1983	Succeeded by: Brereton C. Jones
Preceded by: Harvey I. Sloane	Democratic nominee, United States Senate (Class 2) from Kentucky 1996–	Succeeded by: Lois Combs Weinberg

Lieutenant Governors of Kentucky

Bullitt • Caldwell • Slaughter • Hickman • Slaughter • Barry • McAfee • Breathitt • J. Morehead • Wickliffe • M. Thomson • Dixon • Helm • J. Thompson • Hardy • Boyd • Jacob • Stevenson • Carlisle • Underwood • Cantrill • Hindman • Bryan • Alford • Worthington • Marshall • Beckham • Thorne • Cox • McDermott • Black • Ballard • Breathitt, Jr. • Chandler • Johnson • Myers • Tuggle • Wetherby • Beauchamp • Waterfield • Wyatt • Waterfield • Ford • Carroll • Stovall • Collins • Beshear • Jones • Patton • Henry • Pence