Educators celebrate Beshear/Coleman Victory In Kentucky

WASHINGTON - National Education Association President Lily Eskelsen García released the following statement celebrating the victory of Andy Beshear and Jacqueline Coleman as Kentucky’s next Governor and Lt. Governor, after making Kentucky’s students and public schools central to their campaign.

“Educators in Kentucky and across the nation are celebrating Andy Beshear and Jacqueline Coleman’s victory tonight. Together, they defeated Matt Bevin, a governor who shortchanged Kentucky’s students by underfunding public schools and bullied the educators who sacrifice so much to ensure every student has the opportunity to succeed. With Governor-elect Beshear, Kentucky’s students will have a leader who prioritizes their success and educators will have a partner who respects them and supports their mission of ensuring every student has the opportunity to succeed, regardless of where they live or how much their families make.  

“This victory demonstrates the power of educators and how the #RedforEd movement is reshaping the political landscape in Kentucky and across the nation. Educators are empowered and engaged like never before, and they made their presence felt in this election. They invested their shoe leather marching and going door to door. They spent their nights and weekends on the phone, calling voters. And educators have used their voice, which they found through #RedforEd movement, to help carry Governor-elect Beshear and Lt. Governor-elect Coleman over the finish line.”

Specifically, members of the Kentucky Association of Education and National Education Association:

• Saw an exceptional number of educators volunteering on the campaign and taking leadership roles during this election,
• Organized grassroots events like phone banks, parades, community walks, and neighborhood canvass shifts, providing key volunteer support for the campaign,
• Hosted “Bevin is a Bully” events to help elevate the voices of educators in their communities, which garnered earned media highlighting Bevin’s attacks on public schools,
• Educated fellow KEA/NEA members about the issues facing public education in Kentucky so they can effectively speak to their communities and ran a targeted member-to-member digital program, empowering members with new digital tools to help them amplify their voices.