KENTUCKY — Gov. Andy Beshear has a solid job approval rating here in the Commonwealth. His 59% favorable rating also makes him the most popular Democratic governor in the U.S., according to Morning Consult.

The revelation follows a Morning Consult report that examined the popularity of governors facing re-election this year. Beshear isn't up for re-election until 2023, but his name made the list as the 12th most popular governor—and highest Democrat on the list in terms of job approval.

The data were collected through a series of surveys conducted from January through March this year. All but eight governors in the nation are backed by at least 50% of their state's electorate.

In almost every case, including Kentucky's, Democrats like Beshear have a markedly higher approval rating than President Joe Biden. Biden held a -33 net approval rating in Kentucky as of March 2022.

Red govenors in blue states are common—Massachusetts, Vermont and Maryland are current examples—and they've traditionally had some of the highest approval ratings. Vermont's Phil Scott and Maryland's Larry Hogan are #2 and #3 respectively.

But blue governors in red states, while nearly as common as the alternative, haven't seen nearly as much success as Beshear sees in Kentucky. Facing re-election this year, Wisconsin's Tony Evers only has a 45% approval rating, compared to 48% disapproval.

With his first term coming to an end next year, Beshear faces a potentially crowded field of Republicans vying to unseat him. Kentucky State Auditor Mike Harmon and retired attorney Eric Deters have each declared their candidacy, but there are many more who have either expressed interest publically or are considering the run privately.

Attorney General Daniel Cameron, state senator Max Wise, Ag commissioner Ryan Quarles and former UN ambassador Kelly Craft are all generating buzz for the 2023 election. 

Beshear was elected in 2019 as the 63rd governor of Kentucky, unseating Republican Matt Bevin with the help of just over 5,000 votes.