LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Should Kentucky lawmakers increase the state’s minimum wage? There has been some discussion about raising the minimum wage in recent years, particularly among Democratic lawmakers, but all legislative attempts to increase the rate have been unsuccessful. Kentucky’s minimum wage has been $7.25 an hour since 2009.

What You Need To Know

  • Kentucky’s minimum wage has been $7.25 an hour since 2009

  • Attorney General Daniel Cameron, the Republican candidate for governor, supports eliminating the state's income tax and implementing work requirements for some Medicaid recipients

  • Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky., supports increasing the minimum wage, but has instead prioritized attracting more competitive paying jobs to Kentucky during his time in office

  • Recent efforts to raise the state's minimum wage have gained little traction 

Spectrum News 1 asked Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky., and his challenger, Attorney General Daniel Cameron, R-Ky., if they support increasing the minimum wage.

The Cameron campaign didn’t endorse increasing Kentucky’s minimum wage, instead pointing to high inflation as a problem and alluding to Cameron’s plan to eliminate the state income tax and mandate work requirements for some “able-bodied” Medicaid recipients.

“The biggest problem facing workers in Kentucky is historic inflation inflicted on them by the Biden-Beshear ideology,” said Sean Southard, spokesperson for Daniel Cameron. “Talk to any business owner and they’ll tell you they can’t find employees, even by offering high wages. Daniel Cameron will get able-bodied people back to work, cut the income tax, and build a stronger economy for every Kentuckian.”

Beshear supports increasing the minimum wage but has instead prioritized attracting new industry, such as electric vehicle related manufacturing, to the state during his term and jobs that offer more competitive pay.

Beshear campaign spokesperson Alex Floyd said, “Andy Beshear supports raising the minimum wage. As governor, he has attracted $27 billion in private investment and over 46,000 new jobs, and posted the second and third best years for new wages. In 2022, the average incentivized hourly wage for projects statewide increased by 11.5% to $26.78 before benefits.”

State Sen. Reggie Thomas, D-Lexington, sponsored one of the most recent attempts to increase the minimum wage. Thomas filed a bill during the 2023 session that proposed increasing the minimum wage incrementally over the next five years, with the goal of raising it to $15 an hour by 2028. It was an unsuccessful effort that received little traction; the bill was assigned to a committee, but it was not considered a priority by the Republican chair.

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