Matt Bevin, American politician, 62nd governor of Kentucky
Matthew Griswold Bevin (; born January 9, 1967) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 62nd governor of Kentucky, from 2015 to 2019. He was the third Republican elected Kentucky governor since World War II, after Ernie Fletcher (2003–2007) and Louie Nunn (1967–1971).
Born in Denver, Colorado, and raised in Shelburne, New Hampshire, Bevin earned a bachelor's degree at Washington and Lee University in 1989, then served four years of active duty in the U.S. Army, attaining the rank of captain. He became wealthy in the investment business and moved to Louisville, Kentucky, in 1999. He was president of Bevin Brothers Manufacturing Company, one of the last remaining American bell foundries.
In 2013, Bevin announced he would challenge Kentucky's senior U.S. Senator, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, in the 2014 Republican primary. Although Bevin gained the support of various groups aligned with the Tea Party Movement, McConnell attacked him repeatedly for inconsistencies in his public statements and policy positions and defeated him by almost 25 percentage points.
After announcing he would seek the governorship in 2015, Bevin emerged from a four-way Republican primary, besting his nearest competitor by 83 votes. He then defeated the state's attorney general, Democratic nominee Jack Conway, in the general election. Bevin's gubernatorial tenure was notable for the passage of "right-to-work" legislation, laws limiting abortion access, and a law allowing carrying concealed handguns without permits. He also attempted to reverse Kentucky's Medicaid expansion and to reduce teacher pensions.On November 5, 2019, Bevin lost his re-election campaign to Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear in a close race. After requesting a recanvass—an additional check of vote totals at the county level—Bevin conceded the election on November 14, 2019. Bevin was widely criticized for pardoning hundreds of criminals in his last days in office, including several people convicted of serious violent crimes and a relative of a contributor to his campaign. On December 23, 2019, it was reported that the FBI had questioned state representative Chris Harris about Bevin's pardons and on January 2, 2020, Attorney General Daniel Cameron asked the FBI to investigate the pardons.