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A new statewide poll conducted by a Republican firm shows Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear leading his GOP challenger by 10 points, four months from the general election.
Beshear leads Republican state Attorney General Daniel Cameron 52% to 42% in the ballot test, which was conducted by the firm Public Opinion Strategies for the Prichard Committee, an education-focused group in Kentucky. (Public Opinion Strategies conducts the NBC News poll along with Hart Research Associates, a Democratic firm.)
Beshear's approval rating is also above water, with 63% of registered voters in deep-red Kentucky saying they approve of the job he's doing. Just 35% of voters disapprove of the job he's doing.
Among Republican voters, 38% approve of Beshear and among independents, 60% approve of Beshear's job performance.
It's a strong position for an incumbent Democrat in a state former President Donald Trump won by more than 25 percentage points in 2020. Kentucky also has two Republican senators.
Beshear has consistently earned high marks from Kentucky voters, though. He's led the state through its Covid-19 response and through several natural disasters.
In 2019, he flipped the governorship from Republican to Democrat, beating the then-incumbent, Matt Bevin.
It's possible that Cameron's numbers will go up, though. He just emerged from a multi-candidate primary, where he was battered over his record as attorney general. And heavy campaign spending in the general election has not really started yet.
The poll was conducted from June 22-29, surveying 800 registered voters in the state. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.95 percentage points.