Matt Bevin

Matt Bevin, born on January ninth, nineteen sixty-seven, is an American businessman and politician known for his tenure as the sixty-second governor of Kentucky from two thousand fifteen to two thousand nineteen. A member of the Republican Party, Bevin's political career began with a primary challenge against Kentucky's senior U.S. senator, Mitch McConnell, in two thousand fourteen, where he faced a significant defeat.

Raised in Shelburne, New Hampshire, Bevin earned a bachelor's degree from Washington and Lee University in nineteen eighty-nine. He served four years in the U.S. Army, achieving the rank of captain, before moving to Louisville, Kentucky, in nineteen ninety-nine to work in the financial management industry. He later took over the family business, Bevin Brothers Manufacturing Company, one of the last remaining American bell foundries.

In two thousand fifteen, Bevin announced his candidacy for governor and narrowly won the Republican primary by a mere eighty-three votes. He went on to defeat Democratic nominee Jack Conway in the general election. During his governorship, Bevin enacted several controversial policies, including right-to-work legislation and laws restricting abortion, while also attempting to reverse Kentucky's Medicaid expansion.

Bevin's time in office was marked by significant public backlash, particularly regarding his comments on school teachers and his efforts to cut pensions in public education. After losing his re-election bid to Kentucky attorney general Andy Beshear in a close race, Bevin requested a recount but ultimately conceded on November fourteenth, two thousand nineteen. His final days in office were marred by criticism over his pardoning of hundreds of criminals, including serious offenders, which led to an FBI investigation.