What could happen to the leadership in Kentucky if Gov. Beshear is picked as vice president?

FRANKFORT, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) — With the national spotlight surrounding Kentucky and the potential of current Governor Andy Beshear, there are questions surrounding the future of the state and who could take over.

“There’s a lack of clarity as to whether a special election would be triggered,” says Secretary if State Michael Adams with regards to what could happen if Beshear is called on to become the vice presidential pick.

Current Vice President and likely Democratic Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris continues to narrow down her short list of potential running mates, a list that includes Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear.

“Some states have what’s called a resign to run law. If you’re nominated for a particular office, that’s not the one that you hold and you’re running for office, you have to resign your position. Kentucky does not have that. So if Governor Beshear were nominated by his party to run for vice president, he would still be the Governor of Kentucky and he would be, unless, until he resigned his office or assumed another office that’s inconsistent with his ability to serve in this office,” said Adams.

Adams also adding, “our constitution provides for what are called incompatible offices. You cannot serve in a state and local office at the same time, you can’t serve in two different branches of government at the same time and you can’t serve in federal and state office at the same time.”

As Harris continues to mull her VP pick, questions continue to linger in the commonwealth about what could come next if Beshear gets the call.

“If the governor were to vacate his position, then his duties would fall to Jacqueline Coleman, our Lieutenant Governor. She would have all the powers, the governor has the power to call special sessions, the power to sign bills into law, the power to appoint staff within the administration.
Those powers would be her hers. However, she would not be as a literal matter, the Governor of Kentucky, she’d be the Acting Governor of Kentucky,” he says.

Adams says what could happen is unprecedented, and that it would be hard for the legislature to clarify any rules moving forward unless the constitution is amended.
The Kentucky constitution was first adopted in 1792.
The current Kentucky constitution was adopted in 1891.

“My interpretation is that it would not, that the Lieutenant Governor would serve as the Acting Governor through the rest of her term and, and Governor Beshear’s term and we would have a regular election in 2027, and she’d be a quasi incumbent, under that circumstance because she’d be acting with the powers of the governor,” he adds.

Essentially Lieutenant Coleman would have gubernatorial powers, but because she is still the Lieutenant Governor, she would not be able to appoint a successor or another Lieutenant Governor.