Governor candidate fought Wells Fargo and Big Pharma

Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear is a candidate in Tuesday's Democratic primary for governor - and he's been on the forefront of fighting against the Bevin administration's right-wing extremism. But he's fought against corporate tyranny and greed too.

A few months ago, Beshear announced a $2.8 million settlement against banking giant Wells Fargo. We've talked for years about how Wells Fargo made harassing phone calls to people who never even had a Wells Fargo account. But this settlement resulted from Wells Fargo's violations of Kentucky consumer protection laws. Among other things, Wells Fargo opened millions of unauthorized accounts and enrolled customers into services they didn't want.

Beshear has fought against makers of prescription opioids who have fueled the pandemic of opioid abuse - a pandemic that has cost the state many lives and millions of dollars. Meanwhile, Bevin has tried to block Beshear's efforts.

Also, as monopolistic utility companies have filed a record number of demands for rate increases, Beshear has opposed many of these money grabs. This has saved Kentuckians almost $1.2 billion. He also wants to audit utility companies that want rate hikes.

Beshear's office has also cracked down against online predators and human trafficking. This includes one of the most shocking cases in Campbell County in modern times. He has also fought against price-gouging by Marathon Petroleum.

If Beshear becomes governor, will this positive record continue? One can hope. For decades, we've been the target of confrontation and bullying, and it long ago wore on us. A fight against corporate greed would help move Kentucky forward from its shameful political impasse.