Tuesday afternoon, Gov. Andy Beshear invited everyone to a major economic development announcement in West Louisville.

Stellar Snacks, a women-founded, health-conscious pretzel manufacturer, is set to invest $137 million in the area over the next decade, creating 350 full-time jobs.

Mother-daughter duo Elisabeth and Gina Galvin will locate on a Superfund site that was previously owned by Black Leaf.

According to Courier-Journal coverage, the site has been empty since 2006, and the cleanup of toxic chemicals began in 2011.

With three weeks until Election Day, Beshear is honing in on one of his key campaign messages: Kentucky is on a historic economic roll, and he’s the person to keep the momentum going.

His challenger, Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron, seems to be doing the same as the clock ticks down. He has worked to nationalize the race, connecting Beshear to President Joe Biden and himself to former president Donald Trump.

Beshear: Touting economic development

Beshear framed Tuesday’s economic development announcement as just another success in a “new era of prosperity” for all areas of Kentucky.

“For far too long, we know that the people of West Louisville have been overlooked when it comes to big investments like this,” he said “Today, we are changing that.”

Beshear said that his administration has been “determined to get big things done” in West Louisville to provide more opportunity, including:

• Announcing the opening of the first hospital in West Louisville in 150 years;
• Expanding the Waterfront Park to West Louisville;
• Announcing federal grants to expand high speed internet;
• Reopening ElderServe, a senior center;
• Investing millions of dollars for cleaner water and flooding risk prevention; and
• Launching Everybody Counts, a program to make sure JCPS grads get into higher education or have a good job before graduating.

Rep. Keturah Herron, D-Louisville, joined Beshear on Tuesday. She said that the Stellar Snacks announcement and other projects in the area are “the literal concrete foundation of a brighter future.”

“I believe that what we are celebrating today is more than just a major economic development project,” Herron said. “… We aren’t just talking about making things better, we are actually doing that.”

On the debate stage, Beshear also highlights economic successes any chance he gets.

Last week, during Cameron and Beshear’s first debate face-off in Paducah, he opened by sharing key economic figures.

“Since I’ve been governor, we set a record $27.5 billion of new investment here in Kentucky, 40,000 new jobs,” he said. “We were recognized nationally last year – No. 2 in per capita economic development, No. 3 in the creation of rural jobs.”

Cameron: Nationalizing the race

Also Tuesday, Cameron released an ad re-sharing his Trump endorsement.

In it, he said he’s “fought the Biden agenda” 23 times in court as attorney general.

“Andy Beshear, he never will,” Cameron said in the ad.

Trump endorsed Cameron during the primary in June 2022. He called Cameron “a young star … born before our eyes” in a statement.

Last week, during Cameron and Beshear’s first debate face-off in Paducah, Cameron mentioned Biden six times.

“Gov. Beshear and Joe Biden will tell you that everything is going well in this commonwealth and in this country. But I assume that if you’re here today, you don’t believe that. You’ve got concerns about inflation destroying your wallet. You’ve got concerns about the far left trying to indoctrinate your kids and you got concerns about Joe Biden’s war on coal,” Cameron opened.

“… You and I don’t have to accept the crazy Beshear-Biden agenda.”