Dan Seum

Opinion contributor

I have proudly served as a Republican state senator for nearly two decades, representing the 38th District including Jefferson and Bullitt counties. But my Kentucky values run deeper than my partisanship. There are things that are more important than whether there is a D or an R after your name.

What matters most to me is how we treat one another.

For the last three and a half years, I’ve served in Frankfort with Gov. Matt Bevin and Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton.

One of these people has come to work every day to fight for the people of Kentucky and has treated everyone with respect and dignity. The other person is Matt Bevin.

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The way Bevin has treated his own lieutenant governor is shameful and should disqualify him from being reelected by the people of Kentucky.

Before Hampton stepped up and decided to serve Kentucky as our lieutenant governor, she served our country honorably as a captain in the United States Air Force

Hampton is a trailblazing public servant who deserves the respect and resources every other statewide elected official has been afforded.

But Bevin fired two members of her staff with no explanation. If his administration had a problem with the performance of her staff, they owed her the courtesy of a conversation about it, not abrupt terminations.

Leaving our sitting lieutenant governor with one staff member is disrespectful, wrong, and, most importantly, undermines the important work she has done to prevent youth suicides and promote STEM education for young women.

Now Kentucky is making national news because Hampton was forced to sue the Bevin administration to get her staff back. This kind of dysfunction is holding us back.

Hampton deserves better than this. Kentucky deserves better than a governor who cannot even extend basic courtesy to his own lieutenant governor.

Bevin would have never become governor if it wasn’t for Hampton. She agreed to be his running mate in 2015 on the deadline to file. If she hadn’t said yes, Bevin would still just be the guy who lost to Sen. Mitch McConnell in a primary by 25 points.

And what was Hampton’s reward? Getting dumped from the ticket on the reelection campaign by the most unpopular governor in the country.

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Bevin is a disgrace. We can’t let him get away with the way he’s treated Hampton and the way he’s treated our teachers, our pensioners, the media and those from the judiciary that disagree with him.

How can we expect Bevin to solve Kentucky’s problems when he has shown total disregard for the members of his own party?

He must be defeated. Please join me, especially my fellow Republicans, by supporting Attorney General Andy Beshear for governor.

Dan Seum is a Republican Kentucky state senator.