A former basketball coach and educator, two-term Lt. Governor Jacqueline Coleman wants to add another important chapter to her resume.

Governor.

During a Monday morning press conference at the Kentucky History Center’s “Hall of Governors” in Frankfort, the 43-year-old from Mercer County announced her 2027 candidacy — a full year before the gubernatorial primary — while sending a clear message to the Commonwealth.

Aiming to be Kentucky’s second-ever woman governor, Coleman said she knows much of Kentucky’s recent economic success is owed to the legacy of Martha Layne Collins.

Having first-hand experience in the governor’s office, she said, should be beneficial for the next leader, and she noted she will be forever grateful to current Governor Andy Beshear — who back in 2018 surprised her with a spot on his ticket.

Kentucky’s location in the American footprint, she said, does make the state a major hub in the national sphere.

But it’s the people of the Commonwealth, she added, that helped inspire her to run.

Coleman said over these last six years, she became well-versed in a platform based on education, natural disaster relief, rural economic development and paid family leave — all while working to lower the temperature in a supercharged political climate.

While rumors have swirled about other candidates like the governor’s senior advisor Rocky Adkins and U.S. Congressman James Comer, Coleman is the first official entrant into the race.

Career in Kentucky education

Before politics, Coleman spent roughly a decade in Kentucky schools:

Teacher and coach

• Began as a civics/social studies teacher at Burgin Independent Schools
• Later taught and coached at East Jessamine High School

Coaching success

• Led teams to multiple successful seasons
• Named regional Coach of the Year (2015)
• Reached the KHSAA Sweet 16 (2017)

School leadership

• Became assistant principal at Nelson County High School (2017–2019)

Overall, she built a reputation as an educator first, something she still emphasizes politically.

Nonprofit and leadership development

In 2013, Coleman founded Lead Kentucky, a nonprofit aimed at:

• Training college women for leadership roles
• Encouraging civic engagement and career advancement

This initiative reflected her focus on education + leadership pipelines, especially for women in Kentucky.

First political run (2014)

Coleman’s first entry into politics:

• Ran as a Democrat for Kentucky House District 55 in 2014
• Lost to Republican incumbent Kim King by a large margin

She later described this loss as a learning experience about timing and political climate.

Rise to statewide office (2019)

Her breakthrough came when she joined Andy Beshear:

• Selected as Beshear’s running mate in the 2019 gubernatorial race
• Campaigned heavily on:
  • Public education
  • rural issues
  • working families

The Beshear–Coleman ticket won in 2019, making her:

• 58th Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky

Role as Lieutenant Governor

Since taking office in 2019, Coleman has focused heavily on education and workforce issues.

Key roles and responsibilities

• Served as Secretary of the Education and Workforce Development Cabinet (early in administration)
• Acts as a major policy advocate within the administration

Major initiatives

• Student Mental Health Initiative
  • Helped secure $40+ million in federal funding for school mental health resources
• GED access expansion
  • Led effort to waive testing fees
  • Thousands of Kentuckians earned GEDs as a result
• Kentucky Commission on Women
  • Revived the organization after it had been defunded

Policy focus areas

• Public education funding and teacher support
• Early childhood education
• Workforce development
• Rural economic growth

She is often described as “the state’s highest elected teacher.”

National and political influence

• Served in leadership with the National Lieutenant Governors Association
• Became a leading Democratic voice in Kentucky on:
  • education policy
  • opposition to school voucher-style measures

Re-election (2023)

• The Beshear–Coleman ticket won a second term in 2023
• Victory was notable because:
  • Kentucky is a Republican-leaning state
  • Democrats held the governorship despite GOP wins in other statewide races

Personal milestones while in office

• Became first Kentucky lieutenant governor to give birth while in office (2020)
• Underwent a preventive double mastectomy in 2023 due to high cancer risk; later confirmed no cancer was present