And I'd now like to invite Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman, second gentleman, Chris O'Brien, their children, Evelyn, Emma, Will and Nate to come to the podium along with Judge Cole Adams Meyer of the 25th Judicial Circuit, who administer the oath of office.

Thank you for your very good morning.

All right.

All right.

Please raise your right hand and repeat after me.

I, Jacqueline Lang Coleman, do solemnly swear.

I, Jacqueline Lang Coleman, do solemnly swear.

That I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of this Commonwealth.

That I will support the constitu ation of the United States and the Constitution of this Commonwealth.

And be faithful and true to the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

And be faithful and true to the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

So long as I continue as a citizen thereof.

So long as I continue as a citizen thereof.

And that I will faithfully execute to the best of my ability, and.

That I will faithfully execute to the best of my ability.

The Office of Lieutenant Governor, According.

To all the Office of Lieutenant Governor, as according.

To law.

And I do further solemnly swear.

And I do further solemnly.

Swear that since the adoption of the present Constitution, that.

Since the adoption of the present Constitution.

I being a citizen of this state.

Being a citizen of this state.

Have not fought a duel with deadly weapons within this state, nor out of it.

I have not fought a duel.

In this state with deadly weapons nor out of it.

Nor have I sent or accepted a challenge to fight a duel with deadly weapons.

Nor have I sent or accepted a challenge to fight a. Duel with deadly weapons, nor have I acted as a second in carrying a challenge.

Nor have I acted as a second in carrying a.

Challenge, nor aided or assisted any person thus defending nor.

Aided or assisted any person.

So help me God.

So help me God.

Congratulations.

Thank you all.

Thank you.

Good morning.

It is an honor to be here with you tonight.

And Kentucky's beautiful Capitol as your lieutenant governor and the first woman to ever take this oath of office.

Twice.

As I look around tonight, I see family and friends who have supported me and made it possible for me to do the work that I love.

I see Governor Beshear and the First Family, and I'm grateful to serve alongside a man who treats every Kentucky family like his own.

And I also see time honored Kentuckians like Abraham Lincoln, best known for holding the country together through a time of great division, and Henry Clay, who history has nicknamed the great Compromiser.

And if you were to walk down the hall to the West Wing, you'd see the first female statue in our capital.

Ms.. Nettie Deb, who also happens to be a teacher, bringing people together through the toughest of times, finding common ground on the biggest issues of the day and building a better future.

One student at a time.

That's pretty fitting, isn't it, Governor?

The symbolism that surrounds us tonight is important, and so are the lessons that we draw from it.

But we are also shaped by what we don't see here tonight.

Most notably, there is an empty space where the statue of Jefferson Davis once stood during the first four years of the Beshear Coleman administration.

We did our part for symbolism in this place, too.

We installed the first female statue ever to be in Kentucky's capital, and we removed one that represented Division because every Kentuckian, young and old, male and female, all colors, all faiths, deserve to feel that they belong here.

If this is truly to be the people's house, thank you for your leadership in doing just that.

Governor, as we prepared for this inauguration and I saw out of these history making Kentuckians, I couldn't help but wonder how will we be remembered in this moment?

For starters, I am not seven months pregnant this time.

You can clap for that.

The almost four year old is asleep, but she is gearing up for what she thinks is a princess party.

Tomorrow.

But as the governor and I revisited both the tragedies and the triumphs of the last four years as saying that, I often said as a coach came to mind.

It's not what happens to you.

It's how you react to it that matters.

So it won't be a global pandemic or historic tornadoes or catastrophic flooding that will define us.

It will be how we moved forward together.

I know that what I will remember is how Kentuckians sacrifice for each other through uncertain times, neighbors and even complete strangers showing up for one another in what had to be the darkest hour of so many families lives.

And local and state leaders fulfilling our promise to be there until every structure and every life is rebuilt.

The goodness of our people restored my faith in humanity over and over again.

It made me want to be better myself to make sure that I was showing up for you the way that you were showing up for each other.

And you can rest assured that that is what will shape our next four years together.

It won't be partizanship or political games.

Our service here is too short to be wasted that way.

And I think Lincoln and Clay would agree.

Instead, it will be about putting our students first, about supporting the educators that show up for them every day and making sure our schools have what they need to do, what we need them to do.

Because, yes, our economy is booming, but we cannot lose sight that the future of Kentucky's economy is in our classrooms today.

And I think Nettie Dev would agree with that too.

So it's fitting that our education first administration would choose an inaugural theme like Forward Together.

That is the kind of Kentucky our kids deserve.

That's the kind of leadership that voters asked for from the bottom of my heart.

Thank you for believing in us because we will never stop believing in you.

God bless you.

And may God continue to bless the Commonwealth of Kentucky.