Kentucky's gubernatorial candidates participated in their final debate last night before the 2023 general election, which is now less than two weeks away.

Democratic Governor Andy Beshear and Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron didn't cover any new ground.

Instead, they used the debate to sharpen their arguments regarding education, abortion and other policy differences.

The debate was televised on UK wide and moderated by Bill Bryant.

Taxes were an early topic discussed last night.

Specifically, Kentucky's plan to phase out the individual state income tax.

Bashir, who's seeking a second term, said the phase out should be done carefully to guarantee state revenues remain sufficient to support schools, public safety and health care programs.

Cameron, who has vowed to eliminate the tax, was asked if he wants to accelerate the process.

What my opponent has proposed promising in four years to eliminate an income tax would cut about $5 billion of revenue.

When Kansas did it, it halted their economic growth.

They had to stop all their infrastructure projects.

They gutted public education and health care.

My opponent says that things cost too much with inflation.

But what he's going to do is increase sales tax on everything and then apply it to groceries and medicine.

Otherwise, he's going to gut public safety.

He's going to gut health care and he's going to gut public education.

You simply can't afford the investments in those with his plan.

At the end of the day, there's a philosophical difference here.

I believe that you should have more of your hard earned money in your pocket.

Andy Beshear believes and you just heard him say he wants more revenue to the government.

And I didn't say anything about raising any sales taxes.

The governor keeps talking about this.

But the fact of the matter is, my plan is to eliminate Kentucky's income tax.

I'm going to do it smart and thoughtfully along with the members of our legislature.

I appreciate Chairman McDaniel and Jason Petrie and others in our General Assembly.

And here's the best part of that is that I have a relationship with our General Assembly to get these big things done for this Commonwealth of Kentucky.

At the end of the day, this is a philosophical difference.

The governor believes that the government should have more of your money.

I want you to have more of your money.

A lot of issues here this evening.

The gradual phase out of the income tax was the cornerstone of a plan approved by the state's GOP dominated legislature in 2022 to shift the tax burden from income to consumption.

However, the state's personal income tax rate is set to remain the same in 2025, after the state failed to meet certain fiscal conditions required to trigger another cut.

And there are closing remarks.

Cameron said he believed this election is about, quote, crazy versus normal.

Meanwhile, Bashir warned that his challenger embraces a hyper partizan approach that would hurt the state businesses.

I think it's crazy to have a governor who openly endorses Joe Biden, who shut down your churches, who shut down your schools, who shut down your small businesses, who failed to protect women's sports from biological males, whose veto or tax cuts.

But ladies and gentlemen, we don't have to accept this crazy agenda any longer.

If we want to talk about normal versus crazy.

It's crazy.

We have a candidate that doesn't have the empathy to look in a camera and say he supports victims of rape and incest, some as young as nine to have options.

I will always be the type of governor that you might not agree with, but you'll know he's doing what he thinks is right.

A lot of issues here this evening.

And the candidates were asked some different questions a day earlier on Kentucky tonight.

You can see that full episode right now online on demand at Katie Dawgs K-Y tonight.

And be sure to tune in to Katie on election night.

Our live coverage begins at seven Eastern.

6 p.m. Central right here on Katie.