About Andy Beshear
A political scion with the most famous last name in Kentucky Democratic politics, Andy Beshear, the affable, aw-shucks governor, is best known around the state for showing up. Everywhere. He hosted nightly “Andy Hour” broadcasts for months during the pandemic. He met with families and held daily briefings after tornadoes tore through western Kentucky and flooding drowned eastern parts of the state. He’s constantly cutting the ribbon on a road or a bridge or a factory.
This boundless public schedule helps explain why Mr. Beshear is one of the rarest politicians in the country: a two-term Democratic governor in a deeply red, and deeply rural, state. His singular achievement, capped by a comfortable re-election victory in 2023, has made him tantalizing to national Democrats, who are eager for a candidate who can mend the party’s broken bonds with rural and working-class voters.
Potential Running Mate for Vice President
Now Mr. Beshear is squarely in the mix of potential running mates for Vice President Kamala Harris, who is considering several white, male Democrats who have proven their ability to attract moderate voters. He has said he received one of the first calls she made after President Biden dropped out.
Like the other contenders, Mr. Beshear is playing it coy. “What I’m able to confirm,” he said in an interview, a smile escaping as he evaded a series of vice-presidential questions, “is that it’s an honor to be under consideration.” He declined to confirm whether he was being vetted or whether he had received requests for personal documents from the Harris campaign.
Challenges and Prospects
Working against Mr. Beshear is the fact that his party has no hope of flipping Kentucky in a presidential election. Republicans have also largely rendered him a policymaking figurehead in his state, where they hold legislative supermajorities. But plenty of Democrats believe his biography, rather than strict geography, could help the Californian at the top of the ticket.
