Even if it’s not directly stated, Andy Beshear knew why he was on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”: a test.
About halfway through an 11-minute interview Monday morning, the 48-year-old Kentucky governor, who comes from the state’s political royalty, turned his attention to Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, who this week Last year he was chosen as Donald Trump’s running mate.
“I want the American people to know what a Kentuckian is and what he’s like, because let me tell you, JD Vance is not from here,” Beshear said.
Beshear’s coup was no accident.
Vance’s selection last week was viewed, in part, through the lens of geography. He is from a small, poor Ohio town and is seen as someone who could solidify Trump’s campaign in key areas of the Midwest and Pennsylvania.
After President Joe Biden made the historic decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race on Sunday, Vice President Kamala Harris became the party’s presumptive nominee and began the process of choosing a running mate. Her list includes many white governors from politically important states, including Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Tim Walz and Beshear of Minnesota.
Unlike the others, Beshear’s red state probably won’t be in play in 2024. The two-term red state governor, however, was re-elected last year in a state that Trump won by more than 20 percentage points in 2020. He also won by 22 percentage points in the eastern Kentucky county that Vance referred to in his Republican National Convention speech, a county that Trump claimed by 52 points in 2020. In a region where Democrats are still fighting for votes, he is seen as someone with a bipartisan reputation. who can serve as a counterweight to Vance.
“People know he is someone who can communicate and deserves the trust of voters who are not always in the Democratic column,” said a Kentucky Democratic strategist.
Since then, Vance has responded directly to the offensive line, apparently to recognize that you understand that if Beshear is the choice, it will likely be a showdown between the two over who can best exercise their blue-collar bona fides.
“Eastern Kentucky will always have a special place in my heart,” Vance told reporters. “It’s really weird to have a guy whose first job was at his father’s law firm and who inherited his father’s governorship criticizing my origin story.”
Democrats who have long worked in Kentucky Democratic politics say not only do Beshear’s rural roots help him, but that coming from a red state shouldn’t be a political burden to overcome.
“I don’t think so,” said a veteran Kentucky Democrat who was granted anonymity to speak freely about the state’s governor. “Look at the vice presidential picks in recent memory and I don’t think geography or location were huge. I think it has more to do with personality traits and chemistry.”
“He tried hard, he can exercise bipartisanship, and he can reach a whole swath of people that Democrats traditionally haven’t,” the person added.
Meanwhile, some Republicans in the state are left scratching their heads because Beshear won’t put his home state on the line for Democrats.
“What does he bring to the passage? That’s what confuses me,” said Tres Watson, a Republican political strategist and founder of Capitol Reins PR who also served as communications director for the Kentucky Republican Party. “You know, besides being a white guy. Kentucky is not in the game.”
‘Silver Spoon’ vs. factory worker
Among the people Harris considers her running mate, Beshear has been one of the most public surrogates. He has given several national cable interviews and has already demonstrated comfort in framing his own record and attacking Vance.
The general response to date from Republicans has centered on some version of Beshear not truly being a working-class man because his family has been involved in Kentucky politics for decades. His father, Steve, served two terms as governor, and Andy Beshear served as the state’s attorney general before winning his first term as governor in 2019.
Kentucky Republican Party communications director Andy Westberry also amplified Beshear’s experience, something that has been a consistent staple on the party’s social media accounts in recent days.
“He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth,” he said. “His story is one of privilege from the beginning, unlike JD Vance, who no one gave anything to. He did it on his own.”
Beshear’s supporters argue that his background has not affected his ability to connect with voters in a state that, on paper, should not agree with the governor’s policies, something that would make him an added value to Harris’ ticket.
John Rabinowitz, a lawyer whom Beshear appointed chairman of the state horse racing commission, agreed with the idea that Kentucky would be difficult to win for Democrats, but said Beshear’s ability to speak the language of the region could be invaluable throughout the process. the Midwest and Appalachians.
“There’s probably no more identifiable person in the South or Midwest,” he said. “There has to be an appeal to it.”
Former Kentucky Democratic Sen. Ed Worley said Beshear also brings considerable political talent to the table, including the ability to raise campaign money from a sizable network in a state not always designed for its deep-pocketed donors.
“He looks perfect. He looks like a vice presidential candidate,” Worley said. “He’s well-educated and has the ability to raise a lot of money and play in the hallway.”
Much of its donor network was built over decades, Worley said.
“The governor comes from a very political family,” he added. “I don’t think a family can serve four terms as governor without substantial ability to raise money.”
Beshear holds a 65% approval rating in his state, according to a Morning Consult tracking poll Published on Wednesday, making him the second most popular governor in the country behind Vermont Republican Phil Scott.
Beshear has also survived at times in a GOP-Democratic state by not campaigning on key achievements of the Biden administration that could be seen as unpopular with Republicans. During his 2023 reelection, Republicans tried to target him with the “Biden-Beshear” agenda moniker, but it didn’t work in part because that’s not how he ran.
During that race, Biden did not endorse or make any trips to Kentucky, and Beshear focused on less partisan fights such as infrastructure and cost of living.
But could Harris choose a governor who would not publicly embrace key policies approved by an administration in which she was a key figure?
“It’s a good question,” Rabinowitz said. “He will tell you he is a proud Democrat, but he also always comes back to doing what he thinks is right for the state of Kentucky.”
Bluegrass State Politics
Supporters also say Beshear has managed to thread the political needle in a heavily Republican-influenced state by responding well to a series of devastating natural disasters, including the 2022 floods in southeastern parts of the state that left 38 people dead and deadly tornadoes that swept through across the state last year.
“What you learn from something like this is that a disaster like this will take a man home, whether he’s Democrat or Republican,” said Worley, the former state senator. “He led in those moments and helped people get out, whether they were Republicans or Democrats.”
Beshear, however, took steps that were not always popular on the right.
As one of his first official acts after winning in 2019, Beshear ended the voting ban for people with prior criminal convictions. The move restored an executive order signed in 2015, when her father was governor, that was suspended by her father’s successor, Republican Gov. Matt Bevin.
During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Beshear took a similar approach to many other Democratic governors, banning mass gatherings, closing schools and releasing inmates with health problems. Republicans fought his response to the pandemic and used it as a line of attack during his re-election bid.
But Beshear also led the charge on legalizing sports betting in the state, decriminalizing marijuana and worked to renovate the Brent Spence Bridge to accomplish what the Kentucky Democratic strategist said “no one ever thought would be done.” It was during your to work on decriminalization that Beshear and Harris got to know each other better.
Beshear’s time in Frankfurt, however, was not without problems.
The Department of Justice is currently investigating the state’s juvenile justice system, following an audit report that found ongoing problems. Federal investigators will look into whether Kentucky facilities adequately protect youth from force exerted by staff, as well as violence and sexual abuse, according to for the Associated Press.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke told the news outlet that the investigation aims to “ensure that children in Kentucky juvenile detention centers are protected from harm.”
Beshear’s office said he is cooperating with federal authorities.
Beshear has also clashed with Kentucky’s legislative leadership, which currently holds supermajorities in both chambers of the state Legislature.
Beshear leaned into his bipartisan appeal as the red state’s Democratic governor, saying on “Morning Joe” that the country needs to become more bipartisan, as his state has done.
“What we did in Kentucky is what we need to do in this country,” he said. “Moving beyond partisanship and constant arguments… we need to lower the temperature.”
He has, however, had hyperpartisan clashes with Republican leaders, who have overridden dozens of Beshear’s vetoes over the years on issues including the budget, criminal justice reform and one that would end the ability of Kentucky governors to make fill-in appointments. vacancies in the US Senate. seats, according to the Kentucky Lantern.
“He likes to portray himself as Mr. Rogers, which is completely ridiculous. He comes from a very partisan family, and the first thing he did was follow the inspiring personal story of JD Vance,” said Senate Majority Leader Damon Thayer. “We overrode more than 100 of his vetoes.”
“He works against us on a lot of things and then tries to take credit,” he added.
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
