One of Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear’s strengths in the race to become Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate is that he could appeal to centrist voters as a Democrat who won re-election in a state that Donald Trump won by more. of 20 percentage points. 2020.
Beshear won his 2023 campaign in part by leaning on his support for abortion rights in a state where the procedure is almost completely banned. However, for some reproductive rights advocates in Kentucky, Beshear has not done enough on an issue that is critical to the party nationally – which could influence his chances of joining the presidential ticket.
“The low bar here doesn’t help him,” said Savannah Trebuna, director of the abortion fund at the Kentucky Health Justice Network, a reproductive rights organization based in Louisville, referring to expectations for a Democratic governor in a red state.
“Yes, he’s doing better than a conservative would, and I’m grateful for that,” she continued. “But I worry about how this record will look on the national scene.”
Abortion was perhaps the main issue that propelled Democrats to perform better than expected in the 2022 and 2023 elections, and it is expected to be an important factor again in November. It’s also one of Harris’ signature problems. With a president who was not naturally comfortable talking about abortion, Harris has been the public face of the White House advocating for expanding access.
Beshear’s less clear record, especially in the years before the overturn of Roe v. Wade for the Supreme Court already appears to be a topic of discussion in Democratic and reproductive rights circles as he is scrutinized as a potential vice presidential candidate.
Critics point to Beshear’s choice of a self-described “personally pro-life” Democrat, Jacqueline Coleman, to be his lieutenant governor; her focus on rare exceptions when talking about abortion; and that her administration has avoided working closely with reproductive rights groups in the state.
During his first campaign for governor in 2019, Beshear’s allies clashed behind the scenes with reproductive rights groups over what message to run in ads, with Beshear’s team wanting to focus less on abortion and more on his unpopular Republican opponent, from according to a source involved in the effort.
“He is not a hero, especially among reproductive rights organizations,” said one activist on the issue who requested anonymity to speak openly.
The question is whether Beshear’s approach would serve as a disadvantage to the ticket, by confusing the Democrats’ message, or as a benefit to having a governor who won the issue in a red state.
A longtime Democratic operative familiar with the concerns of several reproductive rights groups said some of Beshear’s public views and stances on abortion are viewed negatively and could harm his chances of being chosen as Harris’ running mate. The agent said the governor is viewed as a “B minus” on abortion issues by some in the reproductive rights community.
“I don’t think it’s like, ‘Oh my God, Andy Beshear is an anti-abortion Democrat,’” the person said. “He’s definitely pro-choice. … He’s just not the best of all the candidates.”
Eric Hyers, Beshear’s political strategist, said the governor “is pro-choice and believes this is a decision that should be between a woman and her doctor” and has “governed as a pro-choice governor.” Hyers added that both Beshear and Coleman supported Roe v. Wade. Wade when it was the federal precedent and they codified it back into federal law.
In response to a request for comment about Beshear’s abortion record, Harris campaign spokesman Kevin Munoz shared a statement he released last week saying the search for a running mate has “begun in earnest” and that they “do not expect to have additional updates”. until the announcement is made.
Another Harris campaign official said the vice president is “choosing her running mate based on qualities similar to those President Biden believed were important when he chose her four years ago, a choice the president calls ‘the best decision that he has already taken’”.
The official said Harris is looking for someone with “shared values of fighting for the middle class, protecting democracy and freedoms, treating people with respect and dignity, and creating an America where everyone has a fair chance.” The person also said Harris is looking for a “government partner who has the experience to step into the role and be effective from day one.”
Harris is considering “about a dozen” vice presidential candidates, according to two people familiar with the process. They include North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly. And like Beshear, his records are facing more scrutiny. Kelly recently spoke out in favor of a pro-union bill about which he had previously expressed concerns, and Shapiro’s opinion support for school vouchers It is pro-Israel stances I’ve been getting an extra look.
After a campaign event in Georgia on Sunday, Beshear directly addressed criticism that he had not done enough on abortion.
“I’m the first Democrat in Kentucky who has ever run an abortion ad during an election,” he told reporters. “I vetoed five separate anti-choice bills. I stood up every time, knowing it would be one of the number one attacks on me.”
Beshear’s allies have pointed out that he vetoed four anti-abortion bills before Roe v. Wade. Wade to be repealed in 2022. One bill established a 15-week abortion ban, with no exceptions for rape and incest (was promulgated after The absolute majority of Republicans in the state Legislature overrode the veto). Two other 2021 bills allowed Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron to penalize abortion facilities and strip the governor of the power to suspend abortion-related laws. Both of Beshear’s vetoes were overridden by the Republican absolute majority.
His allies also highlighted a Beshear campaign ad who won national attention, featuring a Kentucky woman – Hadley Duvall – who said she became pregnant after being raped at age 12 by her stepfather. A bill championed by Beshear named after her, which would have created exceptions in current Kentucky law for rape and incest, failed during this year’s legislative session.
Beshear won a “very difficult re-election campaign” in 2023 “with abortion access and communication about abortion access being a key focal point,” said Democratic Governors Association Executive Director Meghan Meehan-Draper. “He spent millions of dollars on ads that talked about reproductive freedom and fundamental freedom. I would say that is the definition of an attack” on the subject, she added.
Kentucky Democratic State Sen. Cassie Chambers Armstrong, who has fought for reproductive rights in the Legislature, said she felt Beshear “has always governed in a way that is pro-choice — and I know he’s gotten a lot of political pushback for that — but I’ve always felt that he supported us on this issue.”
She pointed to his vetoes, as well as his maneuvers – during his time as attorney general and his first months as governor – to grant a Planned Parenthood Clinic in Louisville a license to provide abortion care in the state (the clinic became only the second to provide abortion care in the state at that time).
The GOP-controlled Kentucky Legislature passed a so-called “trigger ban” on abortion in 2019 — the same year Beshear removed Republican Matt Bevin as governor — banning the procedure in all situations except when a doctor considers that the woman’s life is at risk. This law went into effect after Roe was repealed in 2022.
In November 2022, Kentucky voters rejected an anti-abortion ballot measure that would have amended the state constitution to explicitly say it does not protect the right to abortion.
Noam Lee, former executive director of the Democratic Governors Association, rejected criticism that Beshear was weak on abortion rights.
“That’s bulls—-,” Lee said. “He ran a campaign centered around reproductive rights in 2023.”
Beshear has been outspoken in his support for abortion rights, but often focuses on the most extreme situations and exceptions, framing it around the need to protect victims of rape, incest and women whose health is at risk.
“My opponent’s position would give the rapist more rights than his victim. … It’s wrong. We need to change this law. We need to make sure these individuals have that option,” he said during an October 2023 debate.
Last May, Beshear criticized a new sweeping abortion ban in Tennessee, telling the Associated Press“Like Kentucky, Tennessee has some of the most extreme laws in the country, where victims of rape and incest are denied the options they need.”
“He only talks about abortion through the lens of exceptions for rape and incest,” said the state reproductive rights activist critical of Beshear. “He is only focused on exceptions, and not [broader reproductive] Careful.”
The person added that Beshear would be “100%” a liability in a national ticket that seeks to promote broader reproductive freedoms.
But former Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Ky., said Beshear’s stance on abortion should be viewed against the backdrop of a red state and that it would not harm Harris.
“I think everyone is looking for the perfect candidate. There is no such thing,” Yarmuth said. “The voters who are persuaded right now are not important voters. If you are a problem voter, you have already made up your mind. They are more visceral voters, and that’s why I think Andy has great strength — because he reeks of empathy.”
Another concern about Beshear’s choice is that if he is elected vice president, his lieutenant governor, Coleman, would take over as governor.
She gives reproductive rights advocates pause because in 2014, she described herself as “a compassionate pro-life Democrat.” When chosen by Beshear to be his running mate in 2019, her spokesperson said she was “personally pro-life” but “does not believe that politicians should impose their views on others, which is why she supports every woman’s constitutional right to make her own. reproductive and health care decisions.”
While some other reproductive rights advocates in the state were more forgiving of the difficult political landscape Beshear has to navigate in socially conservative Kentucky, they agreed that when it came to the national ticket they would prefer someone with a much more substantive track record on the issue. abortion center.
Trebuna, of the Kentucky Health Justice Network, said Beshear has largely promoted a “broad and moderate” message of reproductive rights and choice.
“And to me, that just signals that it would be more of the same” in a national stint with Beshear, she added.
But another reproductive rights advocate said he thought Beshear’s position was less important because any running mate would have to adopt Harris’ approach.
“I am completely comfortable with Vice President Harris’ position and her agenda,” said the advocate, who was not authorized to officially discuss vice presidential speculation, “and I believe that any vice president will take on her agenda.”
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
