Graphic: Intelligencer; Photo: Getty
PROS: Andy Beshear is a two-term Democratic governor from the very red state of Kentucky. The former state attorney general’s election to the governorship in 2019 was seen as a possible fluke, until last year when he beat his Trump-backed challenger by 5 percentage points. Beshear accomplished this partly by focusing on state issues, but he also championed abortion rights, a key issue for Democrats in 2024. As a moderate who has worked with Republicans and often talks about his Christian faith he could be appealing to swing voters.
CONS: At 46, Beshear is one of the youngest governors in the nation. That could be a positive in an election focused on the candidates’ ages, but it could also underscore the governor’s lack of experience on the national stage. While Kentuckians embraced Beshear, it’s highly unlikely that he’ll deliver the ruby-red state for Democrats; Trump won Kentucky handily in 2016 and 2020. Beshear may not be much help to Democrats in the key states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin either.
BESHEAR’S STANCE: On the day after Biden dropped out, Beshear was asked if he’d consider being Harris’s VP on Morning Joe. “I think if somebody calls you on that, what you do is at least listen,” he said.
AUDITION CLIP: Here’s video of Beshear taking a shot at J.D. Vance on July 22:
