Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) said Sunday that Democrats “will have strong candidates” in governor’s races in rural states led by Republicans.
“Your name frequently comes up as a contender for the 2028 Democratic primary for president. You said, ‘I’ll think about it after next year.’ What will make you decide that that’s going to be a yes, you’ll run for president?” CNN’s Dana Bash asked Beshear on “State of the Union.”
“So, my primary obligation and what I’m putting all my energy towards is to be the best governor of Kentucky that I can be,” the Bluegrass State governor responded.
“Next year, I’ll also be the head of the Democratic Governors Association. And I think, especially in these rural states where Republican governors have not spoken up whatsoever to stop this devastating bill, we’re going to have strong candidates,” he added, talking about President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.”
“We’re going to win a lot of elections. And, hopefully, that paragraph about who’s speculated in ’28 gets bigger because we’ve brought in more leaders,” he continued.
Beshear is notable among Democratic governors for holding his state’s top job in deep-red Kentucky. He was also considered a possible running mate for Vice President Harris after former President Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race.
The Kentucky governor also slammed the Trump megabill in a post on the social platform X on Thursday, the day it passed the House.
“The passage of the ‘big, ugly bill’ marks a sad day for our country and commonwealth. This bill risks 200,000 Kentuckians’ lives, the jobs of 20,000 health-care workers, 35 rural hospitals and our economy,” Beshear said in his post.
“Kentucky deserves better. I’m going to keep fighting for our people.”
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