With Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Democrats eye a VP pick who can win over blue-collar voters

Even if not directly stated, Andy Beshear knew why he was on MSNBC's "Morning Joe": an audition.

About halfway through an 11-minute interview Monday morning, the 48-year-old Kentucky governor, who comes from the state's political royalty, seamlessly turned his attention to Ohio Sen. JD Vance, who last week was picked as Donald Trump’s running mate.

“I want the American people to know what a Kentuckian is and what they look like, because let me tell you, JD Vance ain’t from here,” Beshear said.

Beshear’s jab was no accident.

Vance’s selection last week was viewed, in part, through the lens of geography. He is from a small, poverty-stricken town in Ohio and seen as someone who could solidify the Trump campaign in key swaths of the Midwest and Pennsylvania.

After President Joe Biden made the historic decision to get out of the 2024 presidential race on Sunday, Vice President Kamala Harris became the party’s likely nominee and started the process of picking a running mate. Her shortlist includes several white governors from politically important states, including Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro, Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer, Minnesota’s Tim Walz and Beshear.

Unlike the others, Beshear’s red-hued state is most likely not in play in 2024. The two-term red-state governor, though, won re-election last year in a state Trump won by more than 20 percentage points in 2020. He also won by 22 percentage points in the eastern Kentucky county that Vance referenced in his Republican National Convention speech, a county 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 counterbalance to Vance.

“People know that he is someone who can communicate and be trusted by voters that aren’t always in the Democratic column,” a Kentucky Democratic strategist said.

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Vance has since directly responded to the line of attack, seemingly to acknowledge that he understands that if Beshear is the pick, it will likely be a showdown between the two over who can best flex their blue-collar bona fides.

“Eastern Kentucky will always have a special place in my heart,” Vance told reporters. “It’s very weird to have a guy whose first job was at his dad’s law firm and inherited the governorship from his father criticize my origin story.”

Democrats who have long worked in Kentucky Democratic politics say that not only does Beshear’s rural roots help him, but coming from a red state should not be a political burden to overcome.

“I don’t think so,” said a veteran Kentucky Democrat granted anonymity to talk freely about the state’s governor. “Look at vice presidential picks in recent memory, and I don’t think geography or location were huge. I think it has to do more with personality characteristics and chemistry.”

“He has put in the work, he can exercise bipartisanship, and can reach a whole swath of people Democrats traditionally cannot,” the person added.

Some Republicans in the state, meanwhile, have been left scratching their heads because Beshear is not going to put his home state in play for Democrats.

“What does he bring to the ticket? That’s what confuses me,” said Tres Watson, a Republican political strategist and founder of Capitol Reins PR, who also served as the communications director for the Kentucky Republican Party. “You know, other than being a white guy. Kentucky is not in play.”

'Silver spoon' vs. blue-collar

Among the people Harris is considering as her running mate, Beshear has been one of the most public surrogates. He has done a number of national cable interviews and already shown a comfort in framing his own record and attacking Vance.

The general response, to date, from Republicans, has focused on some version of Beshear not truly being a man of the working class because his family has been involved in Kentucky politics for decades. His dad, Steve, is a former two-term governor, and Andy Beshear served as the state’s attorney general before being elected governor himself in 2019.

Republican Party of Kentucky Communications Director Andy Westberry also amplified Beshear’s background, something that has been consistent fodder 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 right out of the gate, as opposed to JD Vance who no one ever gave anything to. He has succeeded on his own.”

Beshear's backers 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 politics, something that would make him a value add to Harris' ticket.

John Rabinowitz, a lawyer whom Beshear appointed as chair of the state’s horse-racing commission, agreed with the idea that Kentucky would be hard to win for Democrats, but he said Beshear’s ability to speak the language of the region could prove invaluable throughout the Midwest and Appalachia.

“There is probably not a more relatable person in the South or Midwest,” he said. “There has to be an appeal for that.”

Former Democratic Kentucky state Sen. Ed Worley said Beshear also brings considerable political talent to the table, including the ability to raise campaign cash from a sizable network in a state not always thought of for its deep-pocketed donors.

“He looks the part. He looks like a vice presidential candidate,” Worley said. “He is well educated and has the capacity to raise big money and play across the aisle.”

Much of his donor network was built over decades, Worley said.

“The governor comes from a very political family,” he added. “I don’t think one family can have four terms as governor without the substantial capacity to raise money.”

Beshear holds a 65% approval rating in his state, according to a Morning Consult tracking survey published Wednesday, which makes him the second most popular governor in the country, behind Vermont Republican Phil Scott.

Beshear has also survived as a Democrat in GOP state by at times not campaigning on key Biden administration achievements that could be seen as unpopular with Republicans. During his re-election bid in 2023, Republicans tried to hit him with the moniker the "Biden-Beshear" agenda, but it didn't stick in part because that's not how he ran.

During that race, Biden didn't endorse or make any trips to Kentucky, and Beshear focused on less partisan fights like infrastructure and the cost of living.

But could Harris pick a governor who did not publicly embrace top policies passed by an administration of 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 that Beshear has been able to thread the political needle in a Republican-heavy state by responding well to a series of devastating natural disasters, including 2022 flooding in the southeast portions of the state that left 38 people dead, and deadly tornadoes that ripped across the state last year.

“What you learn from something like that is, a disaster like that will take a man’s home whether they are Democrat or Republican,” Worley, the former state senator, said. “He led in those moments, and helped people get out whether they were Republican or Democrat.”

Beshear has, however, taken measures that weren't always popular on the right.

As one of his first official acts after his 2019 win, Beshear ended a ban on voting for those with criminal convictions. The move restored an executive order signed in 2015 when his father was governor that was suspended by his father's successor, Republican Gov. Matt Bevin.

During the height of the pandemic, Beshear took a similar approach to many other Democratic governors, banning mass gatherings, shutting down schools and releasing inmates with medical conditions. Republicans fought his pandemic response and used it as a line of attack during his re-election bid.

But Beshear has also led the charge on legalized sports betting in the state, marijuana decriminalization and revamping the Brent Spence Bridge, to deliver on what the Kentucky Democratic strategist said “no one ever thought would get done.” It was during his work on decriminalization that Beshear and Harris got to know each other better.

Beshear’s time in Frankfort, though, has not been without issue.

The Department of Justice is currently investigating the state’s juvenile justice system in the wake of an audit report that found ongoing problems. Federal investigators will probe whether Kentucky facilities appropriately protect juveniles from force by staff, as well as violence and sexual abuse, according to The Associated Press.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke told the AP that the investigation is to “ensure the children in Kentucky youth detention facilities are safe from harm.”

Beshear’s office said they are cooperating with federal authorities.

Beshear has also clashed with Kentucky’s legislative leadership, which currently holds supermajorities in both chambers.

Beshear has leaned into his bipartisan appeal as a red-state Democratic governor, saying on "Morning Joe" that the country needs to become more bipartisan, like his state has.

“What we have done in Kentucky is what we need to do in this country,” he said. “Move beyond the partisanship and constant arguing. … We need to turn the temperature down.”

He has, however, had hyperpartisan clashes with Republican leaders, who have overridden dozens of Beshear vetoes over the years on issues like the budget and criminal justice reform, and one that would end the ability of Kentucky governors to make appointments to fill vacant U.S. Senate seats, according to the Kentucky Lantern.

“He likes to portray himself like Mr. Rogers, which is totally ridiculous. He comes from a very partisan family, and the first thing he did was go after JD Vance’s inspiring personal story,” GOP Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer said. “We have overridden more than 100 of his vetoes.”

“He works against us on so many things, then tries to take credit,” he added.