Why Andy Beshear Stands Out as a Favorite as Kamala Harris’ Running Mate

Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris is among the most popular candidates who is considering her running mate for the next presidential election, including the incumbent governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear.

Beshear is the son of Steve Beshear, a 46-year-old attorney and prominent local politician who led Kentucky from 2007 to 2015, was lieutenant governor from 1983 to 1987, state attorney general from 1979 to 1983, and a state legislator from 1974 to 1980. .

Beshear, like his father, was Kentucky’s attorney general before being elected governor. He has a unique winning electoral record for a Democrat in a red state, which could be attractive to the Democratic ticket.

Kentucky’s current governor has been re-elected to his current position twice, and although he defeated a Republican incumbent in his first election in 2019 by just 0.36 percentage points, he was re-elected in 2023 by a margin of 5.07 points.

Beshear’s victories made national headlines as a Democratic-elected district where then-President Donald Trump defeated Joe Biden by more than 26 percentage points in 2020, and it is home to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. .

Unlike his father, Beshear faces an entirely Republican-controlled Legislature, with supermajorities in both chambers, that have blocked some important priorities, such as funded preschool for all 4-year-olds in Kentucky.

Despite Republican disruptions, Kentucky has enjoyed record economic growth under Beshear, which the governor often touts at the start of his speeches. In them he mentions his Christian faith and how it shapes his principles.

Beshear has received widespread praise for his performance during the Covid-19 pandemic and his response to a series of floods that killed 38 people in 2022 and a hurricane that caused massive damage in 2023. with the media.

Even after five years as governor, Beshear remains popular in his state. According to the survey Morning consultation Released in October, he has a 67% approval rating and only a 28% disapproval rating, making him the most popular Democratic governor in the nation and the second most popular governor in the entire country, behind Republican Bill Scott. 81% in Vermont (a Democrat).

Hours after President Biden announced he was dropping his re-election bid, Harris announced his “full endorsement” of running for president in an interview on the MSNBC cable news network. “The vice president is smart and strong, which makes him a good president,” Beshear said. “But she’s kind and empathetic, which would make her a great president. The contrast between her and those running on the other side couldn’t be clearer,” Beshear said.

In the same interview, Beshear took a swipe at his vice presidential opponent, Senator J.D. Vance, Republican of Ohio. “I want the American people to know what a Kentuckian is and what they’re like, because I’m telling you J.D. Vance is not from here,” Beshear said, slamming Trump’s running mate for calling Eastern Kentucky people “lazy.” ”. He added that he is a “millionaire opportunist who exploits workers”.

Although Beshear can’t vote his home state of Kentucky for the Democratic presidential nominee, his ability to connect with the people in his region is crucial to winning votes across the Midwest and Appalachia.

“There’s not a person in the South or the Midwest that people can identify with more,” John Rabinowitz, the attorney Beshear named to head the state’s horse racing commission, told NBC News.

Beshear is married to social worker Brittany Beshear, with whom he has two children, Will and Lila, ages 14 and 13, respectively. Both are deacons at Bearcross Christian Church in Louisville.

With information from the Associated Press.