Kentucky’s governor Andy Beshear delivered a ray of hope for Democrats worried about their party’s bench of future national talent on Sunday as he confirmed that a 2028 run for president is something that is on his radar.
Beshear appeared on CNN’s State of the Union, where the red-state governor confirmed that his thinking on the issue had changed over the past few years.
“If you’d asked me this question a couple years ago, I would have said no. My family’s been through a lot, but I do not want to leave a broken country to my kids, or anyone else’s,” said the governor.
“So what I think is most important for a candidate for 2028 is a candidate that can heal this country, that can bring people back together. So when I sit down, I’m going to think about whether I’m that candidate, or whether someone else is that candidate,” he continued.
Beshear’s appeal as a national candidate for the party is obvious, given his popularity as a Democratic governor in a state with two Republican senators and a record of going red in presidential races. His ability to win over moderate Democratic voters and independents especially is something the party is eager to reclaim after Kamala Harris’s devastating defeat in 2024.
Beshear’s second term as governor term will also end in December of 2027, making the timing of a presidential run achievable while also completing the entirety of his four years in office.
Staffers at the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) may be breathing a second sigh of relief on Sunday after his interview, given that a competitive Republican primary is already broiling over who will replace the retiring Senator Mitch McConnell, formerly leader of the GOP Senate caucus. The lack of an incumbent in the seat gives Beshear a clear opening were he to run, especially given his proven ability to win independent and even Republican support in his past races. He also maintains a high approval rating, and is one of the most popular governors nationwide.
He has no interest in serving in the Senate, however, a spokesman said in February.
Beshear also maintains one other key advantage were he to run in a Democratic primary: he is not tainted by association to the Biden administration or either the former president or Harris’s successive doomed presidential campaigns. Beshear did hit the campaign trail to support Harris over the summer of 2024, but his distance from the White House frees him from the stink of the controversy surrounding Biden’s physical and mental decline over the course of his presidency.
Harris herself is widely reported to be eyeing a run for governor of California, but at the same time continues to avoid the press. She has not sat down for an interview with a national news outlet since the election, and has only delivered public remarks once this year in April.
As well as Harris, Beshear’s potential rivals for the 2028 nomination include ex-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, known for being one of the Biden administration’s most skilled communicators, as well as California’s current governor: Gavin Newsom, who has been a figure of leadership in his party in the second “Resistance” era.
The Kentucky governor will take over chairmanship of the Democratic Governors Association next year, putting him in charge of a key campaign arm for the party and giving him a chance to make important political alliances should he consider a future bid for office.
