FRANKFORT — Although he was ultimately not selected as Kamala Harris’s vice presidential running mate, Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said the national attention has put his home state in a positive light.
Beshear, 46, was among a shortlist of potential running mate for Harris shortly after she launched her presidential campaign following the departure of President Joe Biden. Last week, Harris’ campaign announced Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz would join the ticket.
In an interview with the Kentucky Lantern at the Capitol on Wednesday, Beshear said his focus in the remaining three and a half years of his second term will remain on getting the job done and maintaining Kentucky’s economic development momentum.
I really hope that through the review process and the national attention, Kentucky will give us a place on the national stage, whether it’s the opportunity to sit in the same room as those who make grant decisions or the opportunity to speak on a very important – and maybe even Kentucky – issue and hopefully create some positive movement or change.
– Governor of Kentucky Andy Beshear
When asked if he thought he might have a role in national Democratic politics in the future, possibly even a Cabinet post in a possible Harris administration, the governor said, “I’m not going anywhere.”
“I love this job,” Beshear continued, “and even during this process, I remember my tour of Eastern Kentucky on the second anniversary of the flood. I looked around and knew in my heart that this is where I was meant to be, that Kentucky is part of my DNA, and that I am committed to getting the job done and rebuilding Eastern Kentucky and Western Kentucky.”
Beshear traveled to Eastern Kentucky At the end of July, housing was built for residents on higher ground in the mountain region. The record floods of 2022 killed 45 people. Before that, Western Kentucky was the scene of devastating tornadoes in 2021in which more than 70 people died. The natural disasters were key moments in Beshear’s first term in office.
“With that in mind,” Beshear said, “I hope that the review process and the national attention will give us a place on the national stage as Kentucky, whether it’s the opportunity to sit in the same room with those who are making grant decisions or the opportunity to speak on a very important issue – and maybe even specific to Kentucky – and hopefully create positive movement or change around that. I see the benefit of this process as hopefully benefiting Kentucky and our needs.”
The governor is also looking ahead to Election Day in November. He said he will continue to campaign to support the Harris-Walz candidacy and focus on sending candidates he supports to the House and Senate, as well as the state Legislature, which has a two-thirds Republican majority. One particular issue he plans to focus on is “making sure we defeat” a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the General Assembly to fund nonpublic schools. He said he will travel the state to campaign against Amendment 2.
“While that sounds like a lot, I have spent the last year both running the governor’s office and running an election, so everyone out there can be confident that they will get the best out of me every single day as governor. I know this is a dream job – an important job – and I don’t take a moment for granted.”
Beshear called it “an honor” to be considered as Harris’ running mate, citing “massive national coverage of all the positive things happening in Kentucky.” He said the attention could also put Kentucky in a position to do more in the future, adding that potential employers who otherwise would not have considered the state have reached out to his administration. Rumors are also circulating about Beshear’s Election prospects 2024 whirled while he was abroad in Japan and South Korea to discuss economic development.
Asked if he would highlight Kentucky as a speaker at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next week, Beshear said, “Stay tuned.” He added that the convention will focus primarily on Harris and Walz and campaign issues, but the possibility of “having someone from Kentucky on the Democratic National Convention stage is a big deal.”
Looking ahead to the next legislative session, Beshear said his administration plans to address unfunded mandates or legislation that may have passed but was not funded during this year’s budget session. Recently, Beshear and Republican lawmakers have been discussing funding for a new bill that would provide financial relief to grandparents and others. Related caregivers who are raising children in Kentucky.
The governor said he also wants to focus on laws that have not been changed but whose implementation is “frustrating.”
“Of course, I want to lay the groundwork for the more important changes we need, both in teacher pay and universal pre-K. I also want to spend part of this session looking at how other states are investing in economic development,” he said, adding as an example that South Carolina has more foreign offices than Kentucky to handle foreign direct investment. South Carolina has four international officeswhile Kentucky has two.
But Beshear must achieve those goals in a House dominated by his opponent — meaning any veto he uses can be easily overridden. Legislation he supports is also at a disadvantage in the General Assembly. Beshear’s budget proposal from earlier this year, which was included in bills introduced by minority leader Derrick Graham, has not been assigned by committees for consideration.
