After a 47-minute conversation in front of hundreds of people at Vanderbilt, Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell asked Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear the question on everyone’s minds:
“Are you running for president?”
Benton Chapel erupted with cheers. A dozen people in the crowd shouted out “YES!” Someone held up a “Beshear 2028” t-shirt. The applause lasted nearly a minute.
Beshear, a Democrat, has fueled national speculation that he’s considering a 2028 presidential run by laying groundwork in early and southern states as he promotes his new memoir, “Go and Do Likewise.”
He visited Nashville Oct. 3 to promote the book in a conversation with O’Connell organized by Dialogue Vanderbilt's 250 Conversations on America series.
Earlier that morning, he spoke
at a lively private fundraiser for Democratic Congressional nominee Chaz Molder in Nashville’s Sylvan Park neighborhood. Kentucky First Lady Brittany Beshear accompanied her husband at both events.
So what did Beshear say?
“My lawyer is telling me I’m allowed to say ‘thank you for the encouragement,’” Beshear replied, smiling. “I don’t have an announcement today because I still have a lot of work to do in ‘26.”
He named candidates he’s working to support in the midterms.
“I remember in 2023, I walked off the stage after reelection, I looked at Brittany and I said, ‘whew! I’ll never have to run for anything ever again,'” he added. “Here’s what I can tell you today: I’m no longer sure that was true.”
‘Fix the darn government’
As the Democratic Party considers its future and the leaders that will shape it, much of Beshear’s message focused on how Americans can work to heal divisions driven by politics and restore integrity of government institutions.
“We’re going to have to be a party that’s more than just against someone but for something,” Beshear said. “As I see our young people losing faith in the American dream, I believe that’s right where we should go.”
During the fundraiser, Beshear shared a sweeping proposal he’s dubbed the “fix the darn government” constitutional amendment that “actually solves what’s wrong.”
It’s a handful of policies aimed at giving the people more direct oversight over the federal government and eliminating opportunities for corruption.
Beshear proposes to:
- Outlaw partisan gerrymandering
- Impose term limits for Congress and the Supreme Court
- Overturn the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision that allows corporations to spend unlimited sums of money on political purposes
- Bank stock trading from all parts of government
- Eliminate the electoral college and give citizens direct election of the president and vice president
An overture to the White House?
While Beshear said he “hasn’t made a final decision” on a bid for the White House, “because then I’d have to fill out paperwork,” he said a Democratic governor would be “our ideal 2028 candidate.”
Many at the book event agreed. Wearing a grey “Andy Beshear 2028” t-shirt, Shari Baird – whose family is from Dawson Springs, Kentucky from whence Beshear hails – said she feels America needs a president like him.
“He’s just down to earth. He’s normal. I feel like he can see the grey in situations instead of the black and white. He’s got common sense. We need that back in the world,” Baird said.
Looking toward the nation’s future, Baird is concerned by the deep political divisions that have broken relationships and led to violence. She’s also – like so many Americans – concerned about affordability.
“A few years ago, you would think getting $100,000 in a household would be enough to sustain a fairly large family. But that’s just not the way it is anymore,” she said. “Things just keep on getting more expensive.”
Winning the South
Democrats are moving to make a resurgence in Tennessee and strategically seek to make gains across the South ahead of 2028
“As a Southern Democrat, I know what it’s like to be overlooked, to be left out, at times to be looked down upon,” Beshear told the Molder crowd. “But what are we doing? We are scraping our way back to the table.”
Beshear has been elected governor twice in a state that President Donald Trump won by 30 percentage points.
How? Beshear said to focus on fundamentals, and be genuine.
“Spend 80% of your time on things that matter to 100% of your people. Talk like a normal human being. Share your why. Be real. Let people know why you’re willing to put up with the toxicity of politics,” Beshear said.
Most Americans don’t spend the day focusing on issues that cause division, he said.
“They’re thinking about their job and whether they make enough to afford what they need with costs going up and up… They’re thinking about the roads and bridges they’re going to drive on, the public school they drop their kids off at, and whether it’s going to be funded,” Beshear said.
“When we talk about those issues, when we move the needle on them, we don’t move a country to the right or the left, we just move it forward. We lift everyone up.”
Vivian Jones covers state government and politics at The Tennessean. Reach her at vjones@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Beshear teases 2028 run, shares message of healing at Nashville stop
