With the energy of Democratic Socialists and their progressive kin grabbing midterm headlines, can an earnest, moderate, Bible-quoting governor from a red state emerge as the Democrats' standard-bearer two years down the road?
Andy Beshear would like to find out.
While the Kentucky governor says he won't make a decision on running for president until his term as chair of the Democratic Governors Association ends in December, he is already walking the walk: raising money for his PAC, traveling to states with early presidential primaries and writing a book about how to win over voters who haven't been voting for Democrats lately.
"While I don't necessarily agree with a number of policies of, say, the DSA candidates, I respect that they want to actually
fix problems that are facing the American people," he told USA TODAY. But he describes the ideal Democratic candidate in 2028 as a governor who is more pragmatic than ideological, someone who won't "promise the moon" to skeptical voters who feel burned by President Donald Trump.
In other words, someone who sounds a lot like Beshear.
He lacks the broad name recognition of 2024 nominee Kamala Harris, the deep donor pockets of California Gov. Gavin Newsom or the celebrity charisma of New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, to mention just a few of the slew of ambitious Democrats eyeing 2028.
What Beshear has is a record of winning election and reelection in a state so solidly Republican that Trump carried it by more than 30 percentage points in 2024. With that, he is joining the brewing battle over the direction of the Democrats.
Is JD Vance a good Christian?
In his book, "Go and Do Likewise: How We Heal A Broken Country," published by St. Martin's Press Sept. 22, Beshear offers faith as a defining thread for how Democrats could reclaim the heartland and move past an era of divisive politics. "Make America Kind Again," he puts it.
The book's title comes from Jesus' injunction in the parable of the Good Samaritan, and each chapter opens with a Bible verse. On the cover, the 48-year-old father of two is wearing blue jeans and a fleece pullover, sitting on concrete steps joined by his enormous black poodle.
Even Winnie the dog is sporting a resolute look-to-the-future gaze.
While Beshear has a reputation for a moderate mien, in his first interview about his new book he blasted Vice President JD Vance, who also talks publicly about his faith and also published a book this year. "Communion" describes the vice president's spiritual journey to Catholicism.
Is Vance a good Christian?
"I think JD Vance is a person that is using Christianity to benefit himself and not to benefit other people," Beshear replied. "I think a Christian in the vice president's office would've pushed back against cutting SNAP [food] benefits and not encouraged it, would push back against a big, ugly bill that's going to shutter rural hospitals and people aren't going to get the health care that they need."
He called the book about Appalachia that brought Vance early fame, "Hillbilly Elegy," an example of "poverty tourism" that blamed people rather than the opioid industry for the addiction that ravaged their lives. "What JD Vance uses faith for is what he's done his entire life, which is judge other people," he said.
Vance's spokesman shot back.
"Andy Beshear was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and had the governorship handed to him by his father," Luke Schroeder said. "Every now and then, he lobs an outrageous attack against the vice president in a desperate plea for attention. It takes a true hypocrite to attack someone's faith after sending Kentucky law enforcement to lock down churches during COVID as Andy Beshear did."
Oh, Beshear also called Vance the all-but-certain Republican presidential nominee in 2028.
In the exclusive interview with USA TODAY, Beshear declined to meet demands from a group of Hispanic Democratic officials that the DGA invest more money − $10 million was the suggested amount − in the challenge by Texas Democrat Gina Hinojosa to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. She has been gaining ground in statewide polls, though the nonpartisan Cook Political Report still rates the race as "likely Republican."
"We would really think, just to be honest with you, that Governor Beshear would understand this, especially since he has presidential aspirations," Latino operative Sergio Gonzalez told Politico, in case Beshear somehow missed the point.
Beshear praised Hinojosa as "a great candidate" and noted that the DGA was already underwriting some of her campaign expenses. But he gave no sign he would be sending her a check instead of Democratic gubernatorial candidates given stronger odds of flipping GOP seats in such states as Iowa, Georgia, Nevada, Ohio and Alaska.
"I, as a DGA chair, can't be motivated by pleasing or not pleasing anyone when it comes to '28..." he said. "To give an extra dollar one place, it comes from another."
It's a long way from Lexington to Brooklyn
With the opening Democratic presidential primary in South Carolina nearly a year-and-a-half away, Harris is running first for the nomination, according to the RealClearPolitics.com average of polls. Newsom is in second place, followed in order by Buttigieg, Ocasio-Cortez, Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
And Beshear, in eighth at 4%.
"The Democratic primary electorate is not the Kentucky general electorate," cautioned the website ElectionOdds.com, which estimates Beshear's chances of being the nominee at 2.4%. "The same skills that win Republicans and independents in Lexington may not win progressives in Brooklyn."
Still, Beshear notes his solidly liberal record on social issues, no easy course in his conservative state. On his third day in office, he signed an executive order restoring voting rights to those convicted of nonviolent felonies who had served their time. He vetoed a 15-week abortion ban (though the state legislature overrode his veto) and issued an executive order banning so-called conversion therapy on LGBTQ+ youth.
On the most hot-button issue of the moment, he vetoed legislation limiting bathroom access for transgender girls and boys and preventing Medicaid from providing trans medical care. (The legislature overrode his veto on that, too.)
"I vetoed anti-choice bills that have come to my desk," he said, but added that hasn't been the key to his healthy 50%-37% approval-disapproval rating in his state. "I spend 80% of my time on things that matter to 100% of Kentuckians," issues like jobs, health care, infrastructure and education. "If you make people's lives just a little bit better, if you bring in that next set of good jobs, they'll vote differently because they care about the future of their kids a lot more than the letter that they registered for."
Beshear counsels cooperation and conciliation at a time most Democrats complain to pollsters that their party establishment hasn't fought Trump hard enough, hasn't fought fire with fire.
Whether his approach will seem refreshingly sensible or disappointingly unambitious to Democratic voters is something a campaign may have to settle.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Can a moderate Dem rise amid a progressive tide? Ask Andy Beshear
