Beshear says VP speculation put a positive national spotlight on Kentucky

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear speaks to a crowd at the Iowa Democratic Party’s Liberty and Justice Celebration event in July. In an interview Aug. 14, Beshear said he hopes the attention he received as a potential vice presidential candidate benefits Kentucky. (Photo by Jack O’Connor/ Iowa Capital Dispatch)

FRANKFORT — While he was not ultimately selected as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear said the national attention put a positive spotlight on his home state.

Beshear, 46, was among a shortlist of potential running mates for Harris shortly after she mounted her presidential campaign following President Joe Biden’s exit from the race. Last week, Harris’ campaign announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz would join the ticket.

In an interview with the Kentucky Lantern at the Capitol Wednesday, Beshear said that with about three and a half years left in his second term, his focus remains on doing his job and keeping Kentucky’s momentum on economic development.

I do hope that the vetting process and the national attention gives us as Kentucky a seat on the national stage, whether that's the ability to be in the room with those that are going to make decisions on grants, or the ability to talk about an issue that's very important — and maybe even particular to Kentucky — and hopefully get positive movement or change related to it.

– Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear

When asked if he thought he may have a future role in national Democratic politics, potentially even a cabinet position in a possible Harris administration, the governor said: “I’m not going anywhere.”

“I love this job,” Beshear continued, “and even throughout this process, I remember touring Eastern Kentucky for the two-year anniversary of the flood, and looking around, knowing in my heart that this is where I’m supposed to be, that Kentucky is a part of my DNA, and my resolve to get the job done and rebuilding in Eastern Kentucky and in Western Kentucky.”

Beshear toured Eastern Kentucky at the end of July, and dedicated homes to residents built on higher ground in the mountainous region. The record 2022 floods killed 45 victims. Before that, Western Kentucky was the site of devastating tornadoes in 2021 , which had a death toll of more than 70. The natural disasters were key moments of Beshear’s first term.

“With that said,” Beshear said, “I do hope that the vetting process and the national attention gives us as Kentucky a seat on the national stage, whether that’s the ability to be in the room with those that are going to make decisions on grants, or the ability to talk about an issue that’s very important — and maybe even particular to Kentucky — and hopefully get positive movement or change related to it. I see the benefit of going through this process as hopefully benefiting Kentucky and our needs.”

The governor’s also looking toward Election Day this November. He said he will continue to work toward supporting the Harris-Walz ticket, focusing on sending candidates he supports to the U.S. House and Senate as well as the state legislature, which has a Republican supermajority. A 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.

“So while that sounds like a lot, I both ran the governor’s office and an election last year, and so everybody out there can be assured that they’re going to get the best out of me every single day as governor. I recognize that this is a dream job — an important job — and don’t take any moment for granted.”

Beshear called it “an honor” to be considered as a choice for Harris’ running mate, and noted “massive national coverage of all of the positive things going on in Kentucky.” He said that the attention may also position Kentucky to do more in its future, adding that prospective employers that were not otherwise considering the state had reached out to his administration. Plus, rumors about Beshear’s 2024 election prospects swirled while he was abroad in Japan and South Korea to discuss economic development.

When asked if he will highlight Kentucky as a speaker at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next week, Beshear said to “stay tuned.” He added that the convention will mostly focus on Harris and Walz and campaign issues, but the possibility “to have somebody from Kentucky on the stage at the Democratic National Convention is a big deal.”

Looking ahead to the next legislative session, Beshear said his administration plans to work on addressing unfunded mandates, or laws that may have passed but were not funded during this year’s budget session. Recently, Beshear and Republican lawmakers have been going back and forth about funding for a new law to provide financial relief for grandparents and other kinship caregivers who are raising children in Kentucky.

The governor said he also wants to focus on laws that were not changed but are “frustrating” to implement.

“Certainly, I want to lay the groundwork for more important changes we need, both in educator pay and in universal pre-K. I also want to spend some of this session looking at how other states invest in economic development,” he said, adding as an example that South Carolina has more overseas offices than Kentucky to address foreign direct investment. South Carolina has four international offices , while Kentucky has two .

However, Beshear must seek to accomplish those goals with a legislature dominated by his opposing party — meaning any veto of his can easily be overridden. Legislation he backs also begins at a disadvantage in the General Assembly. Beshear’s budget proposal earlier this year, which were in bills carried by Minority Floor Leader Derrick Graham, were not assigned committees for reviewing.