Beshear to speak at Democratic National Convention Monday night

Gov. Andy Beshear waves to the crowd after winning reelection, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, at Old Forrester’s Paristown Hall in Louisville. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Austin Anthony)

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear will take the stage at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago Monday night.

In a Monday morning post on X , formerly Twitter, Beshear tweeted a short video with his son, Will, in front of the stage. He indicated his remarks will focus on “my message of hope, freedom and unity.”

“I’m going to be speaking tonight at the Democratic National Convention from this stage with a full arena, talking about how we’ve got to elect Kamala Harris as the next president of the United States,” Beshear says in the video.

Since Vice President Kamala Harris launched her presidential bid this summer, the 46-year-old governor was among a shortlist of potential running mates for her following President Joe Biden ending his bid for a second term. Harris ultimately selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz , and much of the convention is expected to rally around them.

In an interview with the Kentucky Lantern last week, Beshear said to “stay tuned” when asked if he will be speaking from the DNC stage. He added that the convention will mostly focus on Harris and Walz and campaign issues, but having “somebody from Kentucky on the stage at the Democratic National Convention is a big deal.”

Beshear’s remarks will be on the convention’s opening night. According to a press release from his PAC, In This Together, Beshear is set to take the stage during the 10 p.m. Eastern hour. He will be introduced by Hadley Duvall, an Owensboro woman who has gained national attention as an abortion rights advocate . She appeared in a pivotal campaign ad for Beshear’s 2023 re-election campaign.

Other Monday speakers include Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. The DNC’s evening programming block is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday and 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. the rest of the week. Speeches are expected to be aired on the DNC’s YouTube page .

Editor’s note: This story was updated Monday afternoon with additional information.