FRANKFORT, Ky. ( FOX 56 ) — Gov. Andy Beshear had no shortage of questions about becoming Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate in his first Team Kentucky briefing since President Joe Biden bowed out of the race. But there are still very few answers. The governor sidestepped directly saying if he is being vetted for the position or when he may next meet with Vice President Harris, instead referring to a statement that he read aloud:
“I am honored to be considered, and regardless of what comes next, I will do everything I can between now and election day to elect Kamala Harris as the next President of the United States of America,” Beshear said, frequently referring back to it during the briefing.
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“You all know what question that is in response to, and that is my full statement on that topic,” Beshear said before taking questions.
“Why can’t you say whether you’re being vetted or not?” one reporter asked, for Beshear to answer with, “Well, I can say I’m honored to be considered.”
Beshear received some variation of a question to confirm reports that he’s being vetted multiple times and at one point said, “What I can do is give the same statement that I started out with. That’s the statement I’m authorized to give at this point.”
The governor did clarify he has not spoken to Vice President Harris since the Sunday phone call he received shortly after President Biden’s announcement to not seek reelection. And further said this week’s national TV appearances on CNN and MSNBC were invitations he accepted before that news broke. Those same appearances are now fueling the ongoing VP speculation and put Beshear on offense against former President Trump’s VP candidate, Sen. JD Vance, and his Appalachian connections.
“JD Vance ain’t from here,” Beshear said during an interview Monday, a moment that was quickly seized by allies on social media.
“What I said about J.D. Vance isn’t because of anything that is rumored about me or any role he stepped into, it’s because he has exploited and attempted to attack my fellow Kentuckians,” Beshear said on Thursday.
Beshear didn’t end his weekly briefing without a moment for the Internet. He offered a tongue-in-cheek apology during Monday’s CNN interview after being critical of Vance for drinking Diet Mountain Dew.
“Who drinks Diet Mountain Dew,” Beshear asked host Kaitlan Collins rhetorically, referring to a joke Vance told a crowd of supporters on Monday that Democrats would say drinking the beverage was “racist.”
“I do owe an apology to Diet Mountain Dew,” Beshear said as he pulled a bottle to display on his podium.
“Ale-8-One is definitely the soft drink of Kentucky, but I don’t believe government should be making your decisions, so if you enjoy Diet Mountain Dew, you be you; we want to support you,” he said.
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