‘A difficult match.’ GOP Rep. Massie pours doubts on defeating the Andy Beshear ‘virus’
Rep. Thomas Massie says defeating Gov. Andy Beshear will be a tall task in November – no matter which Kentucky Republican triumphs in the May primary.
“I think it’s going to be a difficult match,” Massie told McClatchy in an interview. “Unfortunately it’s going to be a fair fight.”
The northern Kentucky congressman said the commonwealth’s perception of Beshear’s stewardship during the pandemic has made him a formidable candidate for re-election.
“Despite ... what I perceive of his mishandling of a crisis, he gets credit for being the executive during a crisis,” Massie said. “He was able to go on TV every week and talk about it. They turned on their TVs and watched the next episode every week of Andy Beshear and the pandemic.”
A Mason-Dixon survey taken last month showed Beshear holding a 61% approval rating, with just 29% of likely voters disapproving. In a head-to-head match-up with Daniel Cameron, the state’s attorney general and leading Republican rival, Beshear’s lead stood at 9 points.
Polling has shown Cameron holding a wide lead among all his GOP rivals, including former United Nations ambassador Kelly Craft and Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles.
But Massie believes that Republican supermajorities in the state legislature have also aided Beshear politically, by curtailing his ability to push for more progressive initiatives
“Andy Beshear hasn’t really been able to impress his ideological preferences on Kentucky because we’ve got a legislature that can override him every time,” Massie explained. “He’s hemmed in. If he could’ve done more damage, he would’ve, ideologically. But he couldn’t. And it’s kind of saved him from disfavor in a red state.”
Just last month, Beshear signed into law a GOP backed tax cut which will lower the state’s individual income tax rate.
Massie, who initially supported State Rep. Savannah Maddox for governor before she bowed out of the race in December due to fundraising challenges, said he would not publicly endorse another candidate before the primary but would back the nominee.
At an event for Gov. Ron DeSantis in Florida last weekend, Massie said both DeSantis and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, chair of the Republican Governors Association, asked him about the dynamics of the race.
But even if Beshear secures a second term, Massie believes the long-term prospects for Republican control of the governorship looks brighter.
Closing the circle on his pandemic reference, Massie referred to Beshear as “the Andy variant of the Beshear virus”
“Once we’re done with this variant of the Beshear virus, we’re going to be home free hopefully,” Massie said. “I do think we’re going to be red for a very long time.”
A spokesperson for Beshear did not respond to an inquiry seeking a response.
This story was originally published March 6, 2023 at 6:00 AM with the headline "‘A difficult match.’ GOP Rep. Massie pours doubts on defeating the Andy Beshear ‘virus’."
