‘A great friend and a great choice:’ Beshear reacts to Harris picking Walz for VP
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz won the nod to become Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate over Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and several others.
But Beshear said Tuesday it “was an honor to be considered” for the VP slot.
The 46-year-old governor posted to X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, that he was great friends with Walz and would support the Harris-Walz ticket moving forward.
“It was an honor to be considered in this process, but (Walz) is a great friend and a great choice. I fully support this new ticket and will work to elect (Harris) as our next President of the United States,” Beshear wrote.
Harris called Beshear Tuesday morning and the two spoke over the phone, according to a source familiar with the process.
Beshear and Walz have a history.
The 60-year-old Minnesota governor is chair of the Democratic Governors Association, a powerhouse fundraiser and spender during gubernatorial campaigns. He was a Beshear ally in 2023 when Beshear won his second term over GOP state Attorney General Daniel Cameron.
Walz was present for Beshear’s second inauguration in late 2023.
Beshear, Walz and several others, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, competed in front of television cameras and behind closed doors for the selection — often appearing for cable television interviews related to the so-called “veepstakes” and hosting or holding fundraisers for the Harris campaign.
While Beshear was eyed as a genial, polished political talent by Harris’ team and easily fit the moderate white-guy profile it was looking for, he could not change his roots. He was always going to come from Kentucky, which hasn’t voted for a Democratic presidential ticket in 28 years.
Minnesota, on the other hand, is a Democratic-leaning state. It’s also more populous, got a bigger donor base and is close both in geography and culture to the key battleground states of Michigan and Wisconsin.
Later Tuesday morning, Beshear reiterated his commitment to Kentucky in another post to X.
“Kentucky is in my DNA; I love my job and my family – and we are right where we’re supposed to be. Over the past several weeks we’ve seen Kentucky get such positive national attention for what we’ve accomplished by working together,” he wrote.
“I’m in this office this morning working hard to ensure we continue this incredible momentum as we build a better future for every single Kentuckian.”
The Republican Party of Kentucky responded to the news claiming that Beshear would have been a “liability” to Harris given his record as governor. Republicans control four-fifths of the state legislative seats, making it difficult for many the Democratic governor’s priorities to pass.
“With the Kentucky Democrats’ echo chamber in the local press and social media coming to an end, it’s no surprise Kamala Harris took a pass on Andy. His years of controversy and lack of policy wins made choosing him a liability,” state GOP spokesperson Andy Westberry wrote.
This story was originally published August 6, 2024 at 11:24 AM.
