Andy Beshear for president in 2028? Dem & GOP takes on KY governor’s future

Gov. Andy Beshear’s star is rising in Democratic politics.

Since his successful 2023 reelection bid — which didn’t shock many Kentuckians but turned plenty of heads in Washington — his national ambitions have become increasingly clear.

First, it was the pundit class’ interpretation of his win. Then came Kamala Harris’ consideration of him as a running mate in her presidential bid. Now, Beshear’s name is one of about a dozen being floated as presidential material at a time when Democrats are searching for a leader to bring them out of the wilderness.

The governor is taking the necessary steps to present himself as an option for 2028.

He’s regularly appearing on MSNBC. He recently headlined a donor retreat with top U.S. House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries where top donors came away convinced he will run. And, he polled at 5% in a recent survey of California Democrats — that’s a far cry from Kentucky and a sign, to some that Beshear’s prospects are real.

To evaluate this moment in time, the Herald-Leader spoke with two strategists, one Democrat and one Republican, with ties to Kentucky and Washington.

Below are conversations with Mark Riddle, who leads the Democratic group Future Majority and co-founded a pro-Biden super PAC that raised massive amounts of money in 2020, as well as Jake Cox, who has served as campaign manager for Sen. Rand Paul in 2022 and former Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles’ run for governor in 2023.

Conservations have been edited for length and clarity.

Mark Riddle, Democratic strategist

H-L: What do conversations about the 2028 presidential nomination look like in party circles right now?

Within the Democratic Party’s leadership ranks and with grassroots leaders, the No. 1 talking point is a void in leadership. That’s where this conversation begins, and I think Gov. Beshear is having an early moment in this presidential sweepstakes.

H-L: Why, in your mind, is he having an early moment?

Riddle: A couple reasons: One, the folks who pay attention to politics day in and day out, know that Gov. Beshear is a very popular governor. He’s won three times in a red state, and he’s the only person in the mix who’s actually won in a true red state.

(Note: Beshear was elected to one term as Kentucky attorney general prior to running for governor.)

Second is, as he’s ascending to his role as Democratic Governors Association chair in 2026, people are seeing him as a proven fundraiser. That position will enable him to meet more and more folks. Also, they’re seeing him as an effective communicator on Democratic values when he’s doing television shows, podcasts, social media. I think the governor is a cut above when it comes to communicating on Democratic values and how to position these tough issues in a value statement and his why, and not so much a list of policies which Democrats always get in trouble when they start naming their 73-point platform.

I think the third thing that I would think about is the early constituencies. The governor’s record has given him the ability to talk to those groups and to check a lot of boxes. I mean, he ran a reelection campaign on the issue of reproductive freedom. He vetoed the (anti-)trans rights bill. He’s done a lot on voter rights and with labor — his focus as governor has been jobs, jobs, jobs.

H-L: How does that interplay with what we’re seeing in the national news?

Riddle: I think as President Trump increases his chaos and, frankly, corruption, when you’re looking at who in the Democratic field may be a strong alternative to the current state of affairs in our country, I can’t think of anybody more opposite to Donald Trump. In this current kind of chaos climate, a lot of folks are looking for what could get us back to Main Street values and faith. I think Andy Beshear is a person that rides at the top of each of those conversations. We tend to elect people who are kind of opposite of what is in there, particularly when what is in office is unpopular, and Donald Trump’s unpopular.

H-L: Is he progressive enough to win? I think some people would make the argument he’s not in a nationwide primary setting.

Riddle: I think it’s how you define progressivism. Is it focusing on jobs, education, health care about making progress for working families? Yes. How he’s stood up for the LGBTQ community? Yes. He fought a general election around reproductive freedom in the state of Kentucky? Yes. I think he is actually in a unique place where he may be able to unify progressives, moderates and even some conservatives in the party. There’s a lot of talent, and a lot of folks check one box or another. I think Gov. Beshear checks a lot of the boxes that folks across the ideological spectrum within the Democratic family will find interesting and motivating.

The Republicans will call any Democrat a radical or whatever. It’s very hard to say that Andy Beshear is some sort of radical, particularly when you look at his governing record, his faith and his values. But at the same time, progressives, who have some question marks around a conservative-seeming white guy from Kentucky, you just look at his record. I think his record kind of is second to none amongst governors looking at this.

H-L: One of the red threads between Trump and Obama, the last two presidential contenders to get two terms, is reform. Can Beshear, whose positions tend to be fairly mainstream, present himself as a reform candidate?

Riddle: That’s a fair question. I don’t think he has started trying to make a case of what he would advocate for as a candidate down the road. I think right now we’re kind of in this early process where a governing record is much more important than rhetoric. I think right now in this environment, affordability and cost-of-living is the top issue around the country, and he will be able to point to all the investment and jobs in Kentucky. I think you can look at all the times Andy’s had to deal with a natural disaster or tragedies in the state, he comes across as compassionate and empathetic, and, you know, gives everybody a hug. I think it’s a little too early for policy platitudes, but I think right now, if you’re looking at somebody with a quality record that will get you into kind of the next round of conversations, I think he checks that box.

H-L: Right now, the situation in Gaza is something of a dividing line in the Democratic Party. You saw a lot of pushback from the left on Pete Buttigieg, another person people are eyeing for 2028, when he gave an equivocal answer on Palestinian statehood. Beshear suggested to Vogue that Israel, as an ally, shouldn’t be criticized “publicly or through the media.” Is that the right answer for the next presidential nominee in your party?

Riddle: He is a long ways from a primary, and as we know, particularly in the time of Trump, current events and what’s on people’s minds, this may well be far removed from any discussion several years from now. I’m also not sure it actually is the dividing line. I think addressing people’s day-to-day, kitchen table issues are actually what voters are concerned about. I think focusing on how they’re governing is what’s going to determine this. (Talking about Israel-Palestine) is not his job right now, and it’s not really where the voters are.

H-L: Anything else?

One advantage that I think Gov. Beshear will have over some other folks in the field is his work ethic. He will just work and work and work. Few in public office will work as hard as Andy Beshear.

Jake Cox, GOP Strategist

H-L: You obviously don’t like Andy Beshear as a politician. You’ve tried to make his flaws known in Kentucky. Same goes for many other Republicans. Why hasn’t that worked?

Jake Cox: I think the reason it hasn’t worked is that everyone had their own goal on what best could take down Andy Beshear on the issues that have mattered to Kentucky voters. And it’s not that I don’t believe the messaging that we have or the attacks that we have made are not relevant or effective. It’s that everyone’s just singing from a different hymnal. So whether it be, you know, wanting to talk about or pivot back to his work on natural disasters, you could talk about the failures on that front. He wants to talk about his work for children. You can talk about his failures in juvenile detention facilities and numerous other things. He’s not been someone who has picked one particular facet that he likes to focus on. He tries to pivot between a bunch, so, especially with as large of a Republican Party that we have now, it’s been hard to triangulate precisely which ones we want to stick with and really make sure voters understand, “Hey, these are the serious issues.”

H-L: As an opposition research guy, which of those issues do you think hurts him the most in a national Democratic primary? Or is it another issue altogether?

Cox: Numerous fronts. While he likes to suggest that he’s won these narrower races, it’s worth pointing out that none of the races that he’s won have been particularly negative. Whether you take his first AG’s race against (former Republican state Sen. Whitney) Westerfield, it was more focused on, essentially, his father. The second race was the race against (former Republican Gov.) Matt Bevin, and for obvious reasons it’s easier to run as a nice, polite, milquetoast guy against a fire-breathing dragon in Matt Bevin, who knew how to upset voters across the spectrum.

With Attorney General (Daniel) Cameron, Andy Beshear used the power of the governor’s office to focus on what specifically he will continue to do. I believe the Cameron campaign instead focused on more nationalized ideas, and in off year elections, especially here in Kentucky, voters want to hear more about what you’re going to do to help them. When you’re the guy that has the power of the bully pulpit — can hand out checks, can crisscross the state and cut ribbons with a smile on his face, it’s easier for voters to look past things that they may not like and just say, “Hey, he’s doing the job, and we’re willing to give him another four (years).”

H-L: Why does it seem like Beshear’s gotten a little bit of wind in his sails for 2028?

Cox: I don’t know if there’s so much wind in the sails as it is his team projecting that they do. He’s out there, and he’s being public, and he’s not shying away from it, so that’s something that you’ll see some donors gravitate towards. Honestly, a Democrat governor in a red state sounds appealing. But ultimately, the biggest thing that he’s going to be coming up against is a lot of the things that weren’t necessarily drilled down in past elections. Looking back to his issues with kids in the state of Kentucky, whether you’re talking about the foster care system, which has been a failure on his part with children on floors in state office buildings or children being abused and neglected in juvenile detention facilities, which is another major issue.

There are instances where, I think once you have someone in a primary, who can really needle those points and focus on taking down that smile and measured tone to make him acknowledge his failures as a governor to actually make a difference. It’s easy to hand out a check, but it’s not so easy to open up your Justice Cabinet and say, “Hey, talk to the public. Let’s be open and communicate about what’s happening and rein it in.” I think he’s obviously been a failure on that front.

H-L: What’s your sense of the view from Washington Republicans on Beshear?

Cox: Laughable. He has a lot of flaws that I think haven’t necessarily been litigated properly or litigated in the way that have gotten the attention of voters. Democrats aren’t going to walk into this primary lightly. It is going to be a dog fight.

His biggest hurdle is going to be being a white, straight, wealthy man. In the Democratic Party, that’s already a tough enough hill to climb – they lost with Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris, and Joe Biden, the only one to have won, was the nominee thanks to (U.S. Rep.) Jim Clyburn. So while Andy Beshear may think so highly of himself that he can attain the most powerful office in the world, I think he’s in for rude awakening when he actually has to put pedal to the metal against people who have had a much harder time of it and have actually learned the lessons of what it takes to really win a tough race.

Laughable is how I would suggest most Washington Republicans, particularly with ties to Kentucky, tend to look at Andy Beshear’s attempt to run for President of the United States.

H-L: Let’s say Beshear is the nominee and Vice President JD Vance, who Trump said was the “favorite,” is on the GOP side. Give me the case for why Vance beats Beshear.

It’s the real deal versus the fake one. It’s a silver spoon versus one that’s been covered in rust and mud, then forcefully sanded down and built into something really beautiful. Andy Beshear talks a great game about being for the people, working for average Kentuckians, being out there with them, but he actually has no idea what that actually looks like. He’s been built on his father’s name. He’s built a career around taking credit for Republican accomplishments versus JD Vance, who, struggled through life growing up. He’s had to earn his way to where he’s at today — as a veteran, as someone who’s gone on to receive higher levels of college education. He also beat back challenges against him when he wasn’t initially pro-Trump and then became pro-Trump enough to be the vice president. The man has seen battle and war, not just in the literal context, but in the metaphorical political context, so he knows what it takes to be in a tough fight.

Andy Beshear, he’s never been in a fight where he’s actually had to worry about losing. I think he’s relied more on his name, he’s always had money in his pocket, and JD Vance hasn’t. Sometimes life is handed to you on a silver platter, and sometimes it’s handed to you in a dog poop bag — you gotta make something of it.

This story was originally published August 18, 2025 at 5:00 AM.

Austin Horn

Lexington Herald-Leader

706-571-8597

Austin Horn is a politics reporter for the Lexington Herald-Leader. He previously worked for the Frankfort State Journal and National Public Radio. Horn has roots in both Woodford and Martin Counties.