Beshear to share stage with Biden in ex-president’s first party event since ‘24
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has for months now been slated to headline the Nebraska Democratic Party’s largest fundraising event of the year.
Though his star in the party has risen as he tours the country and speculation about his 2028 presidential ambitions increases, he still might be overshadowed by the speaker the party just added to the event.
Former President Joe Biden is now expected to speak at the Ben Nelson Annual Gala in Omaha Nov. 7, according to social media posts from the state party Wednesday. The event marks his first in-person party event since leaving the White House in January, per CBS News.
Biden, 82, dropped out of the presidential race with less than four months until the November election after facing pressure over concerns about his old age and fitness for another term. That pressure grew more intense after Biden underwhelmed on the debate stage in June 2024.
Even during his presidency, Biden’s public appearances were rare.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic nominee shortly after Biden dropped out. President Donald Trump won the popular vote by about 1.5 percentage points, but won the electoral college vote handily, sweeping all the key swing states.
Trump won Kentucky by about 30 percentage points and won the state of Nebraska by more than 20 points; however, Nebraska splits its electoral college votes by congressional district and Harris won the 2nd Congressional District based in Omaha, where the gala is being held.
Democrats in Nebraska are hoping to flip that seat given that sitting GOP Rep. Don Bacon is not seeking reelection.
Harry Dunn, a former U.S. Capitol police officer present at the Jan. 6, 2021, attack by Trump supporters, will also speak at the event. A regular speaker at Democratic events and former congressional candidate himself, Dunn recently started a political action committee of his own.
A spokesperson for Beshear did not offer comment on the news that Biden would appear alongside the governor.
Beshear has been building ties to Democrats across the country over the last year. This week he visited New Hampshire, traditionally an early presidential primary state, where he spoke at party events and awarded the rank of “Kentucky Colonel” to the Democratic Party chair there.
Beshear’s political action committee, In This Together, has donated to several Democrats in key states, including New Hampshire and others. The group sent out a joint fundraising email Wednesday asking donors to “split a donation” between the PAC and Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs’ 2026 reelection campaign.
“She’s the only Democratic incumbent in a toss-up race for governor,” the email reads.
Beshear will chair the Democratic Governors Association, a political group tasked with defending existing seats and gaining ground elsewhere during elections, in 2026.
