KY Politics Insider: Why JD Vance was in Lexington & Beshear’s many profiles
What was the vice president doing in Lexington?
JD Vance made a splash in Lexington when he landed at Blue Grass Airport last week, with his Tuesday Nov. 25 arrival causing some traffic on the already-congested intersection of Versailles Road and Man O’ War and a slight delay at the airport.
Lexington wasn’t his only pit stop in Kentucky, as his lone publicized event in the state was a Wednesday meal with troops stationed at Fort Campbell, about 225 miles southwest. But he and his family celebrated in their own way in Lexington, according to Vance spokesperson Taylor Van Kirk.
“The Vice President celebrated Thanksgiving privately with his family in Lexington, Kentucky,” Van Kirk wrote in a brief statement to the Herald-Leader Monday.
Vance and family were spotted by WKYT near downtown upscale restaurant Tony’s Steakhouse Wednesday evening.
Some speculation in political circles was that Vance would visit Nate Morris, one of the three leading candidates for the GOP nomination to replace longtime U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell in 2026. After all, Vance and Morris, who lives in Lexington, are personal friends. Some in Vance’s political network now assist Morris’ campaign.
No visit between the two was mentioned by spokespeople for either Vance or Morris.
It’s possible that Lexington was an ideal place for Vance to connect with his family. Vance’s family still keeps a presence in the nearby Cincinnati area; his mother still lives in Middetown, Ohio, where he grew up, and his half-brother recently ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Cincinnati.
A point of emphasis in “Hillbilly Elegy,” the best-selling memoir that launched him to fame, was Vance’s ancestral home in Breathitt County. Lexington is about an hour and a half away from Breathitt County.
The last time Vance was in Lexington was to raise money for his running mate President Donald Trump in the lead-up to their 2024 electoral win. That event was hosted by GOP fundraising power couple Kelly and Joe Craft; a spokesperson for the Crafts did not offer comment on Vance’s visit this year.
“This red state Democrat” keeps getting profiled
The media hits keep coming for Gov. Andy Beshear.
Beshear, who turned 48 last week, was profiled again by a national outlet: this time the Wall Street Journal.
The tone was largely flattering, with Journal reporter John McCormick referring to Beshear as an “unwavering Democrat who has repeatedly won in Trump country.”
The write-up included a “fireside chat” with Beshear where he eschewed political labels like “moderate” or “progressive.” During the interview, he interjected during a question on how a southern governor could become president in a Democratic Party increasingly dominated by the country’s coasts — “two of the last four” he said, in reference to Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter reaching the presidency.
In the article’s framing, Beshear struck a contrast in style and substance from the more boisterous Trump. He is referenced as both strong in his pushback against GOP policies and much more understated in affect.
He’s also casting himself as unabashedly pro-capitalism in a party where messaging varies on that front.
He told the Wall Street Journal Democrats need to be a “pro-jobs and pro-worker party” and dismissed progressive skepticism of state incentives as corporate welfare.
“I live in the real world,” he said.
A recent dispatch from the Detroit Jewish News also caught our eye.
Beshear was the keynote speaker at the 3,000-person Yeshiva Beth Yahuda Annual Dinner on Nov. 2, which serves as a fundraiser for a Jewish school in Michigan’s largest city. The event featured Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, both of the state’s senators, the mayor, the attorney general, members of Congress, the entire Michigan State Supreme Court and even NBA Hall of Famer Reggie Miller.
That’s about a star-studded of a lineup as it gets for the key swing state, which has swung for the eventual presidential nominee the past five cycles.
The outlet wrote that Beshear’s speech focused on a “message of moral clarity in complex times.”
“The governor spoke about standing against antisemitism, about choosing compassion in the face of division, and about the responsibility of leaders to protect the vulnerable and support the next generation, regardless of party or region,” the outlet wrote.
The governor also toured the school and conducted a roundtable discussion with students there, according to Detroit Jewish News.
KY Politics Weekly coming to a screen near you
A stalwart Kentucky political podcast is coming to the small screen soon.
Kentucky Politics Weekly, a show founded by former Republican Party of Kentucky spokesperson Tres Watson, is launching Friday on FOX56 as a television and streaming show, according to Watson. The program, which provides a rundown of political news from the Commonwealth, will re-air Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays.
Joining Watson are co-hosts Abby Piper and Jared Smith of Piper-Smith, a boutique lobbying and public relations firm. Both Frankfort veterans, Smith is a former Democratic staffer and Piper has a long resume in the Frankfort lobbying corps.
“We have a good time doing the podcast and are glad people enjoy listening,” Watson said. “We’re excited to bring our unique blend of political insight, campaign experience and questionable sports gambling picks to a new audience.”
Central Kentuckians pining for a ‘Mountain Democrat?’
Regardless of your benchmark for what constitutes a “mountain,” there aren’t many of them in the Central Kentucky-based 6th Congressional District.
But there are a good number of “mountain people.” At least, that’s the gambit played by the campaign of Democratic candidate Cherlynn Stevenson in her latest ad.
Stevenson released a three-minute digital ad Monday, Dec. 1, focused on her roots as a product of Hindman, the Knott County seat well to the east of the 6th Congressional District’s bounds. Stevenson was one of many Appalachian Kentuckians who found a home in the Lexington area as a young adult.
With Trump as a unifying political figure both for the Republican candidates (who have worked hard to prove they’re most able to help him in Congress) and Democrats (who speak ill of all Trump’s moves), differentiating factors have been hard to come by. Stevenson’s ad speaks to a belief in her identity as an Eastern Kentucky native with humble roots.
A faux dictionary-style definition of “Mountain Democrat” in the ad describes on as “working class grit; proud, tough and loyal; fighting for working class Kentuckians.”
“Those big corporations and CEOs, they’re screwing us over while they make record profits. One hundred years ago, Mountain Democrats faced the same fight,” Stevenson said in the ad. “Now, working families from Lexington to Knott County are under attack, and it’s past time we had a representative who serves all of us, not just a privileged few.”
The general election strategy is obvious: in a district that leans Republican, it’s advantageous for Democrats to stress their connections to rural Kentucky, a potentially moderating factor in the eyes of voters. Time will tell if it pays off in a Democratic primary, where the majority of votes are expected to come from the progressive-leaning Fayette County.
This story was originally published December 3, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
