Road to 2028: Andy Beshear to travel to an early primary state (again)
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Road to 2028: Gov. Andy Beshear’s political future
Gov. Andy Beshear is increasingly in the spotlight as a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate. The Herald-Leader believes Kentuckians should know what he is saying and doing, where he is traveling and what is being said nationally about the two-term governor.
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Editor’s Note: Gov. Andy Beshear is increasingly in the spotlight as a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate. The Herald-Leader believes Kentuckians should know what he is saying and doing, where he is traveling and what is being said nationally about the two-term governor. To keep the commonwealth updated, our journalists will publish a periodic round-up of the latest news and headlines about Beshear.
Andy Beshear is adding “author” to his list of credentials.
In his latest move to build his national profile, Kentucky’s Democratic governor announced Wednesday morning he’s releasing a book in the fall titled “Go and Do Likewise.” The book, which will be released Sept. 22, is described by its publisher as a “compelling and insightful” read on Beshear’s faith and how he uses it to shape his family and public life.
If that sounds familiar, it’s because that’s an extension of the oft-repeated message Beshear has shared as he’s crisscrossed the country.
The 48-year-old governor has cited his faith consistently in TV appearances when defending his veto of 2023’s Senate Bill 150, which banned gender-affirming health care for transgender youths, including puberty blockers and surgeries. (Beshear has said he opposes surgeries for minors, but otherwise supported parents making the best medical decisions for their children.)
Beshear’s frequent use of faith sets him apart from other Democrats in the political arena — and potentially as a presidential candidate, should he choose to run in two years.
Beshear hasn’t committed to a 2028 campaign, but he’s making moves — publishing a book, visiting early primary states and making media appearances — often associated with running for the nation’s highest office.
But he isn’t the only potential Democratic nominee to write a book. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has a memoir releasing on Feb. 24 titled “Young Man in a Hurry,” and Pennsylvania Gov. Joshua Shapiro’s book “Where We Keep the Light” was released last month.
What Kentuckians are saying about the book
Democrats are ecstatic about Beshear’s book. Republicans think no one is going to read it.
Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, told reporters Wednesday afternoon that while he didn’t really have thoughts on Beshear’s announcement, most books like Beshear’s from both sides of the aisle don’t typically sell well.
“I’d be interested to know who buys the book, and if anybody from the administration would call people who have contracts to ask them to buy the books to make it a bestseller,” Stivers said.
Others on social media were more blunt.
Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams who said in a post on X that Beshear’s book “will be in the bargain bin on Christmas, and you’re all getting one.”
Meanwhile, Democratic leaders are showing support, including Kentucky Democratic Party Executive Director Morgan Eaves, who said on social media she has already pre-ordered the book.
Beshear set to travel New Hampshire — again
New Hampshire famously has one of the first presidential primaries in the nation, so when politicians go there, people notice.
According to reporting from WMUR-TV and The Boston Globe, Beshear is one of a handful of potential nominees who are traveling to New Hampshire.
Pete Buttigieg, the former secretary of transportation, is also a name floating around as a candidate and visiting the state to campaign for U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas, D-New Hampshire. Newsom will be visiting to promote his new book.
Meanwhile, Beshear is hosting several events to give a boost to local Democrats. This isn’t Beshear’s first visit to New Hampshire though, as he traveled there in October to participate in a local fundraiser and a campaign reception.
How successful Beshear would be in a 2028 presidential primary is not entirely known.
In a Feb. 19 report from the University of New Hampshire, polling shows Buttigieg, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-VT, as the leading favorable Democratic candidates for voters.
Beshear, meanwhile, was the preferred candidate of just 3% of respondents — a figure unchanged from an October poll.
It also found that 51% of respondents didn’t know enough about him to have a favorable or unfavorable opinion.
Beshear doubles down on not attending White House dinner
Here’s where Beshear isn’t going: The White House dinner during the National Governors Association winter conference.
While Beshear, who began his term as chair for the Democratic Governors Association this year, is attending conference, he said President Donald Trump excluded some Democratic governors from the usually bipartisan dinner.
The conference, which is held in Washington, D.C., place between Feb. 19 through 21 and is focusing on issues including artificial intelligence and economic growth. During the conference, the president traditionally invites the governors for a bipartisan meeting and dinner.
But this year, Trump invited every governor except two Democrats: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis.
Beshear, in an interview with the Center for American Progress Action Fund on Thursday, said the controversy is “a lot of drama” for the American public and recognized aren’t going to follow it. But he still doubled down on not attending the dinner.
“I stand with Wes. I stand with Jared,” Beshear said. “If we’re all not invited, I’m not going.”
He also joined Jake Tapper on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday to criticize Trump for his decision not to invite Polis, who is gay, and Moore, currently the nation’s only Black governor.
“There’s a time where you have to stand up against the drama of a president that’s turned an annual bipartisan tradition and treating it like he’s a 12-year-old, and it’s his birthday party,” Beshear said on the CNN interview. “Inviting and disinviting people, lashing out at others.”
DeSantis claps back at Beshear’s Daily Show dig
Beshear took a jab at GOP Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in his recent interview on The Daily Show with host Jon Stewart.
And when DeSantis showed up in Kentucky this week to support a House resolution calling for a balanced budget amendment, he returned the favor to Beshear.
In his interview, Stewart asked Beshear who’s the worst governor, “the one where you guys are at the governor’s conference and the elevator opens, and he’s about to walk in, and you just go, ‘f--k.’”
Beshear replied “Ron DeSantis” without taking much time to ponder the question.
During a press conference following DeSantis’ testimony in favor of Rep. Jason Petrie’s, R-Elkton, House Concurrent Resolution 45, DeSantis was asked about Beshear’s comments.
DeSantis told reporters someone showed him Beshear’s clip because they knew he was visiting Kentucky.
The Florida governor is also no stranger to the national spotlight, as DeSantis ran in the 2024 presidential race for the Republican nominee, losing to Trump.
“All I can say is, a guy that sends state police to try to block people from worshiping on Easter Sunday, a guy that’s obsessed with gender mutilation of minors, if that’s the person that’s criticizing me, I wear that as a badge of honor,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis was referencing when Beshear, during the coronavirus pandemic, told state troopers to record license plate information of people attending “mass gatherings” during Easter weekend in 2020 so that they could be quarantined to their homes for 14 days afterward.
The Republican Party of Kentucky praised DeSantis’ comments on social media, calling Beshear in a post “a political grifter who’s just as far left and radical as the national Democrats he pretends not to be.”
This story was originally published February 20, 2026 at 4:30 AM.
