Road to 2028: Andy Beshear talks Iran war, visits New Hampshire
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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.
March is a popular time for spring break travel for those who want to escape to warm weather destinations.
Gov. Andy Beshear, however, started his month off by heading north.
Beshear recently traveled to New Hampshire and Michigan, where he criticized President Donald Trump’s explanations for going to war with Iran and spoke of how the Democratic Party can reach more Americans.
Both states play an important role in presidential elections, and 2028 will be no different. While New Hampshire is famous for being one of the first presidential primaries in the nation, Michigan is an important swing state in the general election.
In the 2024 general election, Trump narrowly won Michigan with 49.7% of the vote against Democratic nominee and former Vice President Kamala Harris. But in 2020, Joe Biden won the state when he ran against Trump and won.
For now, Beshear is laying the groundwork in both places, but this won’t be his last visit to Michigan. He’ll return on April 18 as a special guest for the Michigan Democratic Party Dinner, which will honor Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
That’s a week after he’s slated to headline the Democratic Party of Georgia’s 2026 Carter-Lewis Dinner in Atlanta on April 11.
Welcome back to New Hampshire, Gov. Beshear
If a visit to New Hampshire from Beshear sounds familiar, that’s because it is. He was there last October, where he joined local Democrats for a fundraiser and reception.
In his most recent weekend trip back to the state, he attended multiple events, including a fundraiser in Keene with Cheshire and Hillsborough County Democrats, and a house party in Concord, according to reporting from WMUR.
But fundraisers weren’t the only events on Beshear’s agenda. He spoke at the Dartmouth College’s Law and Democracy Series. Former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, who is also seen as potential 2028 candidate, participated in a previous panel.
There, Beshear reiterated two of his common messages: he wants to use faith to heal a divided country, and for Democrats to show up and win support in rural America and for the party to focus on “every day” concerns, according to an article from Dartmouth College.
He also touched on the issues the Democratic Party is facing, which, to him, include “losing the emotional connection” to voters and not explaining the human impact behind policy decisions.
“We rarely talk about the why,” Beshear said. “Why are we for what we’re for? What I found is when you actually share your why, you can create grace and space to where many people can disagree.”
Some attendees found Beshear’s message inspiring, including Dartmouth student Sebastian Rao because of the way Beshear spends the majority of his time talking about issues that matter to everyone, according to a Dartmouth article.
When asked if he plans to advocate for New Hampshire to be the first primary contest in 2028 for Democrats, Beshear said in an interview with CBS News, “at this point, I expect New Hampshire to be first.”
Beshear travels to the Midwest, talks foreign policy
In a trip to Michigan, Beshear called on Trump to “make the case” for his decision to go to war with Iran.
So far, the U.S. has struck more than 5,000 targets and more than 50 Iranian vessels, but Trump is giving “mixed signals” on when the war will end, according to reporting from NPR.
Beshear’s comments were made at a Detroit Economic Club meeting on March 4, where Beshear demanded Trump give Americans a “full explanation” and “one that doesn’t change in its justification by the day.”
Trump has said the war is necessary to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapon, according to reporting from Reuters. Beshear said while he believes the leaders of Iran are “bad guys,” Trump must earn “the faith of the American people” and “go to Congress to provide an explanation,” according to reporting from The Detroit News.
He also made similar comments in his visit to New Hampshire, pointing out American allies have stayed on the sidelines as the war escalates.
“Notice that our allies aren’t in this with us,” Beshear said in an interview with WMUR. “They weren’t asked to be with us, and this president has repeatedly insulted them. We’ve gone from leader of the free world to being viewed by our allies as the bully on the playground.”
While Beshear has previously criticized Trump, touching on foreign policy will be crucial in the next couple of years. If Beshear does decide to run in 2028, he’ll need to answer for a lack of experience in the foreign policy area, which is a critical component of the president’s role.
Other potential candidates, like California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, also don’t have experience serving in federal-level positions or a voting record on foreign policy.
Wall Street Journal Op-Ed
As Kentucky’s 60-day legislative session reaches its final stretch, people beyond the Bluegrass State are watching Beshear’s record.
In an opinion piece published by The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board, the board calls on Beshear to sign a bill that would allow Kentucky to enroll into the federal tax scholarship program. The federal program, which was created from Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, allows up to a $1,700 deduction for people who make contributions to scholarship-granting organizations.
States must opt into the tax credit program, and the bill would move that power from Beshear to Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams. The legislation, House Bill 1, was fast-tracked by the Republican supermajority in both chambers and awaits Beshear’s decision to sign, veto or let it become law without his signature.
Beshear had not acted on the bill as of the evening of March 12.
The WSJ Editorial Board said its opinion piece that Beshear signing the legislation could send a bipartisan message across the country. The tax credit program is widely supported by Republicans, with supporters arguing the program gives school choice options where private school choice legislation has been difficult to pass.
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon posted the article on social media and said Beshear should sign the bill to give Kentucky families “education freedom.”
In Kentucky, Republicans for multiple years have tried to bring school choice to the state, including creating and funding charter schools with state dollars. But the Kentucky Supreme Court struck down those attempts and ruled in a recent case that creating a funding mechanism for charter schools was unconstitutional.
If Beshear was to sign or let the bill become law without his signature, it would be to the dismay of prominent Kentucky Democrats. Multiple Democrats, including Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, have publicly stood against HB 1, calling the legislation a “backdoor voucher bill.”
But looking from a national lens, Beshear wouldn’t be the first Democratic governor whose state enrolled into the program. In Colorado, Gov. Jared Polis enrolled despite opposition from state Democrats.
