Joe Biden’s decision last weekend to drop out of the 2024 presidential race may have been somewhat sudden, but it was hardly shocking. The president’s poll numbers were approaching abysmal — especially given his incumbent status — and it was clear that the Democratic elite and big media had had it with Ol’ Joe.
What has been considerably more shocking is the Democratic Party’s prompt and seemingly unanimous decision to fall in line behind Vice President Kamala Harris. Sure, there were sizable campaign funds tied to her candidacy, but Harris is hardly the ideal; her California record follows her, as does her vice-presidential approval rating. All of that, of course, puts a fair amount of pressure on Democrats to choose a running mate for her who can at least spar with JD Vance and at most make the Democratic ticket feel more presidential. (READ MORE: Kamala Almost Slid Into the White House by Disguise)
As the week has progressed, it’s become clear that there are a number of Democrats coveting the spot, but the one who comes out of left field as potentially the best match against Vance is Gov. Andy Beshear, who managed to win reelection by a large margin in deep-red Kentucky just last November.
Beshear is certainly aware that he’s on the shortlist.
Shots Fired Over Authentic Appalachian Identity
It didn’t take him long to endorse Harris and declare war on Vance on the now-dying Morning Joe show on MSNBC.
“I want the American people to know what a Kentuckian is and what they look like, because let me just tell you that JD Vance ain’t from here,” Beshear said. “The nerve that he has to call the people of Kentucky, of Eastern Kentucky, lazy. Listen, these are the hard-working coal miners that powered the Industrial Revolution, that created the strongest middle class the world has ever seen, powered us through two world wars. We should be thanking them, not calling them lazy.” (READ MORE: Ten Days That Changed the World?)
Vance heard shots fired and wasted little time in firing back, telling reporters: “Eastern Kentucky will always have a special place in my heart…. It’s very weird to have a guy whose first job was at his dad’s law firm and inherited governorship from his father criticize my origin story.”
Somehow, in an unexpected turn of events, it looks like the 2024 presidential election may just turn into a squabble over the Appalachian vote.
Vance is right to call out Beshear’s criticism as “weird.” If we’re going to compare backstories, Beshear’s father served in the Kentucky House of Representatives, as the state’s attorney general, and as the lieutenant governor before serving as the governor of Kentucky from 2007 to 2015. Beshear has followed in his footsteps closely. He was hired by Stites & Harbison — the law firm where his father was a partner — in 2005, just two years after getting his JD from the University of Virginia School of Law.
Sure, Vance ended up making his fortune in Silicon Valley, but he didn’t start out that way. He grew up in Middletown, Ohio, in a family marked by poverty, abuse, and drug addiction. His ticket out was the Marines and hard work, not his parents’ networking abilities and fundraising hacks.
Beshear’s Bipartisan Appeal Isn’t as Impressive as It Seems
What Beshear has going for him, as far as Democrats are concerned, is his record of appealing to Republican voters. Kentucky isn’t exactly a purple state. In 2016, Donald Trump won 62.5 percent of the vote while Hillary Clinton managed to pull just 32.7 percent. In 2020, Trump won 62.1 percent of the vote compared to Joe Biden’s 36.2 percent. Additionally, Republicans have maintained control of the Kentucky Legislature (both House and Senate) since 2017.
But despite a history of leaning very Republican, Kentucky voters seem to like Andy Beshear. Not only did they reelect him just last November, but he is the second-most-popular governor in the country, with an approval rating of 65 percent.
How has he pulled off that miracle in America’s hyper-polarized political landscape? In 2023, Beshear didn’t campaign on Biden administration talking points — he didn’t even get Biden to endorse him. He campaigned on mundane issues we all agree on: Fix the infrastructure and reduce the cost of living. (READ MORE: Harris Has Virtually Disavowed Her Career as a Prosecutor)
That strategy doesn’t exactly work when you’re campaigning alongside Kamala Harris. Besides, even if Beshear didn’t campaign on his progressive strategies in Kentucky, he still has a very progressive record. He’s allowed felons to vote, toed the Democrat COVID line obediently in 2020, and has led the charge on legalized sports betting, marijuana decriminalization, and abortion.
And while he likes to position himself as someone who can work across the aisle, Republicans in the state say otherwise. “He likes to portray himself like Mr. Rogers, which is totally ridiculous. He comes from a very partisan family,” GOP Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer told NBC. “We have overridden more than 100 of his vetoes.”
To be fair to Democrats, Beshear doesn’t look too bad on paper. What they may discover, however, is that voters outside of Kentucky may find him less than charming when paired with Kamala Harris.