FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Wednesday that Democrats should think less about partisan politics and more about meeting people’s everyday needs as they mount a comeback after devastating election losses last month. Design strategy.
Beshear, who has won three statewide elections in deep-red Kentucky and is mentioned as a potential contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, said the party should work on things like good-paying jobs, health care, schools, roads and bridges, and public safety .
“Those are the core areas where the American people need help, and that’s where we as Democrats should be, but that’s also where every Republican should be,” Beshear said during a sit-down interview at the Kentucky Capitol. “And imagine if we spent most of our time working on this, we would argue a lot less. And the American people would be much better off.”
Beshear, who was recently elected chairman of the Democratic Governors Association for 2026, when the majority of states will elect governors, said he hopes to be “a sensible, sensible and unified voice” for the party. That should overshadow the discussion about whether the party should shift politically more to the right, left or center, he said.
“The Democratic Party must continue to focus on the everyday needs of people,” he said. “I don’t think it’s political at all. So I don’t fall to the right, left or middle. But the focus on jobs, the focus on health care, the focus on the roads and bridges we drive on every day, public education and public safety. Those are the core concerns, that if someone is worried about that, they won’t come to anything other than partisanship.”
Beshear’s rise in national politics accelerated with his re-election victory in 2023, a year before voters decided to return Republican Donald Trump to the White House and give the GOP control of Congress. Beshear served one term as attorney general before being elected governor for the first time in 2019.
Beshear was in the running to become Kamala Harris’ vice president this summer, but lost to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. As Beshear assessed his party’s loss in the White House, he avoided any criticism of Harris, saying she made the best decisions possible and tried demanding to win.
He quickly focused on the Democrats’ work ahead and his role in the party’s comeback effort.
“I think this election showed that at the end of the day, a lot of people vote based on their gut feeling about who they think will make their lives better,” Beshear said.
Beshear, whose term ends in 2027, largely dodged questions about his future, saying he was focused on his work as governor and his national role in electing more Democratic governors. The term-limited governor again ruled out a run for the U.S. Senate in 2026, when Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell’s seat will be on the ballot. McConnell, who is stepping down from his leadership post at the end of the year, has not said whether he will seek another term.
Beshear had some ideas for what Democrats should look for in their next presidential candidate in 2028.
“I think the next Democratic nominee should be a pragmatist who cares about getting things done and getting real results,” he said. “A track record of showing people that they can help lower their bills or make more money to pay them.” Someone who has a track record of improving this country’s infrastructure, with plans to but also results that show that health care can be more affordable, and someone who understands that people not only need to be safer, they need to feel safer in their communities.”
A consistent theme of Beshear’s governorship has been Kentucky’s record pace of economic development since his time in office. The state’s supermajority Republican Legislature says record private sector investment is due to the state’s pro-business policies.
Beshear has also focused on infrastructure improvements, expanded health care and support for public schools. He led opposition to a voter-rejected ballot measure that would have allowed state lawmakers to allocate public tax dollars to support students attending private or charter schools.
The governor has clashed with Republican lawmakers on a range of issues, including GOP efforts to restrict abortion rights and ban gender-affirming health care for transgender youth. Republican lawmakers easily brushed aside Beshear’s vetoes.
Beshear is one of several Democratic governors who have been speculated early on as potential candidates for the party’s 2028 presidential nomination.
If he succeeds in helping elect more Democratic governors in 2026, the party’s pool of potential candidates for national office will grow, Beshear said Wednesday.
“Governors get things done,” he said. “You cannot be overly ideological because you have to achieve results for your people. So my goal is to elect many more Democratic governors who will work every day for the people of their states. And if I do it well, then there will be many more names in the future.”
