Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear offered his full endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris in a national TV interview Monday morning and fielded questions about his interest in becoming her running mate.
Throughout his comments on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Beshear contrasted Harris with the GOP ticket — former Republican President Donald Trump and newly minted running mate J.D. Vance, a U.S. senator from Ohio. Beshear, who has been rumored as a possible running mate choice for Harris, criticized Vance unprompted and called speculation on joining a Harris ticket “flattering.”
Beshear was repeatedly pressed on if he would like to join Harris as her running mate pick. He did not answer directly but said he would consider any opportunity to help Kentuckians and Americans and would listen if she called. Some media reports say they did have a phone call on Sunday.
“I love my job. I love serving the people of Kentucky. The only way I would consider something other than this current job is if I believed I could further help my people and to help this country,” Beshear said. “I also think whether I’m asked for that or not that it’s important to be out there contrasting the vice president and those that she is running against.”
The vice president, who is now seeking the Democratic nomination after President Joe Biden ended his candidacy Sunday afternoon, is “smart and strong” but also is “kind and has empathy,” Beshear said in the interview. Those are values he wants in a future president.
“The contrast between her and those running on the other side couldn’t be clearer,” Beshear said. “As a prosecutor, as an attorney general — like I used to be — she prosecuted rapists, domestic abusers, stood for victims and put away those abusers. Now look at the other side, where J.D. Vance calls pregnancy arising from rape ‘inconvenient.’ No, it’s just plain wrong.”
According to a recent fact-check from Poynter, Vance said in a 2021 interview that “society should not view a pregnancy or birth resulting from rape or incest as ‘inconvenient.’”
“(Vance) suggests that women should stay in abusive relationships,” Beshear continued. “Listen, a domestic abuser isn’t a man. He’s a monster, and no one should support anyone having to stay in those relationships.”
Beshear was apparently referring to comments highlighted during Vance’s 2022 run for Senate. The governor himself has called on the Republican-controlled General Assembly to add exceptions to Kentucky’s abortion ban in cases of rape and incest and supports the standard set by Roe v. Wade. The issue of abortion has been key for Democrats this presidential election cycle.
Beshear also went after Vance’s depiction of Appalachians. Vance has some family ties to Kentucky, which he highlighted in his book, “Hillbilly Elegy.” He grew up in Middletown, Ohio, north of Cincinnati, where Vance’s grandparents had migrated. The family returned often to Breathitt County in southeastern Kentucky where Vance also spent time during summers and owns land.
“I want the American people to know what a Kentuckian is and what they look like, because let me just tell you that J.D. 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 hardworking 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.”
When asked on CNN earlier this month about joining a Harris ticket, Beshear said he has a “good relationship” with Harris” and the two have worked on initiatives like decriminalizing marijuana.
In the days following Biden’s poor debate performance against Trump, Beshear told reporters that he would support Biden “as long as he continues to be in the race.” Beshear was also among Democratic governors who joined a meeting at the White House to discuss the election.
Since his reelection last November, Beshear was already taking steps to elevate his national profile, such as launching a political action committee, In This Together, aimed at supporting candidates across the country. He will be the keynote speaker for an Iowa Democratic Party dinner this weekend.
This article is republished under a Creative Commons license from Kentucky Lantern, which is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com. Follow Kentucky Lantern on Facebook and Twitter.
McKenna Horsley covers state politics for the Kentucky Lantern. She previously worked for newspapers in Huntington, West Virginia, and Frankfort, Kentucky. She is from northeastern Kentucky.
