Here's Why Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear Is On Kamala Harris's VP Shortlist

 

     The 2024 Democratic primary is in full swing. Vice President Kamala Harris is now the presumptive nominee, gathering the necessary delegates to win next month. Enthusiasm for her campaign is continuing to grow at a pace not seen since Obama ran in 2008: in just four days, Harris has raised over $200 million and recruited some 100,000 new volunteers. Now, the big question is who her running mate will be. I've created a list of possibilities that are most likely.

     Harris's campaign has rapidly unified and energized the Democratic Party. Her selection of a running mate is a very good problem for Democrats to have: there are too many choices, too many good people who would make great vice presidents. As Vice President Harris continues to make her decision and vet potential running mates, I've decided to highlight some of the men and women on the shortlist and help garner support for their respective state Democratic Parties. First up is Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear:

1. Born on November 29, 1977, Beshear is the son of Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear, who served two terms from 2007 to 2015.
2. He served as an attorney before being elected attorney general of Kentucky in November 2015 by a margin of 2,000 votes. 
3. As attorney general, he sued Kentucky's Republican governor frequently and also took action against companies fueling Kentucky's opioid epidemic.
4. Beshear was elected governor in 2019 and won by 5,000 votes. He was re-elected in 2023 by 67,000 votes. 
5. He is consistently among the most popular governors in the nation and is also the most popular Democratic governor in the nation is spite of representing a red state.
6. Immediately after taking office, Beshear was confronted with the COVID-19 crisis, and he took actions that included mask mandates and school closures. 2020 also saw the murder of Breonna Taylor in Louisville. 
7. In 2024, Beshear created a Political Action Committee called "In This Together" aimed at supporting candidates who work to bring people together and tone down political rhetoric in the country. He is also the co-chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission.
8. Beshear restored voting rights to nearly 200,000 nonviolent felons and signed legislation expanding voting rights at a time when most states were banning it.
9. Beshear has focused on the economy, securing a record low unemployment rate for the state as well as unprecedented job creation, historic economic investment, high budget surpluses, a large Rainy Day Fund, and several credit rating improvements that earned Beshear the Golden Shovel Development Award.
10. Andy Beshear has been known for his handling of a series of disasters in the Bluegrass State, including the December 2021 tornado outbreak and July 2022 floods. He had a personal friend killed in the 2023 Louisville bank shooting.
11. Beshear signed an executive order and then a law legalizing medical marijuana in Kentucky.
12. Beshear took aggressive legal and public safety action that resulted in overdose deaths steeply declining in Kentucky.
13. Andy Beshear is currently publicly feuding with Trump running mate JD Vance over remarks Vance made calling Kentucky residents "lazy."

     To support the Kentucky Democratic Party and Governor Beshear, click here. To support Vice President Harris, click here.