Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear ready to campaign for Harris-Walz after losing out for spot on the ticket

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear signaled Wednesday he’s ready to campaign for the Democratic ticket, and said Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are motivated to improve lives in contrast to “personal grievances” driving the other side in a dig at Republican Donald Trump.

A day after Beshear and a few other prominent Democrats were bypassed in favor of the affable Minnesotan as Harris’ running mate, the Kentucky governor said he’s still part of the team. He indicated that Harris had asked him to make campaign pitches for the ticket.

“Wherever the campaign needs me, I’m willing to go,” Beshear said during a sit-down interview with The Associated Press. “I want to do my part to make sure that the Harris-Walz ticket is elected.”

Beshear said he was catching up on family time when the newly minted ticket made its campaign debut Tuesday in Philadelphia, but said he was impressed when watching highlights later.

“The energy is incredible,” Beshear said. “The vice president made a very good pick in Gov. Walz. He is a good governor, he’s a good friend and he’s a good man. And he’s going to help her win.”

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Beshear, whose national profile surged as he vied for the No. 2 spot on the Democratic ticket, sidestepped questions about the inner workings of Harris’ search for a running mate.

“It’s an honor to be considered,” the governor said. “How many people in their lifetime are vetted to potentially be a vice presidential running mate?”

Beshear predicted that the surge of Trump-led attacks against Walz would backfire.

“The rest of the country will see that Tim Walz is a veteran, was a teacher, a football coach, has been a good governor, but most importantly, is a good person,” he said. “They’ll see something different when they look at Donald Trump.”

After a whirlwind few weeks for Beshear — which included an economic development trip to Asia, followed by campaign appearances while auditioning to be Harris’ running mate — the governor was settling back into his Bluegrass State job. He received an update Wednesday on ongoing efforts to rebuild areas devastated by natural disasters. Tornadoes tore through parts of western Kentucky in late 2021, followed by flooding the next summer that swamped portions of the Appalachian region in the east.

Beshear, who won reelection in his red state last year, indicated he’s ready to be back on the campaign trail for Harris and Walz as well as for down-ballot Democrats. Among the candidates he plans to make pitches for are Senate Democratic incumbents running in Ohio, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Montana, as well as for the Democrat running for governor in North Carolina. Beshear said his campaign victory in 2023 can “serve as a roadmap” for other Democrats running in politically tough terrain.

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At the top of the ticket, Harris and Walz can lower the temperature of a polarized country and remind voters that “we can be Democrats or Republicans but we’re Americans first,” Beshear said. And Democrats can broaden their support by focusing on kitchen-table issues affecting everyday lives, something he plans to emphasize on the campaign trail in coming weeks, he said.

“I’ll tell voters that this is the ticket that is going to improve their lives,” Beshear said. “Is going to create more jobs, is going to lessen the costs of prescription drugs, is going to invest in the infrastructure throughout our country, run high-speed internet to every home and every business. That this is a ticket that cares about the people of the United States of America and not just personal grievances.”

Having come up short in his bid for a vice presidential run, speculation about Beshear’s future is still churning in Kentucky — this time over whether he might be in the running for a Cabinet post if Harris defeats Trump in November. Term limits will prevent the 46-year-old Beshear from running for governor in 2027, and he has shown no interest in running for a U.S. Senate seat.

Asked Wednesday if he could help the Bluegrass State even more as the head of a federal agency, Beshear replied: “I’m right where I’m supposed to be.”

Beshear said his focus as governor will be on continuing Kentucky’s record pace for economic development growth, rebuilding storm-stricken areas and seeing massive infrastructure projects through to completion. Even if his vice presidential bid came up short, Kentucky benefited from the attention it received, he said.

“To see the rest of the country looking up to Kentucky instead of looking down at us, that’s a pretty special thing,” Beshear said. “And I knew throughout this process that regardless of how it came out, we had a chance to put Kentucky on the national stage and to talk about the great things that we are doing. And that’s going to benefit us in the years to come.”