Steve Inskeep
Democrat Andy Beshear has twice won election as governor of Kentucky — thriving in a state that has voted for Donald Trump three times.
Now Beshear is considering a run for president. He discussed what he believes Democrats need to change in an NPR all-platform interview, which included a video and special podcast episode, as well as reports on the Up First podcast and Morning Edition.
He has a lower national profile than another contender, California's Gavin Newsom. He's also less well known than some previous guests in the NPR interview series — JB Pritzker, Pete Buttigieg and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. But he has a credential others lack: winning statewide in a very red state. (A red commonwealth, to be exact; it's the Commonwealth of Kentucky.) In a party eager for new leadership, he is 47.
Kentucky Republicans dismiss his success as a quirk: The son of a popular former governor, Beshear won races in 2019 and 2023, which were not presidential election years. Many of Trump's backers stayed home. Still he received credit for his handling of the pandemic and a string of natural disasters. A major theme of our interview was how Democrats can improve their dismal showing among rural and red-state voters.
