A Democratic governor who once suggested a family member of Vice President JD Vance should be raped is reportedly prepping for a possible 2028 presidential run, Politico reported Wednesday.
Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has been in talks with major donors, speaking at national events and making the rounds on the podcast circuit to quietly test the waters for a potential 2028 presidential bid, according to Politico. Beshear made headlines when he appeared on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” in August 2024, suggesting that Vance should have to “go through” the trauma of a family member being raped and impregnated to change his pro-life stance on the abortion issue.
“JD Vance calls pregnancy resulting from rape inconvenient. Like inconvenience is traffic. Make him go through this,” Beshear said during his MSNBC appearance. “I mean, someone being violated, someone being harmed and then telling them that they don’t have options after that. That fails any test of decency, of humanity.”
Vance called Beshear a “disgusting person” in response to his comments at the time. Beshear later said that Vance was attempting to deflect and make himself and President Donald Trump “the victims” in the situation.
Despite Beshear’s comments suggesting that a family member of a political opponent ought to be raped, some Democrats believe that his invocation of faith and political background could make him a potentially formidable 2028 candidate. Beshear’s office did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
“He’s the kind of guy that is either going to bump along at two percent and never catch fire, or he’ll catch fire and you’ll say, ‘Where did this guy come from?’” said Pete Giangreco, a veteran of several Democratic presidential campaigns. “He’s a former attorney general, he talks about ‘all God’s children,’ and you believe him, he’s the exact opposite of Donald Trump, so he’s an intriguing dark horse for a reason.”
Democratic Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey complimented Beshear on his willingness to reach across the aisle.
“Andy’s been able to break down political barriers and work across party lines with people … because he focuses on the issues that matter most to people,” Healey told Politico. “Governors have to get stuff done … and I think it’s pretty clear that people are going to vote for someone who’s going to deliver for them.”
Beshear has hired a former communications staffer from former Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2024 campaign, which drew criticism for its overall communications strategy. Beshear was a rumored candidate to be Harris’ running mate in 2024, but Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz beat him out for the nod.
The governor met donors from Future Forward PAC, a massive multi-million dollar Democratic-aligned political action committee, according to Politico. He also recently launched a new podcast titled “The Andy Beshear Podcast,” joining Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom in launching a politics podcast as a sitting governor.
However, some Democratic operatives told Politico that Beshear’s bid may not be convincing enough for donors to back his cause, with some saying that he still remains a relative unknown to many kingmakers in Democratic circles.
“He strikes me as a great Cabinet secretary,” one operative told Politico. However, some Democratic allies, such as American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, have expressed some support for Beshear, saying people ought to be “studying what he’s done,” according to Politico.
Beshear’s administration has enacted left-wing initiatives in Kentucky, including an executive order signed in September banning “conversion therapy” for minors, but not including any prohibition against sex change procedures. Additionally, Beshear released numerous criminals during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 70% of inmates he released between April and August 2020 going on to commit crimes again.
Other rumored candidates for the Democratic 2028 ticket include Newsom, Democratic Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and former Biden Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, among others. Democrats overall are suffering a slump in polling, with 52% of Democrat-aligned adults saying the party is going in the wrong direction, according to CNN polling.
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