Kentucky governor greenlights timeline for Harris’ VP announcement, fueling speculation | US Election 2024

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear canceled a planned appearance in the western part of his state Friday without an official explanation, intensifying speculation that Kamala Harris might choose him as her running mate.

Beshear’s schedule change is far from a guarantee that Harris will choose him, given that Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, another name on the list of potential running mates, also canceled a fundraising trip planned for this weekend.

Shapiro is widely considered the frontrunner for vice president, with Democrats hoping he can help secure victory in the swing state of Pennsylvania, but Beshear’s supporters insist he is best positioned to sway independent voters in the presidential race. According to a recent Morning Consult poll, Beshear has the highest approval rating of any Democratic governor in the country, with 67 percent of Kentuckians having a favorable impression of him.

Beshear’s popularity is all the more surprising given his state’s political leanings. In 2020, Donald Trump beat Joe Biden by 26 points in Kentucky, and no Democratic presidential candidate has won the state since 1996.

Despite these significant obstacles, Beshear won re-election to a second term last year by a five-point margin over then-Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron. The victory came four years after Beshear defeated the highly unpopular Republican incumbent, Matt Bevin, by just 0.4 points. The upset victory was made possible in part by Beshear’s high profile, as his father, Steve Beshear, served as Kentucky’s two-term governor.

Beshear’s strong showing last year was attributed to his steady leadership of the state during the coronavirus pandemic and multiple natural disasters. The governor has cast himself as a hard-working leader who can rise above politics to do what’s right for his state, a point he’s made at Harris campaign events in recent days.

At a rally in Georgia last weekend, Beshear clashed with Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance, who grew up in Ohio but touted his family ties to Kentucky in his memoir Hillbilly Elegy.

“I mean, there’s a county that J.D. Vance says is coming to Kentucky – and I won it by 22 points last November,” Beshear said.

As Beshear highlighted his experience in his reelection campaign last year, he also highlighted one of the social issues that could decide the presidential race: abortion access. A year after Kentucky voters rejected a ballot measure that said the state constitution did not protect reproductive rights, Beshear capitalized on his opponent’s anti-abortion views in a scathing campaign ad.

The ad featured a woman named Hadley Duvall, who said she was raped by her stepfather when she was 12. Duvall condemned Cameron’s support for an abortion ban as a serious threat to Kentuckians.

“Anyone who thinks there should be no exceptions for rape and incest will never understand what it’s like to be in my shoes,” Duvall said in the ad. “Telling a 12-year-old girl she has to have the baby of her stepfather who raped her is unthinkable. I’m speaking out because women and girls need choices. Daniel Cameron wouldn’t give us any.”

Although Beshear addressed the issue of abortion access during his campaign, reproductive rights groups have questioned his record. They note that Beshear often focuses on pregnancies involving rape or incest when discussing abortion and that his lieutenant governor, Jacqueline Coleman, has previously described herself as “a compassionate pro-life Democrat.” (Coleman more recently endorsed Harris and condemned the overturning of Roe v. Wade.)

Speaking to reporters in Georgia over the weekend, Beshear vigorously rejected any suggestion that he is weak on reproductive rights. He reminded them of his multiple vetoes of anti-abortion bills, even though some of those proposals passed anyway because of the Republican supermajority in the state legislature.

“I’m the first Democrat in Kentucky to run an abortion ad during an election,” he told reporters. “I stood up every time, knowing that would be one of the main attacks against me.”

Questions about Beshear’s position on abortion could play a significant role in Harris’ deliberations, as she has made the issue a major focus since officially launching her campaign last week. But if Beshear joins Harris’ ticket, he will likely follow his predecessors’ lead in embracing the presidential candidate’s platform.

Harris’ announcement is expected no later than Tuesday, when she will appear at a rally in Pennsylvania with her new running mate.