Beshear says he plans to stay Kentucky governor, but doesn’t quash talk of higher office

Andy Beshear reiterated Friday he intends to serve out his second term as Kentucky’s governor — but he didn’t slam the door on higher office, including potentially being vice president.

“The only other way I would ever consider anything other than this job — which I love — is if I felt that I could help this commonwealth in special and important ways,” he told reporters in Louisville Friday afternoon.

During his reelection campaign last fall — and multiple times since then — Beshear has insisted he plans to serve his whole term that ends in 2027.

However, that was before a flurry of rumors that the 46-year-old Democrat is a potential vice presidential contender, should President Joe Biden decide to drop out of the race following his stumbling June 27 debate against former President Donald Trump.

Whispers about the potential landing spot for Beshear have spilled into the national spotlight.

The 46-year-old Democrat is being ballyhooed by national media sources, including The New York Times, The Washington Post and CNN, as a potential replacement for Biden, or a running mate for Vice President Kamala Harris, should she replace Biden atop the Democratic ticket.

On Friday, Beshear wouldn’t address those rumors.

“I love being governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky,” Beshear said in response to a Herald-Leader question about his commitment to finish his term. “I plan on continuing to be governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.”

Beshear refused to speculate if Biden will continue to pursue reelection in November. Why?

“Because he says he’s running,” the governor said.

Biden also emphasized this point Friday on social media and at a rally in Wisconsin.

“Let me say this as clearly as I can: I’m staying in the race,” Biden said.

Beshear joined more than 20 other Democratic governors Wednesday in a meeting with President Biden as part of an effort to reassure the president’s supporters he is fit to continue his reelection campaign. Beshear attended in-person at the White House.

While some governors posted remarks on social media after the meeting reaffirming their support for Biden, Beshear had not publicly commented on the meeting until Friday. That’s when reporters asked the governor about it following a visit to see tornado damage in Louisville’s West End.

Beshear said he wanted to honor the meeting’s intent to be private, but he did share his recommendation to the 81-year-old president to have an “open conversation with the public about the status of his heath.”

“For those that are worried, addressing it directly, I think, could be really beneficial,” Beshear said.

When asked whether he had noticed a decline in the president’s mental acuity, Beshear said more than once that Biden was “in control of the room,” candidly sought advice from the Democratic governors and thoughtfully “engaged on complicated matters.”

But, again, the governor said, Biden doesn’t just need to reassure his party’s governors, “he needs to reassure the American people.”

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During a Tuesday interview with CNN, Beshear told the network’s Pamela Brown that many Democratic leaders had concerns about how the president was doing, mentally and physically.

The governor did not mince words about Biden’s poor performance in the June 27 debate against former President Donald Trump, in which Biden stumbled over and forgot words, and at times looked lost in thought.

Beshear called it a “rough night” for Biden.

“I think we’ve all got to be up front and honest that what we saw in the debate, it was rough,” the governor said. “Regardless of the polls that you see, it’s going to hurt the campaign.”

Notably in that interview, Beshear did not shy away from acknowledging nationwide talks of him being picked as the vice presidential nominee alongside Harris should Biden drop out.

He has made light of the flying rumors, posting Wednesday on X, “Everybody keeps asking me the same question . . . and yes, the rumors are true! I plan on supporting Max for future President,” Beshear wrote over a picture of him and a kid, Max, who had won an award for “future president.”

What would happen to the office of the governor if the rumor were to become reality?

Beshear could remain governor while on the presidential ticket this year. If that ticket were to win, a spokesperson for Secretary of State Michael Adams’ office told the Herald-Leader that the “law isn’t entirely clear.” However, it’s likely that Beshear’s running mate Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman would get the remaining three years of the term.

“Our interpretation is that the lieutenant governor would become acting governor for the remainder of the term. The unexpired-term provision of the Constitution that triggers special elections applies to sub-gubernatorial offices that are temporarily filled by the governor, and therefore cannot apply to the governor,” the spokesperson wrote.

Politics reporter Austin Horn contributed to this report.