Gerth: Andy Beshear vice presidential talk is just that — talk

One thing that’s clear after President Joe Biden announced he was ending his reelection bid: Andy Beshear won’t be the Democratic presidential candidate.

Biden almost immediately tossed his support to Vice President Kamala Harris, and Democrats across the country began to fall in line. At this point, it will be shocking if a serious bid is made by anyone else.

Gov. Beshear was among the many Democratic politicians who seemed relieved that Biden finally called it quits.

"While his decision today could not have been easy, it is in the best interest of our country, and our party," he said in a statement.

While Harris has some pretty lousy polling numbers, in a lot of ways it’s hard to imagine a better replacement on the ticket at this late date.

If she’s the nominee, she’ll inherit all the money Biden has stashed in his campaign account and she’ll also inherit his network of local campaign operations around the country.

Moreover, it’s almost impossible to believe that Democrats at next month’s Democratic National Convention will turn their back on Biden and his hand-picked choice after Biden made what appears to be the most selfless decision in modern American politics.

It’s hard to walk away from being the most powerful man on the planet.

So, if the early indications hold true, the next question becomes, who will Harris choose as her running mate.

That won’t be Beshear either.

Beshear as vice president? It's a longshot.

Despite all the talk he’s getting on MSNBC, CNN and anywhere else political pundits gather, Beshear is — at best — a longshot.

There are few reasons for that, not the least being a complete misunderstanding of Beshear and what made him the phenomenon he has become here in Kentucky.

The narrative has been that Beshear is the guy red-state Democrats can learn from, that he somehow found the secret sauce necessary to allow a Democrat to win in a state completely controlled by Republicans.

It’s a nice story.

But it’s as fictional as Donald Trump’s claim that he’s a great businessman.

What allowed Beshear to win in a deep red state was the fact that Kentucky voters had been voting for Beshear's all their lives. Andy’s dad, former Gov. Steve Beshear, started appearing on statewide ballots in 1979 when he ran for attorney general.

Over the next four decades, he appeared on statewide ballots in 1983, 1987, 1996, 2007 and 2011. He won the Democratic primary in all but one of those six races and he won the general election in four of them.

Then in 2015, Andy Beshear ran for attorney general and won — before embarking on a campaign for governor four years later.

And let’s face it, if Beshear had faced any Republican on the planet other than Matt Bevin, if he had faced any Republican who had likability numbers better than Osama bin Laden, John Wilkes Booth or Christian Laettner, he wouldn’t have won his first term.

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He’d be back in Louisville practicing law and people outside Kentucky would have never heard of him.

Truth be told, Beshear really has been an excellent governor leading the state through the pandemic and numerous natural disasters, but his golly, gee willikers persona can only carry a guy so far.

But the biggest drawback that will hurt him in the lottery to run with Harris is that geographically, there is absolutely nothing he can bring to a presidential ticket.

He’s not going to help Harris win Kentucky.

While Beshear is well liked, Kentucky is MAGA crazy. Voters here have been completely taken in by Trump and don’t care how many felonies he is accused of committing. Trump will win Kentucky. Period.

Gerth's opinion hasn't changed: Gerth: If Democrats move on from Biden after poor debate, Andy Beshear won't be the guy

Meanwhile, a candidate like Gov. Josh Shapiro could help Harris win Pennsylvania. A candidate like Gov. Roy Cooper could bring North Carolina into play. Sen. Mark Kelly would make Arizona a lock.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer would help Harris win her state, but the party might balk at having two women on the ticket.

But when it comes to picking Beshear, you’ve got to figure that national Democratic leaders will ultimately say, “We can’t be doin’ that.”

Joseph Gerth can be reached at 502-582-4702 or by email at jgerth@courierjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Who will be Kamala Harris' VP pick? Why Andy Beshear is unlikely