Gov. Andy Beshear says Democrats should set partisanship aside, work to meet people's needs

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Wednesday that Democrats should be thinking less about partisan politics and more about meeting people's everyday needs as they chart a comeback strategy after last month's crushing election losses.

Beshear, who has won three statewide elections in deeply red Kentucky and has been mentioned as a potential contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028, said the party should work on things like good-paying jobs, health care, schools, roads and bridges and public safety.

“These are the core areas the American people need help on, and that’s where we as Democrats should be, but that’s where every Republican should be, too,” Beshear said during a sit-down interview at the Kentucky Capitol. “And just imagine, if we spent most of our time working on all that, we’d argue a lot less. And the American people would be a lot better off.”

Beshear, who was recently chosen as chair-elect of the Democratic Governors Association for 2026, when a majority of states will elect governors, said he hoped to be “a reasonable, common-sense, common-ground voice” for the party. That should overshadow talk of whether the party should shift more to the political right, left or center, he said.