Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear is one of the top line contenders for the 2028 nomination. He’s seen as a potential winner because of his ability to win in a red state without completely abandoning liberal values. Axios reports on a recent Democratic confab he attended:
Many Democrats left House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ annual California fundraising event last week convinced Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is running for president, according to four attendees.
Democrats lapped up the message from the two-term governor, who told big dollar donors and vulnerable House Democrats that the key to winning over Trump voters is staying true to your values.
- Jeffries’ event at the luxury Lodge at Torrey Pines is the successor to Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi’s wine-soaked summer donor party in Napa, California.
Beshear’s biggest applause line came when he explained why he vetoed a bill in 2023, when he was up for reelection, that restricted some medical care and bathroom use for transgender people.
- Beshear called it “the nastiest anti-trans bills in the nation — and I vetoed it,” according to attendees.
- “There are some things worth losing over,” Beshear said.
Beshear went on to win by five percentage points in a deeply red state.
Democrats are eager to find candidates – and messages – that they think will appeal to voters in red and blue states.
- Both Beshear and Jeffries spoke of the importance of authenticity and using words that voters actually use.
- Don’t be afraid to say “addiction,” Beshear said, when discussing the opioid crisis.
- Try to avoid using overly sanitized phrases like “substance abuse disorder,” he counseled.
In both public and private conversations, the looming mid-cycle redistricting battle was frequently discussed. Democrats promised their donors that they would respond to GOP gerrymander efforts.
- “We are working on an aggressive plan to make sure we fight fire with fire on redistricting,” according to a member of Congress in attendance.
There were others there like David Schor who reportedly told the donors that some of what they care about are not valued by the voters. I’m not sure specifically what that means but this is how Wikipedia describes his philosophy:
Shor is an advocate for what he terms “popularism”, the idea that Democrats should campaign on a strategy of focusing on issues that enjoy electoral popularity, such as supporting specific economic issues over polarizing social and cultural issues.[29][30] Some political analysts, including Michael Podhorzer, have criticized his work for a lack of transparency regarding his methods and data sources.[29]
Shor has prominently argued since the 2024 election that Gen Z is the most conservative generation in decades, even more than Baby Boomers which makes its electorally necessary for Democrats to moderate. Jean M. Twenge has criticized this argument on the grounds that it’s based on a single year’s data and that most long-term and other available evidence contradicts it. She further argues that 2024’s swing may been a “one-off event” as a result of Gen Z’s anti-establishment attitudes and that they are more liberal than other generations on specific issues and less likely to identify as conservative.[31]
I don’t know who’s right and whether Beshear fits into Schor’s paradigm but I’m not surprised that the Dems would invite Shor to speak. The idea that Democrats need to moderate is perennial and there’s always someone selling the idea.
I’m not sure any of that is even relevant in our politics in the 2020s. We are fighting fascism, after all. I can’t even imagine at this point where we are going to be 3 years from now.