Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, being considered by Vice President Kamala Harris as a potential running mate, introduced himself to a crowd of Iowa Democrats tonight.
Beshear has done a lot of media interviews in the past several days, but at the Iowa Democratic Party’s fundraiser, Beshear had nearly 25 minutes on stage alone. He described both himself and Harris as uniters.
“Politics doesn’t seem to stop any more. I mean, I run as a proud Democrat, but the moment I win, I take that hat off and I serve every single citizen of my commonwealth,” Beshear said. “…And Democrats govern well because we care. We genuinely care not just about people of our party, but all of the people we serve.”
Beshear said former President Donald Trump is unfit to serve a second term and Beshear described Trump’s running mate J.D. Vance as a man who’s willing to abandon his political beliefs to get ahead.
“I don’t have to tell you how phony he is…He ain’t from Appalachia and he ain’t gonna be your vice president,” Beshear said and the crowd stood to applaud.
The crowd cheered as Beshear recited some of his actions as Kentucky’s governor and his prediction of the election’s outcome. “Together, we’re going to help Kamala Harris defeat Donald Trump this November,” he said to kick off his speech.
Iowa Democratic Party chair Rita Hart, the evening’s host, said there’s been “a real shift in energy” within the party after Joe Biden stepped aside and Harris secured enough support from Democratic National Convention delegates to secure the party’s presidential nomination. “I believe that Iowans and voters all across this country are ready to make history,” Hart said.
Iowa Republican Party spokesman Luke Wolff issued a written statement, calling Beshear an “out of touch governor” who has a “radical record” that fits with Iowa Democrats.