Democratic governor tells CNN why he’s weighing 2028 presidential bid

Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear told CNN on Sunday that he was weighing a Democratic presidential bid in 2028.

“Your name frequently comes up as a contender for the 2028 Democratic primary for president. You said you’ll think about it after next year,” CNN host Dana Bash told Beshar. “What will make you decide that that‘s going to be a yes, you‘ll run for president?”

“My primary obligation and what I‘m putting all my energy towards is to be the best governor of Kentucky that I can be. Next year, I‘ll also be the head of the Democratic Governors Association, and I think especially in these rural states where Republican governors have not spoken up whatsoever to stop this devastating bill, we‘re going to have strong candidates. We‘re going to win a lot of elections,” Beshear said.

Beshear also criticized the GOP’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” during the interview, calling it a Republican “attack on rural America.”

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Beshear said he hoped the list of potential Democratic leaders would grow.

“If you asked me this question a couple of years ago, I would have said no. My family’s been through a lot, but I do not want to leave a broken country to my kids or anyone else‘s. So, what I think is most important for 2028 is a candidate that can heal this country, that can bring people back together. So, when I sit down, I‘m going to think about whether I‘m that candidate or whether someone else is that candidate,” Beshear added. 

The Democratic governor said he was going to make sure to put the country first. 

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“I‘m going to make sure we‘re putting the country first, because my kids deserve to grow up in a country where they don‘t have to turn on the news every morning, even when they‘re on vacation and say, what the heck happened last night?” he said.

Other Democrats, including Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris, JB Pritzker and Gavin Newsom, are also seen as potential 2028 nominees. 

Some senators are wary of a potential Harris run, according to a May report from The Hill.

A Democratic senator who remained anonymous bluntly told The Hill, “No,” when asked if Harris should run again in 2028. The senator told the outlet that Harris had her chance in 2024 before losing to President Donald Trump in November.