Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear told reporters on Monday that he has no plans to mount a challenge to Joe Biden’s re-election campaign, but stopped short of saying whether he’d considered stepping up to replace the president should he opt to drop out of the race.
“The debate performance was rough,” Beshear said in a clip shared by CBS affiliate WLKY, referencing Biden’s abysmal showing in Thursday night’s showdown with Donald Trump.
“It was a very bad night for the president, but he is still the candidate. Only he can make decisions about his future candidacy,” he continued. “So as long as he continues to be in the race, I support him.”
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The 46-year-old Kentuckian, a rising star in his party, cruised to a second gubernatorial term in 2023. He has received renewed attention from national media outlets in the wake of Biden’s miserable debate performance, appearing on several longlists of potential presidential contenders in recent days, including that of The New York Times and The Washington Post.
He did little to dispel those rumors Monday, going on to say that it was gratifying—but hardly surprising—that he was being considered.
“It’s flattering when people mention your name in something like that, but I think it’s a reflection of all the good things going on in Kentucky,” he said, pivoting to the subject of what a great job he’s done in a ruby-red state exhausted by bipartisan infighting.
“Compared to the rest of the country, the temperature has been turned down here. Democrats and Republicans are all excited about the jobs we’re creating, the investment we’re seeing, record-low unemployment, record-low recidivism, decreases in our overdose deaths… I think the answer to that is everything is not partisan, and people are tired of the clashes, day in and day out.”
Other names being tossed around include Vice President Kamala Harris, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Biden’s team said Sunday that the president has no intention of dropping out. Democratic leaders flocked to defend him over the weekend, framing the debate as a single bad evening for the president.
“It’s not about performance in terms of a debate, it’s about performance in a presidency,” Nancy Pelosi said on CNN.
“He is our candidate for November. And he has the best shot to beat [Trump],” Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, a co-chair of Biden’s campaign, told ABC News. “I think he’s the only Democrat who can beat Donald Trump.”
American voters don’t seem to be so sure, with a handful of polls released in the days following the debate reflecting a slump in confidence that Biden still has the mental and physical acuity to last another four years in the White House.
