Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said he may consider a 2028 presidential run, citing his faith and concern for Americans facing potential cuts to social safety nets under the Republican-led “one big, beautiful bill” signed into law Friday by President Donald Trump, The Hill reported.
Beshear, a Democrat, said he’s open to a stab at the presidency, particularly if he can help “unify” the country after what he described as recent divisive Republican legislation moving through Congress to the president’s desk.
“Two years ago, I wouldn’t have considered [running for president],” Beshear told Vanity Fair. “But if I’m somebody who could maybe heal and bring the country back together, I’ll think about it after next year.”
His remarks come as Democrats begin to weigh potential candidates for the next presidential election. Beshear’s current term as governor ends in 2027, and he said he is committed to completing that term.
Democrats Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, and Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania are also being floated as possible contenders for the 2028 race.
The legislation to which Beshear referred includes cuts to Medicaid, focusing on waste, fraud, and abuse, and implementing work requirements for food stamps and other welfare programs to ensure taxpayer dollars are appropriately stewarded.
“What the Republican majority is getting wrong is that the American people don’t view healthcare in a partisan way. They want to be able to see their doctor when they need to, and they want their neighbor to be able to see their doctor,” said Beshear, who previously served as Kentucky’s attorney general.
Generally, a decrease in federal Medicaid funding obliges states, such as Kentucky, to assume greater financial responsibility for supporting their residents.
“No state will be able to compensate for the level of devastation that this bill would cause. What they’re doing is immoral, and it’s certainly not Christian,” he added.
Beshear said the bill could shape the outcome of the midterm elections and the national conversation about poverty and healthcare access, and he said that Democrats must do a better job of communicating the human cost of the bill’s provisions.
“If Democrats say this bill is going to increase food insecurity, their point’s not going to get through. If they say people are going to go hungry, it will,” he said.
“And we have to explain not just what we disagree with in this bill, but why. And my why is my faith. The parable of the fishes and the loaves is in every book of the gospel. My faith teaches me that in a country that grows enough food for everyone that no one should starve.”
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