Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is no stranger to New Hampshire. He visited the state in 2024 during presidential campaign season, and his In This Together PAC spent more than $250,000 supporting Democrat Joyce Craig’s unsuccessful gubernatorial run.
Beshear, who will lead the Democratic Governors Association next year in a pivotal election cycle, was once again met with receptive audiences when he returned to New Hampshire this week.
But while the Granite State hosts a key presidential primary, Beshear stuck to his script when local reporters asked him if he plans to make a run for the White House in 2028 — he hasn’t committed to a run, but he’s acknowledged at several points that he’s considering it.
“Well, right now, I’m trying to be that reasonable voice in the chaos. And then next year, my goal is to win governor’s races all across the United States,” Beshear said, according to local outlet WMUR. “And then after that, I’ll sit down with my family, and we’ll consider. And what we’ll consider is who is the best candidate to heal this country?”
Beshear, whose final term as Kentucky’s governor ends in 2027, is far from the only Democrat thinking about 2028. If he decides to run, he’d likely face a primary against several other well-known Democratic governors and officials from around the country who are ready to turn the page on President Donald Trump and his Republican allies.
If he does run, though, support in New Hampshire will help. The state hosts the first presidential primary during each four-year voting cycle, giving voters from around the country a notable data point about what support a candidate may have.
Politico reported Beshear’s agenda for his Oct. 7 visit to the state would include a stop at a fundraiser for the New Hampshire House Democrats Victory Campaign Committee, along with a couple of other events hosted by local Democrats, before attending an Oct. 8 meet-and-greet in Boston with a former campaign official for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
New Hampshire Journal reported Beshear spoke to a crowd of about 100 people in Manchester, where he said the Democratic Party “has to re-earn the faith of the American people” and spoke about three steps he believes party leaders should take — focus on issues that affect voters personally, spend less time explaining what positions they support and more time explaining why they hold those beliefs, and “talk to people like normal human beings.”
The outlet reported Democrats in the crowd “liked what they heard.” But still, Kentucky’s governor was met with some criticism.
IMEU Policy Project, a nonprofit that pushes for U.S. policy to “advance Palestinian rights and freedom,” aired an ad online and on TV during his New Hampshire visit urging Beshear to be vocal against Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza. The 30-second clip cited comments he made in a July profile in Vogue, where the governor said Israel is a critical ally and “when someone is an ally, when you disagree, you don’t do it publicly or through the media.”
On Oct. 7, the New York Times reported more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in the two years since Hamas attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 250 captives. The IMEU Policy Project ad cited polling that has found a majority of Americans want the U.S. to stop sending arms to Israel and argued “if you won’t stand against genocide, you can’t be the Democratic nominee for president.”
Pew Research Center polling released earlier this month found 59% of Americans view the Israeli government unfavorably (though 56% have a favorable view of Israeli citizens) and 33% believe the U.S. is providing too much military assistance to Israel — 23% believe the U.S. is providing the right amount of assistance, 8% believe not enough assistance has been provided and 35% are unsure. An independent United Nations inquiry concluded in September that Israel has committed genocide during the conflict, a finding the country’s government has denied.
Responding to the ad, Beshear campaign manager Eric Hyers said Trump “can and should provide aid to address starvation and suffering in Gaza and he should do so in a way that does not compromise the safety of the Israeli people.”
Reach Lucas Aulbach at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Andy Beshear visits New Hampshire, a key presidential primary state
