Kentucky Democratic Gov. Beshear forms PAC to support candidates across country
FRANKFORT, Ky.– Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, who twice defeated Donald Trump-backed rivals in Republican-leaning Kentucky, announced Monday the creation of a federal political action committee to back candidates across the country as he tries to expand his influence beyond the Bluegrass -able to expand.
Beshear launched a PAC called In This Together, with a focus on helping elect more Democrats in swing states and Republican strongholds. The move comes just two months after Beshear secured a second term with a convincing victory over Republican challenger Daniel Cameron in one of the most closely watched 2023 elections in the country.
Beshear said he wants to support candidates who “demonstrate that they want to lead with empathy and compassion and with the backbone to always do what is right, regardless of politics.” His PAC will support candidates running for local, state and federal offices, the governor said.
“It is critical that we elect more good people – both in Kentucky and across the country – who will stand strong on our shared values and always do the right thing, even when it is hard,” the governor said in a press release.
Beshear's re-election in a state that otherwise leaned heavily toward the Republican Party has fueled speculation about whether the 46-year-old governor could one day run for national office. The governor pledged last year to serve his second four-year term, which expires at the end of 2027.
Beshear, the son of former Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear, has repeatedly denounced the divisive nature of politics. In his recent State of the Commonwealth address, he called for a joint effort with Kentucky's Republican lawmakers to improve education, health care and the economy. The Republican Party has a supermajority in both legislative chambers.
Beshear's reelection last year could serve as a model for other Democrats on how to make inroads in Republican territory. The sitting governor withstood relentless attacks aimed at encouraging Kentuckians on transgender issues and the post-COVID inflationary surge during Democratic President Joe Biden's term in office. Beshear insulated himself from the attack by focusing on core pocketbook issues and his support for more exceptions to the state's near-total abortion ban.
Beshear was first elected governor in 2019 when he defeated Republican Gov. Matt Bevin. Both Bevin and Cameron played up Trump's support, who easily carried Kentucky in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections and remains popular with the state's Republican voters.