Incoming Dem Governors chair says party ‘has a lot of work to do’ to rebound at ballot box

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear isn’t sugarcoating the work ahead for his party as it aims to escape the political wilderness.

“I’ve got a lot of hope for the Democratic Party, but I’m also honest enough to say the Democratic Party has a lot of work to do. The Democratic Party has to re-earn the faith of the American people,” Beshear told around 100 Democratic politicians, officials, and activists this week during a stop in New Hampshire.

Beshear, the two-term governor of red state Kentucky, is hitting the campaign trail, helping fellow Democrats running in elections this November and in next year’s midterms.

And his mission comes as Democrats work to rebound after last year’s ballot box setbacks, when they lost control of the White House and Senate and failed to win back the House majority. They also lost ground to Republicans among Black, Hispanic and younger voters, all traditional members of the Democratic Party’s base.

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This year, a slew of polls have flashed red alerts for the Democrats, as the party’s favorable ratings have plunged to all-time lows.

“Number one, we’ve got to spend 80% of our time on things that matter to 100% of Americans,” Beshear said, as he outlined his three steps Democrats need to take for political redemption.

Beshear said that Democrats also have “to talk to people like normal human beings” instead of “talking down to people.”

His third step — focus less on policy specifics and more on energizing voters. “We are really good at the ‘what,’ but not so good at talking about the ‘why,'” he said.

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Beshear, the son of former Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, was elected state attorney general before topping Republican Gov. Matt Bevin by a razor-thin margin in the 2019 gubernatorial showdown. He won re-election as governor two years ago.

The moderate Democrat is currently vice chair of the Democratic Governors Association, and takes over next year as DGA chair.

Beshear traveled to New Hampshire the day before a campaign stop in Virginia, where he campaigned on behalf of former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic Party’s gubernatorial nominee.

New Jersey and Virginia are the only two states to hold contests for governor the year after a presidential election, which means the races traditionally grab outsized national attention.

And this year’s ballot box showdowns are viewed as crucial early tests of President Donald Trump’s popularity and second-term agenda, and are considered key barometers ahead of next year’s midterms, when the House and Senate majorities are up for grabs.

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“I think both Virginia and New Jersey are races that we are going to win, and we are going to win by providing Americans with a vision. A vision that the American dream is still attainable. That a Democratic governor can deliver on good jobs, can deliver on making things more affordable,” Beshear said in an interview with Fox News Digital.

Looking ahead to next year, when he takes over steering the DGA, Beshear said, “I’m going to work to win as many races as I can.”

Beshear’s trip to New Hampshire, which for over a century held the first-in-the-nation presidential primary, sparked more speculation about his national ambitions in 2028, when a large field of Democrats are expected to run for their party’s presidential nomination.

The Kentucky governor spent his entire day Tuesday in New Hampshire, headlining a fundraiser in Concord for State House Democrats, a happy hour in Manchester for City Democrats, and a house party in Nashua hosted by a state senator.

It was his second trip to New Hampshire in a year, after keynoting the state party’s major autumn fundraising gala in 2024. And the latest trip to New Hampshire followed a stop earlier this year in South Carolina, another key early voting state in the Democratic Party’s presidential primary calendar.

Unlike other potential White House hopefuls, Beshear acknowledges he’s mulling a 2028 bid.

Asked about a 2028 run, Beshear reiterated to Fox News that after next year’s midterm elections, “my family and I will sit down” to decide on whether to run for president.

Beshear, pushing a vision of inclusiveness, said that “when I look at what my job is right now, I want to be a commonsense, common ground voice, in this crazy partisan climate we see right now, to try to get people focused on the things that matter most to our families”

And looking ahead to the next presidential election, Beshear said, “What’s most important to me is that we have a candidate that can heal the country. We have too much of this us versus them. Our neighbor is not our enemy, and we’ve got to recognize that even if we disagree with them, we want what’s best for them, and we really want their kids to have a great life.”