Vice President Kamala Harris selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate ahead of the Democratic National Convention, passing over Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear.
Beshear was considered among the frontrunners to join Harris on the Democratic ticket. He said Tuesday it was “an honor to be considered” after Harris publicly announced her decision.
“[Walz] is a great friend and a great choice. I fully support this new ticket and will work to elect [Harris] as our next President of the United States,” Beshear said.
Beshear has been traveling in and out of the state the last couple weeks, headlining and speaking at events to promote Harris for the Democratic ticket in places like Georgia, Oklahoma, Iowa and Illinois.
In a statement, the Republican Party of Kentucky said they are not surprised that Harris did not choose Beshear, calling his lack of policy wins in a Republican-dominated state “a liability.”
“Similarly, her choice of Tim Walz is a liability to our nation’s economy. This is the most liberal presidential ticket in our Nation's history,” their statement read.
Harris and Walz are expected to begin touring battleground states Tuesday, with the first rally held in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who was also a top contender for the position, said he will attend the event. Beshear has yet to say whether or not he will be in attendance as well.
Speculation abounded that Beshear was on Harris’s shortlist for vice presidential running mate for weeks. In national TV appearances shortly after President Joe Biden withdrew from the race, Beshear talked up Harris while slamming Trump and Vance. Beshear’s comment went viral when he said that Vance “ain’t from here.”
“The problem with J.D. Vance is he has no conviction, but I guess his running mate has 34,” Beshear said on CNN last week, alluding to Trump’s felony convictions for paying hush money to porn actress Stormy Daniels, among other things.
Walz has also gone viral in the past week for describing former President Donald Trump’s policy priorities as “weird,” in part referencing policies around abortion restrictions and gender-affirming care bans for transgender youth.
The Kentucky Democratic Party Chair Colmon Elridge said in a statement that Walz “understands kitchen table issues that matter most to Americans.”
“He’s a devoted champion for working families, and has protected access to affordable health care, cut child poverty, protected reproductive rights, guaranteed meals for kids in public schools, and more,” Elridge said.
State government and politics reporting is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
