Governor Heavily Hints at 2028 Campaign: ‘I Will Not Leave a Broken Country to My Kids’

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear (D) said on Thursday he has not made a final decision on a 2028 run, but he heavily implied he’s leaning towards one.

Beshear joined CNN’s Pamela Brown on The Situation Room, where Brown pressed him on his plans for his future after his term as governor ends at the end of 2027. Brown noted Beshear that is  writing a new book, Go and Do Likewise: How We Heal A Broken Country, to be released in the fall, has only added fuel to the rumor fire.

“I don’t have to tell you that politicians who are looking to run for higher office often write books,” she said.

“They do?” asked Beshear playfully.

The governor eventually said he told his wife in 2023 he would not run again, but now he’s not so sure.

“When I walked off the stage in my reelect in 2023, I looked at my wife and I said, that’s the last race we’ll ever run. I don’t know that that’s true. As we’re here today, I will not leave a broken country to my kids or to anyone else’s,” he said.

Beshear added that a final decision would be made at the end of his term, but he believes a Democratic governor should be the one to challenge Republicans for the White House.

He also made clear that he is not pitching himself as a “Democratic Trump” and he does not endorse Democrats using the president’s “tactics.” Beshear said he would want to run a more unifying campaign.

“If [a Democratic Trump is] what the American people are looking for, I’m not their guy,” he said.

Check out the full exchange below:

PAMELA BROWN: I don’t have to tell you that politicians who are looking to run for higher office often write books.

ANDY BESHEAR: They do?

BROWN: They absolutely do, so what is your timeline for making a decision or announcing a decision?

BESHEAR: Well, this year you’re going to see me being the best governor of Kentucky that I can be, continuing to bring in jobs. Our economy is still expanding while most states are contracting. You’re going to see me out with the Democratic Governors Association electing a lot of good Democratic governors in ’26. And, by the way, that changes the map for ’28. And then sometime after I finish that job, which I’m going to give my all, I’ll sit down with my family in the end. To me, it’s not about who the candidate is, though I do think they should be a Democratic governor, but can they heal this country? We’ve got to do more than just beat Trump. We’ve got to end this division. We’ve got to restore the American dream. We’ve got to bring hope back to the American people about a brighter future.

BROWN: But right now, as it stands, because you gave a similar answer when I interviewed you a few months ago, I know I know, you have to have the talking points for the question —

BESHEAR: Same answer every time.

BROWN: But where is your heart right now as it stands today running for president?

BESHEAR: Well, when I walked off the stage in my reelect in 2023, I looked at my wife and I said, that’s the last race we’ll ever run. I don’t know that that’s true. As we’re here today, I will not leave a broken country to my kids or to anyone else’s. They deserve the same stability of the United States that we had growing up. They deserve a country that’s leader of the free world and not the bully on the playground.

Watch above via CNN.

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