WAYLAND, Ky. (AP) — Kitty Holbrooke gave Gov. Andy Beshear a hug Friday before celebrating another milestone in eastern Kentucky's recovery from historic flooding. The retired teacher believes it could be the last time she sees the rising Democratic star for a while if she's invited to join Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign.
“I'm happy with it anyway,” Holbrooke said after the governor continued to greet others in the crowd. But if he continues, I'll be really happy. It would be great if he does as good a job as vice president as he did for Kentucky.
Beshear has proven his small-town political appeal in a district that has made no secret of its allegiance to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. This corner of Appalachia, a rarity in the current divisive state of American politics, has shown a willingness to embrace the state's Democratic governor and Republican former president.
Signs of support for Trump are as abundant as the home gardens that dot the Appalachian countryside, and even if Beshear joins the Democratic slate, the former president will remain the overwhelming favorite to win the Bluegrass State in November.
Still, in a state also known for its thoroughbreds, when some Kentuckians see Beshear working among friendly eastern Kentucky crowds, the political horse racing for the Democratic second place comes to mind. They gathered to watch several families displaced by raging floods two years ago inspect their new homes on higher ground.
Floyd County Judge-Executive Robbie Williams told Beshear that “we are praying for him” as Harris selects a running mate for her anti-Trump campaign. Williams later said Beshear would be a good choice to help carry the Democratic message across central America.
“These flyover states, that's what resonates with people,” Williams said. “He understands the issues that affect us every day. He understands them when you sit around the kitchen table with your family.
Beshear made several stops Friday to monitor recovery from major flooding. Beshear won reelection last year, carrying several Appalachian counties that were flooded in the summer of 2022, a success many attribute to his handling of massive disaster recovery. While Beshear narrowly won these counties, Trump won them in landslides four years ago but lost the White House to President Joe Biden, and the Republican leader remains hugely popular here .
Local resident Rhonda Sloan praised the Kentucky governor for leading flood recovery efforts but said she still plans to support Trump even if Beshear becomes Harris' running mate.
“I'm sorry, Andy, but I can't do it,” she said in the interview.
Sloan said she particularly likes Trump's tough stance on immigration. She blames Biden for rising grocery store prices and blames former Democratic President Obama for a sharp decline in eastern Kentucky's coal economy. Both Obama and Biden have pushed for policies to shift the country away from carbon fuels and toward clean energy to combat climate change.
“Trump is a fighter, he's for the people,” Sloan said during a chat on his front porch.
Beshear referenced the Bible in his speech to small Appalachian communities and how communities ravaged by floods rallied around those who had lost their homes and loved ones. It was similar to speeches the governor gave in remote communities in western Kentucky that were hit by tornadoes in late 2021.
Beshear said Friday that people who help those in need “practice the golden rule of loving your neighbor as yourself, and the parable of the Good Samaritan, which states that everyone is our neighbor.” “In a world that sometimes feels like it’s toxic and we should be fighting each other, you all came together and really stood up for each other.”
Beshear pledged that his commitment to Kentucky's recovery from natural disasters will remain the same “no matter what role I serve.” He sidestepped questions about Harris' decision-making process, focusing on the new house the family moved into, asking one of his children to “show me your room.”
Beshear later downplayed whether being a red governor would hurt his chances of becoming Harris' chosen running mate. The other leading contenders are from swing states, but Harris is considering candidates across the board.
“I think almost every successful vote since 2000 has not been for someone in a swing state,” Beshear told reporters. “I think ultimately, the vice president needs to choose who she thinks is best suited to run.” people.
