Beshear: Dems can win by focusing on 'core issues' like jobs, housing, health care

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) laid out a framework Tuesday for Democrats to win back the trust of the American people, after election results handed Republicans control of the White House, Senate and House of Representatives.

“While I’m deeply disappointed with the national result, I refuse to play the blame game,” Beshear wrote in an op-ed, published in The New York Times. “Campaigns are hard. Candidates and their families are put through hell. And all the candidates tried hard to win, even if they came up short.”

Beshear, who was not on the ballot in 2024, said Democrats need to focus on “core issues” that matter to people every day — like jobs, housing and health care.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D), left, and his wife Britainy speak with reporters after casing their ballot during early voting at Yes Arts in Louisville, Ky., Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

“Yes, there are a lot of big, important issues facing our country, but when families are struggling in these core areas, it’s hard to focus on or reach anything else,” Beshear wrote. “If you are staring at the cost of your child’s prescription and wondering how you are going to pay for both it and your family’s dinner, the offense of the day in Washington, D.C. or the latest crazy thing a politician said just isn’t as important.”

“So the way forward is not complicated, but it takes work and discipline,” he continued. “The focus of the Democratic Party must return to creating better jobs, more affordable and accessible health care, safer roads and bridges, the best education for our children and communities where people aren’t just safer but also feel safer.”

The Kentucky governor, once floated as a potential running mate for Vice President Harris, offered as a road map his reelection race, which he won last year by a 5-point margin in a state that supported President-elect Trump by 30 points in the 2024 race.

He said he won because Kentuckians “know I care about them personally” and that “I am focused on what matters most in their daily lives.” Beshear added that he has produced “tangible results” that have changed people’s lives.

“The Democratic Party must show the American people that it cares about creating a better life for each and every American and re-earn the public’s trust about its focus and its direction,” he wrote in his essay.

Beshear said he is not urging Democrats to “abandon important values and principles.” He noted that he has vetoed anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ bills, “yet I still beat Mr. Trump’s handpicked candidate last fall.” He said he did because voters trusted that his focus was on improving their lives.

The Kentucky Democrat noted that it’s also important to speak “like normal human beings” and explain positions in a straightforward way. When he vetoed anti-LGBTQ bills, he explained to the public that his faith motivated his decision “because I believe all children are children of God.”

“And whether people agree with my decision, they know why I’m making it,” the governor added. “They know where I am coming from.”