Governor Andy Beshear says he’d ‘love’ to debate ‘fake’ JD Vance

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said he would be “excited” to debate Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance if he is chosen as Kamala Harris’ running mate in the coming days.

“I would love the opportunity to debate him, just as I know the vice president would love to debate former President Trump,” Beshear told the Des Moines Register in an exclusive interview on Saturday.

Beshear was in Des Moines to help Iowa Democrats at their annual Liberty & Justice Celebration. His appearance is drawing outsized attention because Beshear is on a list of potential running mates being vetted by Vice President Harris, who appears poised to clinch her party’s nomination ahead of the Democratic National Convention after President Joe Biden upended the political world by announcing he was abandoning his re-election bid.

Beshear, 46, has spent the past week on cable news channels promoting Harris and attacking Vance.

On Saturday, he told the Register that if he is indeed Harris’ running mate, he would jump at the chance to face Vance in a vice presidential debate.

“Our debate would be admittedly a little personal,” he said. “This is a man who used to come to Kentucky for a couple of weeks each summer, at best, and then wrote a book (Elegy of the Hillbilly) claiming to know us, claiming to understand our culture. He called my people lazy, and these are the coal miners who built this country.”

Beshear previously called Vance “a fraud and a phony.” Vance responded by saying, “It’s odd that a man whose first job was at his father’s law firm and who inherited his father’s governorship would criticize my origin story.”

Beshear laughed at that answer Saturday.

“Those were his words, ‘origin story,'” he told the Register. “Now Batman has an origin story. Fictional characters have origin stories. Real people have childhoods and upbringings, and it shows you how fake this is.”

Beshear will campaign for Harris in the Atlanta area on Sunday, rallying her supporters at a new campaign office.

Beshear said that whether or not he makes the ticket, he hopes to help Harris this fall by making sure voters see “the real Kamala Harris.”

“I think I’m bringing someone who knows how to talk to people, who can go into the deepest purple or red parts of every swing state and talk to people in a way that empowers them to be a part of it, that explains why we’re doing what we’re doing, and ultimately makes sure they see the real Kamala Harris and not who the other side is trying to turn her into,” he said.

He praised Kentucky’s response to natural disasters, its economy and its accomplishments.

“She’s bringing in someone with a track record, someone who can get things done — even when it’s hard, even when people may not want to work with you, and how do we get more people on board, not just so she can win, but so she can govern,” he said.

He said he could not comment on the status of Harris’ team in the screening process.

“What I can say is that I am honored to be considered and, no matter what happens, I will work every day between now and Election Day to ensure that Kamala Harris is the next president of the United States,” he said.

Harris’ options for vice president: From Josh Shapiro to Mark Kelly: The Pros and Cons of the List

Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief political reporter for the Des Moines Register. She also covers the 2024 presidential election for USA TODAY as the senior national campaign correspondent. Reach her at [email protected] or 515-284-8244. Follow her on Twitter at @brianneDMR.