By Lawrence Smith, Kentucky Today

FRANKFORT — Gov. Andy Beshear is not closing the door on a future run for president of the United States in the wake of VP Kamala Harris’ loss to Donald Trump.

“I’m proud to be governor of Kentucky. I’m excited to continue to be governor every single day for the rest of my term,” said Beshear in response to a question from a reporter. “We’ll see what the future holds in the future but, right now, my only focus is on the job. It’s on making sure I continue to stand up for Kentuckians and all Americans to ensure that their rights are respected.”
Beshear was believed to be among those considered as Harris’ running mate before she chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. He called Harris’ defeat “disappointing.”

“The pundits, I’m sure, will do a live analysis over the coming weeks and months but first I think we’ve got to recognize that Vice President Harris had a short period of time,” he said. “She generated a lot of energy but ultimately came up short, and certainly the result is disappointing.”

Beshear said he will work with the Trump administration as long as it’s good for Kentucky.
“I will work with any administration when it benefits Kentucky; I will oppose any administration when it hurts Kentucky or threatens our democracy,” Beshear said. “My job is to serve the people of Kentucky and the people of the United States when called to do it, and that’s what I’ll be doing these next three years and, I think, one week.”

The governor expressed concern Trump’s potential “drill baby drill” energy policy could impact the future of the multi-billion-dollar Blue Oval electric vehicle battery plant in Glendale. Beshear called on the state’s congressional delegation to step up. Kentucky’s two U.S. Senators and five of the six congressmen are Republican.

“This is going to be a test for our federal delegation of being a part of Team Kentucky first before being part of any political party. There are 10,000 jobs on the line here in Kentucky,” said Beshear. “And it’s my hope that, not just every member of our delegation will step up to ensure they will continue in the future, but also that the new Trump administration sees that they are jobs helping out working people.”

Beshear said he will do what he can to lobby for continued federal investment in EV.

“They’ll have time to transition from campaign and campaign rhetoric to looking at ramifications of any policy,” Beshear said. “My hope is that if this incoming administration is really going to focus on the economy and jobs, like former President Trump has talked about, he’ll see the importance of these projects.”