A MARTÍNEZ, BYLINE: Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear is the author of a new book titled "Go And Do Likewise: How We Heal A Broken Country."
ANDY BESHEAR: Go and do likewise are the last words of the parable of the Good Samaritan. What it means is it's not just a story. It's an instruction. And it's an instruction to be good to one another.
MARTÍNEZ: The Democratic politician stands out in an otherwise majority Republican voting state. Governor Beshear leads in these pages and in his policies with his Christian beliefs. And I started our conversation by asking why religion remains an important way for him to connect with Americans, some who might not share in his faith.
BESHEAR: Well, I think it shows respect - respect to people who vote for me or never vote for me - that I explain not just my what, the decision I'm making on something, but the why, why I might believe something different than they do. I remember, in 2023, I'm running for reelection, and my Republican supermajority passes the most anti-LGBTQ+ piece of legislation in our history. And they said out loud that this would be what would defeat me if I vetoed it. Well, I still vetoed it because it was the right thing to do. But I explained myself to the people of Kentucky.
I said, my faith teaches me that all children are children of God, and I didn't want people picking on those kids, and I'll never forget the next day, having somebody come up to me saying, Governor, I'm not sure if I agree with what you did yesterday, but I know you're doing what you think is right. Explaining your why, as long as you're doing it authentically, can create grace and space to where we can disagree, but know we're coming from good places.
MARTÍNEZ: Do you think we don't do enough of that explaining the why in what we do?
BESHEAR: Absolutely not. You know, we try to put people in buckets, and people are so much more complicated than that. The American people are good people. We just need to be reminded of that sometime.
MARTÍNEZ: What do you say to people who are cynical when they hear a politician, a leader talk about their faith as openly as you do?
BESHEAR: Oh, I'd say, first, I get it. You know, faith without action. You know, that is something the Bible tells you in right. You hear President Trump and JD Vance invoke faith, but then do things like cut SNAP benefits and leverage starving Americans during government shutdowns. I would say, you know, listen to what people are saying, but also judge them by their actions. You can talk the talk, but are you willing to walk the walk?
MARTÍNEZ: Governor, one of the things I've heard that you are very proud of is being a Democratic governor in a Republican-voting state with high approval rates. So I'm wondering, what have been some of the lessons that you have learned in working across party lines in times of crisis, say, a pandemic or tornadoes that have recently hit your state?
BESHEAR: Those difficult moments - the tornadoes, the floods, the mass shootings, the plane crashes - are the moments that strip away all the division that are pushed down on the people of America, and they can just be themselves. We just need to be reminded of who we are outside of those moments, and I believe that we can be so much better.
MARTÍNEZ: But how have you been able to manage this? Because one of the things I've always seen in that - say someone thinks that something is a good idea, but once they find out where that idea comes from, if it's not my party's idea, then it's not a good idea anymore. How do you get over that?
BESHEAR: Well, first, it's a challenge, and it's a challenge that sometimes I've been able to get over, and admittedly, sometimes I haven't. Right now, I'm pushing to get pre-K for every 4-year-old in the commonwealth. This was something that my GOP supermajority was for under the last Republican governor. I think they're so worried about a win for me, they're willing to hand a loss to these kids. But the way I go about my job is it can't be about me. You know, somebody can disagree with me today, they can call me names, they can attack me politically. But if there's a chance to work together tomorrow to benefit our people, my job is about our people, and you can never let ego get in the way.
MARTÍNEZ: Now, you're the chair of the Democratic Governors Association. It's been a complicated time for Democratic governors under the Trump administration who have at times been singled out. What would you say are the priorities of the association today?
BESHEAR: The priorities of our Democratic governors and our candidates is to make sure the American dream is still alive. Trump's unlawful tariffs are a tax on the American people. His war of choice in Iran has added $800-plus in gas costs for our families. We are a party that is going to stop those actions and make life more affordable. We believe in restoring that dream where you can hope, you can work, you can create a better life and you can leave your kids better off.
MARTÍNEZ: The last state governor to be U.S. president was Republican George W. Bush. And he took that handoff from the last Democratic governor to be president, Bill Clinton. And actually, in the late '70s, into the, I'd say, almost 2000s - isn't it the 2000s? - it seemed like governors were handing it off to other governors. Does America need a governor as commander in chief again?
BESHEAR: Now, I think the next president needs to be one of our Democratic governors. So I believe our next candidate needs to be somebody who has the receipts, who has built housing, who's created better jobs, who's created jobs with better wages, who's expanded healthcare, even in this difficult time. That's what people are going to be able to see, touch and feel, and believe that life can get better.
MARTÍNEZ: What makes a governor uniquely qualified to be U.S. president?
BESHEAR: Well, I think you don't get to be as ideological as Congress. You don't vote on the rule to the amendment. You instead have to get out there and create results. I remember early on somebody asked me something in my role as governor, and I said, oh, that's federal. But they looked at me and said, but you're the governor. Your job is to deliver for your people every day.
MARTÍNEZ: I understand, Governor, you're still weighing a potential presidential run. So I'm wondering, what do you think you'd learn from the midterm elections that would otherwise help you make this call?
BESHEAR: Well, as head of the Democratic Governors Association, I know that the map in '26 for governors creates the map in '28 for the presidential. And so as we look at the elections in 2026, it's critical that we flip the House and the Senate to have a real check on this president and a balance that our Founding Fathers thought we would always have regardless of party. But we also need to win a bunch of governors' races to make sure that we're set in '28 to change this country for the better.
MARTÍNEZ: And that would help you decide what you might think about doing in '28?
BESHEAR: I think it'd help any candidate decide. You know, a better map is good for any Democrat, but it's also good for America.
MARTÍNEZ: That's Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear. He is the author of "Go And Do Likewise: How We Heal A Broken Country." Governor, thank you.
BESHEAR: Thank you very much.
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