Beshear on potential White House bid: ‘I'll think about it after next year'
'Two years ago, I wouldn't have considered [running for president]. But if I'm somebody who could maybe heal and bring the country back together, I'll think about it after next year,' Beshear told Vanity Fair.
The Kentucky governor's term ends in 2027 and he's pledged to complete his tenure in office before launching another political bid for a higher office.
Fellow party members Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-Pa.) have also been listed as potential contenders for the presidency as Democrats look to claw back the executive branch after their November loss.
Political pundits have suggested the GOP-authored spending package will have a significant impact on midterm elections and cycles that follow as Americans grapple with the possibility of losing their healthcare coverage, a top issue for Beshear.
'What the Republican majority is getting wrong is that the American people don't view health care in a partisan way. They want to be able to see their doctor when they need to, and they want their neighbor to be able to see their doctor,' Beshear, Kentucky's former attorney general, said in the interview.
'No state will be able to compensate for the level of devastation that this bill would cause. What they're doing is immoral, and it's certainly not Christian,' he added.
The legislation is set to remove millions from Medicaid and introduce stricter work requirements for food stamp benefits and other social services.
However, Beshear said in order to break through on the cuts, Democrats will need to help voters conceptualize the ongoing impact of the bill.
'If Democrats say this bill is going to increase food insecurity, their point's not going to get through. If they say people are going to go hungry, it will,' he said.
'And we have to explain not just what we disagree with in this bill, but why. And my why is my faith. The parable of the fishes and the loaves is in every book of the gospel. My faith teaches me that in a country that grows enough food for everyone that no one should starve.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
29 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Seven years, three OUIs: Does the State House have a drinking problem?
In 2022, Democratic state Representative David LeBoeuf of Worcester Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up Democratic state Senator Michael Brady of Brockton Alcoholism is a disease. Any person struggling with alcoholism should be treated with compassion, empathy, and help in finding treatment. But driving while drunk is a dangerous choice. All three lawmakers faced the typical sentence for first-time offenders: a 45-day loss of license, enrollment in an alcohol education course, and payment of fees and fines. In each case, the charges were continued without a finding, to be dismissed if the offender maintained a clean record for a year. Advertisement To their credit, each man took responsibility, apologized, and pledged to improve. 'What happened was completely unacceptable. I make no excuses. I am committed to taking the necessary steps to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again,' Lawn said. In many ways, the Legislature is similar to any employer: It has a diverse body of members with different struggles. 'It's a testament that addiction affects everybody in all walks of life,' said former representative Timothy Whelan, a Republican from Brewster. 'I think it's more of a human issue than it is related to any one particular field of endeavors.' But interviews with 17 current and former lawmakers paint a picture of an institution where, particularly in the House, drinking with colleagues can be one way — though not the only way — to get 'in' with leadership and build the social bonds that make one a more effective lawmaker. As one current representative, speaking on condition of anonymity, put it, 'Being social is part of being in the building, and being social in America as an adult generally involves drinking.' Former representative Denise Provost, a Democrat from Somerville, said she never personally witnessed overconsumption, but 'as in the rest of the culture, whenever there was hospitality, there was frequently alcoholic beverages served or on offer.' Multiple current and former lawmakers said there are legislators who keep alcohol in their offices and drink with colleagues. One person recalled walking in on an alcohol-fueled party with lobbyists and lawmakers in an office during a late-night session around 2018. Several lawmakers said drinking in the State House isn't common but tends to occur during late-night sessions, particularly budget weeks, when lawmakers have to sit around for long hours, often with little to do. Advertisement Max Ratner, a spokesperson for House Speaker Ron Mariano, said in a statement, 'The Speaker does not condone alcohol consumption by Members and staff inside the State House, and expects them to use common sense and act responsibly at all times.' One former lawmaker told me he believes alcohol should be banned inside the State House, as it is in public buildings like firehouses and police stations. While that may put a damper on office holiday parties, it's an idea worth considering. Of course, part of the job of a lawmaker is attending events with constituents and lobbyists, where alcohol may be served. Multiple lawmakers told me that there are also groups of lawmakers who frequently get drinks after work. Some lawmakers compared the culture to an 'old boys' club' or a high school 'cool kids' clique. House Majority Leader Michael Moran, a Democrat from Boston who didn't respond to a request for comment, has spent $2,361 from his campaign account at the 21st Amendment, a Beacon Hill tavern, since 2024 for 20 meetings with colleagues and staff, according to campaign finance filings. Since January 2024, state officials — primarily legislators — have spent $56,591 at the 21st Amendment, as well as $92,954 at Carrie Nation and $50,710 at Emmets, two other bars near the State House, according to filings with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance. All these restaurants sell food and drink, so there's no way to know how much was spent on alcohol. Advertisement Several lawmakers interviewed for this column — generally those who live far from Boston or have children at home — say they usually go home after work. Others, including some in recovery, don't touch alcohol. Some said they weren't aware of drinking beyond occasional social events. The House may be no different from other corporate cultures. Some lawmakers drink often, some don't, and a few drink excessively. Certainly, adults are free to hang out in bars after work. But when lawmakers choose to drink, they should remember that they are public role models and the mantras drilled into 21-year-olds still apply: Find a safe and sober ride home, and friends don't let friends drive drunk. Shira Schoenberg can be reached at
UPI
29 minutes ago
- UPI
DOJ drops challenge to Tennessee's gender care ban for minors
Participants walk up Market Street in the 55th annual San Francisco Pride Parade in San Francisco on Sunday, June 29, 2025. On Monday, the Justice Department dropped a lawsuit challenging Tennessee's ban on minors receiving gender-affirming medical care. File Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo July 22 (UPI) -- The Justice Department has dismissed a Biden-era lawsuit challenging Tennessee's law banning gender-affirming care for minors, as the Trump administration continues to attack the rights and medical care of transgender Americans. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that her department's Civil Rights Division dismissed the lawsuit in a statement Monday that said the Justice Department "does not believe challenging Tennessee's law serves the public interest." Gender-affirming care includes a range of therapies, including psychological, behavioral and medical interventions, with surgeries for minors being exceedingly rare. According to a recent Harvard study, cisgender minors and adults were far more likely to undergo analogous gender-affirming surgeries than their transgender counterparts. Every major American medical association supports gender-affirming care for both adults and minors, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association, the largest national medical association. Despite the support of the medical community and evidence of its efficacy, gender-affirming care and this marginalized community continue to be targeted by conservatives and Republicans with legislation. Tennessee enacted Senate Bill 1 in March 2023 to prohibit healthcare professionals from prescribing puberty blockers or hormones to minors to treat gender dysphoria, which attracted a lawsuit from the Justice Department under President Joe Biden, arguing the law violated the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause, as all other minors continued to have access to the same procedures and treatments. The conservative movement targeting the healthcare of transgender minors has since gained a supporter in the White House with the re-election of President Donald Trump. Since returning to power, Trump has implemented an agenda targeting transgender Americans, including directing the federal government to recognize only two sexes determined at "conception," restricting gender-affirming care for youth and banning transgender Americans from the military. Last month, the conservative-leaning Supreme Court ruled 6-3 against the Biden administration's complaint to overturn the Tennessee law. The ruling fell along ideological lines, with the conservative justices voting for the law to stand. The liberal justices dissented. "By retreating from meaningful review exactly where it matters most, the Court abandons transgender children and their families to political whims," Justice Sonia Sotomayor said in her dissent. "Tennessee's ban applies no matter what a minor's parents and doctors think, with no regard for the severity of the minor's mental health conditions or the extent to which treatment is medically necessary for an individual child." Bondi on Monday said the Supreme Court made "the right decision." Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said that by dismissing the lawsuit, they "undid one of the injustices the Biden administration inflicted upon the country."
Yahoo
39 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Ohio House will return this month to consider property tax provision veto overrides
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio House members will return to the Statehouse later this month to consider overriding Gov. Mike DeWine's vetoes on several property tax provisions in the state's $60 billion budget. A memo was sent to state representatives informing them of a session at 11 a.m. on July 21 for the purpose of considering overriding the vetoes of items 55, 65, and 66 regarding property tax relief. Those items are: Property Tax: County Budget Commission Authority & Procedure 20-Mill Floor Calculation School District Property Tax Levy Restrictions Not included in the list of items being considered for overrides is a provision that limited how much money school districts could carry over from one year to the next. However, the memo notes that other line-item veto overrides could be considered at future sessions. Here's what DeWine vetoed from the $60B state budget 'As Finance Chairman, I fought for those provisions & they should become law,' Rep. Brian Stewart (R-Ashville) said in a social media post. 'Speaker Huffman & my GOP leadership colleagues have been working hard to wrangle scheduled & pave the way for a veto override & I'm glad we've now got a date on the calendar — July 21. Game on.' The lawmakers will meet in the Senate Chamber due to maintenance work being done in some areas of the Statehouse. It is unclear when the Senate could return to also vote on the overrides. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
