Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear addresses a crowd at the Iowa Democratic Party’s Liberty and Justice Celebration event in July. In an Aug. 14 interview, Beshear said he hopes the attention he received as a potential vice presidential candidate benefits Kentucky. (Photo by Jack O’Connor/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

FRANKFORT — Although he was ultimately not selected as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear said the national attention put a positive spotlight on his home state.

Beshear, 46, was among a list of potential running mates for Harris shortly after she launched her presidential campaign after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race. Last week, Harris announced his campaign Minnesota Governor Tim Walz would agree to the ticket.

In an interview with the Kentucky Lantern at the Capitol Wednesday, Beshear said that with about three and a half years left in his second term, his focus remains on doing his job and keeping Kentucky’s economic development momentum going.

I really hope that the review process and the national attention gives us as Kentucky a place on the national stage, whether it’s the ability to be in the room with those who will be making grant decisions, or the ability to talk about an issue that’s very important – and maybe even specifically for Kentucky – and hopefully get positive movement or change related to it.

– Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear

Asked if he thought he might have a future role in national Democratic politics, potentially even a cabinet post in a possible Harris administration, the governor said, “I’m not going anywhere.”

“I love this job,” Beshear continued, “and even throughout this process, I remember touring Eastern Kentucky for the second anniversary of the flood, and looking around and knowing in my heart that this is where I’m supposed to be. , that Kentucky is part of my DNA, and my determination to get the job done and rebuild in Eastern Kentucky and in Western Kentucky.”

Beshear toured Eastern Kentucky in late July, and dedicated homes to residents built on higher ground in the mountainous region. The record 2022 floods killed 45 victims. Before that, western Kentucky was the site of devastating tornadoes in 2021which had a death toll of more than 70. The natural disasters were key moments in Beshear’s first term.

“That being said,” Beshear said, “I’m hoping that the review process and the national attention gives us as Kentucky a place on the national stage, whether it’s the ability to be in the room with those who will be making grant decisions, or the ability to talk about an issue that’s very important — and maybe even specific to Kentucky — and hopefully get some positive movement or change related to it. I see the benefit of going through this process as hopefully benefiting Kentucky and our needs.”

The governor is also looking toward election day in November. He said he will continue to work to support the Harris-Walz ticket, focusing on sending candidates he supports to the U.S. House and Senate as well as to the state legislature, which has a Republican supermajority. One particular issue he plans to focus on is “making sure we defeat” a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the General Assembly to fund non-public schools. He said he will travel to the state to campaign against Amendment 2.

“So while it sounds like a lot, I ran both the governor’s office and an election last year, and so everyone out there can be sure that they’re going to get the best out of me every day as governor. I realize this is a dream job – an important job – and takes no moment for granted.”

Beshear called it “an honor” to be considered a choice for Harris’ running mate and noted “massive national coverage of all the positive things going on in Kentucky.” He said the attention could also position Kentucky to do more in its future, adding that prospective employers who otherwise wouldn’t consider the state had reached out to his administration. Also, rumors about Beshear’s Election prospects 2024 swirled while abroad in the Japan and South Korea to discuss economic development.

Asked if he will highlight Kentucky as a speaker at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next week, Beshear said to “stay tuned.” He added that the convention will mostly focus on Harris and Walz and campaign issues, but the opportunity “to have someone from Kentucky on stage at the Democratic National Convention is a big deal.”

Ahead of the next legislative session, Beshear said his administration plans to work on addressing unfunded mandates, or laws that may have passed but weren’t funded during this year’s budget session. Recently, Beshear and Republican lawmakers have gone back and forth over funding for a new law to provide financial relief for grandparents and others kinship carer raising children in Kentucky.

The governor said he also wants to focus on laws that were not changed but are “frustrating” to enforce.

“Certainly, I want to lay the groundwork for more important changes we need, both in teacher salaries and in universal pre-K. I also want to spend some of this session looking at how other states are investing in economic development,” he said, adding as an example that South Carolina has more foreign offices than Kentucky to address foreign direct investment. South Carolina has four international officeswhile Kentucky have two.

But Beshear must try to achieve those goals with a legislature dominated by his opponent — meaning his veto could easily be overridden. Legislation he supports also begins at a disadvantage in the General Assembly. Beshear’s budget proposal earlier this year, which was contained in bills by Minority Leader Derrick Graham, was not assigned to committees for review.