After weeks of speculation on whether or not Joe Biden would stay in the Presidential race, the 81-year-old announced his decision last Sunday to not contest the November 5 elections. President Biden's decision also paved the way for Democrats to look for an alternative, and at the moment, Vice-President Kamala Harris appears to be the front-runner to replace him.
And while Kamala Harris is likely to be announced as the nominee in next month's Democratic Party Convention, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has emerged as one of the possible picks for her running mate.
Who is Andy Beshear?
1. Andy Beshear was born on November 29, 1977, in Louisville, Kentucky, to father Steve Beshear, a former two-term governor of Kentucky. Andy Beshear graduated from Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Kentucky. He went on to study anthropology at Vanderbilt University, where he was a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity and graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in 2000. He then pursued a Juris Doctor at the University of Virginia School of Law, graduating in 2003. Andy Beshear is married to Britainy Beshear, and they have two children, a son named Will and a daughter named Lila.
2. After completing his law degree, Beshear worked at White & Case law firm in Washington for two years. In 2005, he joined Stites & Harbison, where his father was a partner. There, he worked on the controversial Bluegrass Pipeline project and represented UFlex, an Indian company seeking $20 million in tax breaks from his father's administration, which raised concerns about conflict of interest.
3. In 2015, Andy Beshear was elected as the state attorney general of Kentucky. As Attorney General, Andy Beshear sued Governor Matt Bevin several times over Bevin's use of executive power. Beshear won some cases, like one where Bevin cut university funding without approval, and lost others. He also sued Bevin over pension reform and pharmaceutical companies' role in the opioid crisis.
4. In 2019, Andy Beshear unseated the incumbent Matt Bevin to become the governor of Kentucky. This victory was significant, for it came in a Republican stronghold against a candidate backed by Donald Trump. He appointed Daniel Cameron to finish his term as Attorney General. He is pro-choice but has adapted his message in Kentucky to focus on opposing the state's strict abortion ban, which doesn't allow exceptions for rape and incest survivors.
5. During his tenure as governor, Andy Beshear made headlines by replacing all 11 members of the Kentucky Board of Education and restoring voting rights to over 180,000 Kentuckians who were African Americans with nonviolent felony convictions. In 2020, Beshear took measures to address the COVID-19 pandemic, including an executive order to record churchgoers who violated the stay-at-home order and a promise to provide free healthcare to African-American residents. He also ordered schools to halt in-person learning, which was challenged in court but ultimately upheld by the US Supreme Court.
Andy Beshear has endorsed Kamala Harris for the Democratic presidential nomination. He believes Democrats need to focus on everyday issues such as jobs, healthcare, schools and public safety.
