Kentucky’s Andy Beshear takes aim at Vance as new rivalry intensifies

Democrats vying for their party’s presidential nomination in 2028 have focused on President Trump and his policies, almost treating the incumbent as if he’s campaigning for a third term. 

But Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is taking a different approach. He’s targeting Vice President Vance, Trump’s second banana and likely heir apparent.

It’s a strategy that could help the centrist Democrat get attention and carve a unique lane for himself in what is shaping up to be a highly competitive primary for his party.

On Saturday, while speaking at a Democratic Party gala in the Ohio county where Vance is from, Beshear singled out the vice president, sharpening a line of attack that he’s been testing in recent weeks. 

“There is no one who will work harder — no matter what I am doing that year — to beat JD Vance in 2028,” Beshear said at the gala in Butler County. “He is the most arrogant politician I have ever seen — and given his current boss, that’s saying something.” 

It wasn’t the only time that Beshear has targeted Vance in recent weeks.

Appearing on the podcast “Raging Moderates” earlier this month, the governor also blasted Vance, whose family is from Breathitt County in Kentucky, where the vice president spent summers as a child with his grandparents.  

“He is the most conceited elected official that I’ve ever heard speak,” Beshear said on the podcast. “And that’s incredibly dangerous because if you think you know it all, you’re going to make some really bad decisions because you’re not listening to some smart people you should put around you.” 

The governor gave a similar answer late last year when The Bulwark’s Tim Miller asked in an interview if there’s anyone who “boils your blood,” someone the governor might “really detest.” 

Beshear did not hesitate with his answer: “I think he is incredibly condescending,” he said of Vance. “And I believe that he is fraying our alliances with Europe that are critical to world stability, supporting far-right groups and talking down to world leaders that we should want strong relationships with.” 

Vance’s office did not comment on the recent Beshear barbs.

Beshear and Vance have a heated history, fueled by a theory of who can credibly speak for working-class voters in Appalachia. 

While Vance has forged his political identity around that image, beginning with his bestselling 2016 memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” Beshear has increasingly sought to undermine it by portraying the vice president as pompous and disconnected from his constituents. 

Their back-and-forth grew particularly fiery in 2024 when Beshear, who is an advocate of abortion rights, said Vance should experience what victims “go through” after a pregnancy stemming from a rape. 

“Think about what some people had to go through because of these laws,” Beshear said in an appearance on MS NOW’s “Morning Joe” that year, referring to anti-abortion laws in some states. “JD Vance calls pregnancy resulting from rape ‘inconvenient.’ Inconvenience is traffic. … Make him go through this.” 

“That fails any test of decency, of humanity,” Beshear added. “But here’s the thing — it also shows they don’t have any empathy at all. And a president and a vice president has to have empathy.” 

In response, Vance called Beshear “a disgusting person” in a post on the social platform X.

At one point during the 2024 race, the two men even sparred over soft drinks. 

“Who drinks Diet Mountain Dew?” Beshear said in a CNN interview, responding to a comment Vance made at a rally. 

Beshear later apologized — not to Vance, but to the soda company. 

As vice president, Vance is the leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2028. But recently, particularly on the heels of the war in Iran, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been gaining traction among some donors and others in the GOP. Trump has been asking those around him about their thoughts on the two men. 

Either way, those around Beshear expect him to continue to target Vance, as he did at the Ohio gala over the weekend. 

“I’ll be honest, your former senator JD Vance burns me up,” Beshear told the crowd. “He wrote an entire book that trafficked in tired stereotypes about how the proud people of my state, calling the people who mined the coal that powered the Industrial Revolution and two world wars lazy. Saying that addiction is the fault of people struggling — and not the opioid manufacturers who flooded our communities with pills. 

“His book ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ was just hillbilly hate,” Beshear added. “It was poverty tourism. Because he ain’t from Appalachia. Ohio deserved a much better senator than him and we all deserve a much better vice president.” 

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Senate GOP says Trump signals shift to backing DHS compromise with Democrats

Van Hollen: Trump is ‘lying’ about talks with Iranians

US issues ‘worldwide caution’ alert to travelers

GOP cracks in Senate begin to show in DHS shutdown fight

USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier leaves Middle East amid Iran fight

Bannon says ICE at airports ‘test run’ for 2026 elections

Democrats release details behind spending on Noem’s $220M ad campaign

Iran war takes mounting toll on America’s military

Homan: ICE officers will not assist with airport security scanning amid TSA ...

Pentagon closes office space for journalists after judge’s ruling on building ...

Netanyahu says Trump sees opportunity for deal with Iran

Pentagon Press Association calls for immediate restoration of ...

Who is Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, Iranian figure reportedly leading talks with US

Trump: US isn’t negotiating with Iran’s supreme leader

Trump: No shutdown deal until Democrats support SAVE America Act

JFK suspends wait time reporting amid DHS shutdown

Iran says it’s not in negotiations with the US, ‘Trump backed down’

Republicans reject Democrats’ effort to pay TSA by suspending Senate rules

© The Hill