WASHINGTON — Less than an hour into President Joe Biden’s rocky debate performance June 27, Secretary of State Michael Adams, R-Ky., posted online, “The Beshear presidential candidacy doesn't sound so crazy now, does it?”

Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky., was the only statewide Democrat to win in deep-red Kentucky last year, a victory that cemented his status as a rising star on the national stage. 

As the panic set in from Biden’s debate showing, Beshear began appearing on lists of Democrats who could potentially replace him, along with Vice President Kamala Harris, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D-Mich., Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif. and others.

Asked if he had a comment on being named as a potential presidential candidate, Beshear said Monday, “It’s flattering when people mention your name in something like that, but I think it’s a reflection of all the good things going on in Kentucky ... I think the rest of the country turns to us and says, ‘How can a Democratic governor, a Republican general assembly create really good results?’ And I think the answer to that is everything is not partisan.”

Beshear has created a political action committee to support Democratic candidates around the country, a signal that he wants to be a player in national politics, said University of Louisville political science professor Dewey Clayton.

But talk of Beshear stepping into the 2024 race is premature, Clayton said.

“I think that he sees that there’s a void out here and there’s an opportunity for him to move in it and I don’t know if he knows where it will take him,” Clayton said. “If he keeps moving in the same direction, I would be surprised if he did not step out on the national stage.”

Beshear acknowledged July 1 Biden had a “rough” debate performance but said he supports the president as long as he is in the race.

In response, the Republican Party of Kentucky said, “Andy Beshear needs to stand up and show real leadership by telling the truth: Joe Biden is not fit to serve as President today, let alone for another four years.”