LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Vice President Kamala Harris selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, ending the weeks-long, so-called "veepstakes." This decision means Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear will not be on the Democratic presidential ticket.

What You Need To Know

  • After weeks of speculation, Vice President Kamala Harris has selected her running mate 

  • Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will be on the Democratic presidential ticket in November 

  • Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky., was one individual believed to be on the short list of possible running mates 

  • Shortly after Harris made her choice, Beshear said it was an honor to be considered 

Some Kentucky Republicans said they believed Beshear was never going to be picked while Democrats are sad to not see their leader in the top position.

“I've got to be honest; I’m a little disappointed it's not the home team," said Minority Whip Rachel Roberts, D-Newport. "But if it's not Andy, then I think Gov. Walz is a brilliant choice that the vice president has made as her running mate.”

Roberts called Beshear the state’s "best cheerleader" and praised him for his leadership through the COVID-19 pandemic and two major natural disasters in west and east Kentucky.

She said Beshear's first play into national politics won't be his last and could even see him involved with the Harris administration if she secures a win in November.

“I fully expect that beyond his time as governor, he will stay in the public sphere," Roberts said. "I hope so because he's so talented ... I would love to see that voice amplified so that everybody in America gets to benefit from him." 

Andrew Westberry, a spokesman for the Republican Party of Kentucky, told Spectrum News it’s no surprise Harris did not choose Beshear.

“He has no real policy wins,” Westberry said. “They do a really good job of crafting this 'aw, shucks' image where they're going out and they're saying, 'Look at this; look at that.' But when you really distill it down and look at what he was involved in, there's nothing.”

Over the weekend, Gov. Beshear was notably absent from Kentucky’s premier political event, the Fancy Farm Picnic. Republicans like Attorney General Russell Coleman were quick to dismiss his chances at being chosen as VP in their stump speeches.

“Friends, I don’t know who she’ll pick, but it ain’t Andy,” Coleman said Saturday, Aug. 3. 

Shortly after Harris made her VP pick official, Beshear congratulated the vice president and Walz and said, “It was an honor to be considered in this process.”

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