Nia-Malika Henderson, Columnist

This Democrat Has a Key Message for His Party: Be Normal

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear isn’t panicking, hosting a new podcast or changing his values.

March 21, 2025 at 9:30 AM UTC

Nia-Malika Henderson is a politics and policy columnist for Bloomberg Opinion. A former senior political reporter for CNN and the Washington Post, she has covered politics and campaigns for almost two decades.

Just a normal guy.
Photographer: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images North America

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As Democrats cast around for answers about what went wrong in 2024 and how to rebuild, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has some simple advice for his party. Be normal Democrats. As in, talk like a human and be human. And don’t over-read the results of 2024, an outlier election if there ever was one.

Beshear is the most popular Democratic governor in the country. The two-term governor was on Vice President Kamala Harris’ short list as a running mate and will likely try his chances for the White House in 2028. He is already road-testing his message, penning an op-ed for the New York Times, making the rounds on cable TV to counter President Donald Trump on tariffs and to elevate his profile. He made an appearance on MeidasTouch, the podcast du jour among beleaguered progressives and he huddled with House members at their retreat last week. He also went to Selma, Alabama to mark the 60th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday.”