LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is seen as one of the most favorable Democrats to run alongside Vice President Kamala Harris this November.
Beshear is among a handful of Democrats on Harris' shortlist who have been asked to submit vetting documents to the campaign, according to multiple reports.
A new ABC News/Ipsos poll, conducted on July 26-27, found Harris' favorability increased eight points since the previous poll, which was conducted a week prior. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump's favorability dropped four points.
However, it also found many voters didn’t recognize or have an opinion of most of Harris’ possible running mates – including the twice-elected governor of Kentucky.
Here's a look at the top contenders.
Mark Kelly
Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly was seen as the most favorable candidate among voters in the ongoing “veepstakes” with a net favorability of 10 percentage points (22% favorable, 12% unfavorable).
Kelly has leveraged his career as an astronaut to build a brand as a moderate in a state that long-supported Republicans.
In his two campaigns — the first in 2020 to finish the term of the late Republican Sen. John McCain — Kelly earned more votes than any other Democrat on the ballot. He also outpolled Biden, who narrowly won Arizona, by 2 percentage points in 2020.
Kelly’s first turn in the national political spotlight came through tragedy. His wife, then-U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, was shot in the head while meeting with constituents outside a grocery store in Tucson. They went on to found a gun-control advocacy group, and Giffords has been a powerful surrogate as Kelly has taken her place in politics.
In the Senate, Kelly has focused on national security and the military as well as the drought plaguing the U.S. West. He was instrumental in crafting the CHIPS and Science Act, a bill signed by Biden to boost U.S. semiconductor manufacturing.
Kelly was a Navy test pilot and flew 39 combat missions during the Gulf War before joining NASA, where he flew three missions on the space shuttle.
Andy Beshear
Beshear, with a 13% favorability, is tied for second among the most favorable picks. He’s seen as a rising star among Democrats by beating Trump-endorsed candidates in a Republican stronghold.
The poll found he had one the lowest unfavorable ratings of all the potential VP candidates at only 9% and his favorability had increased by 4% since the previous poll, which was conducted a week prior.
Although North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper had a lower unfavorability rating, his net favorability was minus-one percentage point compared to Beshear’s plus-four.
Beshear displayed a disciplined, tenacious style in winning reelection last year by defeating then-Attorney General Daniel Cameron. The governor has urged Democrats to follow his winning formula by focusing on the everyday concerns of Americans, from good-paying jobs to quality education and health care.
He supports abortion rights, but in Kentucky, he has tailored his message to push back against what he calls an extreme ban that lacks exceptions for rape and incest victims. Beshear has also stood up for LGBTQ+ Kentuckians by vetoing an anti-trans bill in 2023, which was later overturned by the state’s GOP-controlled legislature.
The governor won widespread praise for his empathy and attention to detail in guiding the state through the COVID-19 pandemic with daily updates and leading the ongoing response to deadly tornadoes and flooding that caused massive damage.
He has also presided over record economic growth in Kentucky, and he typically begins his briefings by promoting the state’s latest economic wins. He frequently mentions his Christian faith and how it guides his policymaking.
A lawyer by trade, Beshear won election as state attorney general in 2015. He then unseated Trump-backed Republican Gov. Matt Bevin in 2019.
Beshear entered politics with a strong pedigree as the son of two-term Gov. Steve Beshear, but has faced tougher political obstacles. Unlike his father, Andy Beshear has dealt with an entirely GOP-controlled Legislature and Republican lawmakers have stymied some of his priorities. One of them is state-funded preschool for every Kentucky 4-year-old.
Josh Shapiro
Like Beshear, Pennsylvania’s Shapiro is another two-time governor and second-place contender in terms of favorability. The new poll reports voters found him 17% favorable and 13% unfavorable.
Shapiro has been a surrogate for Biden, backing the president in appearances on cable networks, and has years of experience making Trump the focus of his attacks, first as state attorney general and now as governor.
He has won three statewide races — two as attorney general, one as governor — with a tightly scripted, disciplined campaign style, offering voters something of a lower-key alternative to the state’s brash political star, Sen. John Fetterman.
As governor, Shapiro has begun to shed a buttoned-down public demeanor and become more confident and plain-spoken.
Shapiro, who is Jewish, has aggressively confronted what he viewed as antisemitism cropping up from pro-Palestinian demonstrations and has professed solidarity with Israel in its drive to eliminate Hamas.
He is a staunch proponent of abortion rights in Pennsylvania and routinely promotes his victories in court against Trump, including beating back challenges to the 2020 election results.
Shapiro has also positioned himself as a moderate on energy issues in the nation’s No. 2 natural gas state and plays up the need for bipartisanship in the politically divided state government.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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