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By Alex J. Rouhandeh
National Political Correspondent
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Democrats have secured a majority of governorships for the first time since 2010. The man responsible for leading the effort—Democratic Governors Association Chair Andy Beshear, the governor of Kentucky.
Beshear oversaw the effort to expand the electoral battleground map to deep red states like Alaska, Iowa, and Ohio. “What I think that work means about 2028 is, regardless of who the nominee is, they’re going to be in a better position to win because of the work of the DGA,” Beshear told Newsweek in an exclusive interview. “If any candidate is smart, they'll lean on those governors on how to turn out the vote because they'll have won just two years before. The map for 2028 has now been expanded.
As of publication, Democrats have flipped governor’s seats in Georgia, Texas, and Ohio This shows the party can win in previously deep red territory, as Beshear has done previously by winning statewide in Kentucky. As Beshear weighs launching a presidential bid of his own, he said this election is proof that the Democratic Party should elevate its governors if it wants to maintain the night’s gains heading into 2028. This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
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This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
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Newsweek: This marks the first time since 2010 that Democrats have had a majority of governorships. Given that, should your party start to place a greater emphasis on states' rights, states' state autonomy, and state political identity. Afterall, it's been many of these states that have been key bulwark against Donald Trump.
The Democratic Party wouldn't have a brand problem if it put its governors as its face because the governors have the receipts for actually bettering people's lives. You go back to 2024, which was a rough election, Democratic governors didn't lose one seat. And then you move into ‘25 when most Democrats were feeling despair, and it was two Democratic governor elections—Abigail Spanberger and Mikey Sherrill where the DGA was heavily involved—that re-energized the Democratic Party. People want leaders that get things done—That's what Democratic governors do, and if they would be more of the face of this party, it would be a party that more people would want to join.
Governor Andy Beshear: This cycle has been characterized nationally by buzzwords like Trump, affordability and corruption. What did gubernatorial candidates and the DGA do differently than other politicians to make sure those issues were resonating with voters at a personal and tangible level?
Well, we ensured that we were focused, that our candidates were spending 80 percent of their time talking about things that matter to 100 percent of the people of their state. Our candidates were talking about people's jobs and whether they could afford what their families need. They were talking about their next doctor's appointment and whether or not the local clinic was going to shut down because of the Trump’s Big Ugly Bill. They were talking about quality of roads and bridges, the education that the kids of their state were getting or were not getting, and whether people felt safe in in their community. What you saw is Republicans trying to go towards culture war types of issues, and that's just not what people are focused on. I mean, they're paying $4,500 more this year for the same stuff they bought last year. They can't afford to fill up a tank of gas. Health care costs are way too expensive, and Democratic candidates are way more focused on those everyday issues that people care about while Republicans appeared distracted.
At last winter's DGA summit, you said most Americans felt the American Dream is unattainable. What do you think these newly elected governors can do to quickly show voters they're working to reverse that?
Governors are in a unique position to deliver for the people of their state. They're the ones that get out there and bring new jobs in. They're the ones who can, through their state budgets, impact the ability of rural hospitals to stay open. Many of our new governors may be in a position to expand Medicaid, which will bring health care coverage to hundreds of thousands of people in their state that have never had it and never been able to afford it. They can push programs that build housing. One of the reasons that people think the American Dream is no longer real is they can't afford a house until they're 40 years old. No wonder people aren't starting families when they think they can't raise one in a house similar to how they were raised. That's what we've been doing in Kentucky. Our average wage for a new job this year is over $31 an hour, and that's what you're going to see from our new Democratic governors.
There's going to be a lot of discussions about this election and what it says about what direction the party should take in 2028. Can you talk to me about how your work in this role, elevating governors, reflects your vision for how the party should go in 2028?
We ought to be a party that is pragmatic and gets results where we can disagree on certain issues, but we are always focused on that American Dream; where if people put in a hard day's work, they can afford to raise their family. They can buy a house, they can go see a doctor, they can feel safe in their community, their kids can get a good education. That's not a lot to ask. But right now, the American people don't think that that's possible. That's who the Democratic Party should be. And while the press will focus on it, we shouldn't be worried about this wing of the Democratic Party or that wing of the Democratic Party. We ought to be focused on how we get results for the American people because that's what we're elected to do.
When we spoke in September, you said you would decide whether to run for president after your term as DGA Chair concludes. Your experience in this role has allowed you to travel the country and meet new people. How has it informed your thinking about the skills and focus required for the party’s 2028 nominee?
Being DGA Chair has been an honor. I've gotten to fight for our governors that are up for reelection. I've gotten to fight to preserve the legacy of outgoing governors that if a Republican won could tear down the work they've put in over eight or more years. I fought to elect a lot of new Democratic governors that can bring a lot of energy. What I think that work means about 2028 is, regardless of who the nominee is, they’re going to be in a better position to win because of the work of the DGA. We could have a Democratic governor in every current swing state**.** That means that there will be a full and fair election. And also, if any candidate is smart, they'll lean on those governors on how to turn out the vote because they'll have won just two years before. The map for 2028 has now been expanded. Due to the DGA’s work, Iowa will be in play. Ohio will be in play, and other states will be in play too. So, one question moving forward is, there'll be lots of candidates out there—Shouldn't we want a candidate that can actually run this expanded map? Who can work a room in Iowa and who can compete in Ohio?
There's been a lot written this cycle about Democratic donors giving more heavily to federal races over state ones. How did you overcome that challenge and in what ways do you think that challenge might have limited your success?
It is tougher to raise for governor's races, even though governors impact people's daily lives significantly more than Congress. But a lot of national Democratic donors veer more towards Congress than governors, so we have done a lot to change that, and it's been a decade's worth of work. For me, this has been a two-year journey. I became chair-elect and vice-chair two years ago in December of 2024. And it has been in the trenches, talking directly to donors, working with our labor unions, making sure that people see the importance of it. And even when we reenergized the Democratic Party, you saw most of the dollars flow to those federal races when it was governors that were delivering the key victories. But we are making major strides. We broke every fundraising record that the DGA has ever had, and we broke it significantly, even with a couple of folks that had to focus on their own races and couldn't be as supportive this time.
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