Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Kentucky, speaks at a post-march rally in Selma, Alabama, on March 9, 2025. The Democratic governor highlighted the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion during a Bloody Sunday 60th anniversary commemoration. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector)
FRANKFORT — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear in Northern Virginia for a retreat with U.S. House Democrats used the opportunity to distinguish himself from California Gov. Gavin Newsom by criticizing a recent Newsom podcast.
Both Democratic governors are considered possible presidential candidates in 2028.
Beshear told reporters Newsom should not have given a platform to Steve Bannon, a prominent ally of Republican President Donald Trump and supporter of MAGA politics, on a recent podcast, according to reports in the New York Times and Politico.
Beshear said, “I think that Gov. Newsom bringing on different voices is great,” the Times reported. “We shouldn’t be afraid to talk and to debate just about anyone. But Steve Bannon espouses hatred and anger and even at some points violence, and I don’t think we should give him oxygen on any platform — ever, anywhere.”
Newsom started a podcast this month, the Times reports, bringing on prominent conservatives including Bannon and Charlie Kirk, who leads the conservative organization Turning Point USA.
Also speaking at the congressional retreat were Democratic Govs. Josh Shapiro, of Pennsylvania and Gretchen Whitmer, of Michigan, also considered possible candidates for president.
Tens of thousands mark 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. KY’s Beshear joins them in Selma.
On his first podcast, Newsom talked with Kirk and called it “deeply unfair” for transgender women to be allowed to compete in women’s sports, sparking widespread criticism among Democrats and LGBTQ+ allies.
In Kentucky, the Republican-controlled legislature is giving Beshear a chance to highlight his support for the LGBTQ+ community. Lawmakers are set to send the governor a bill that would overturn his restrictions on conversion therapy and prohibit Medicaid from paying for gender-affirming medical care.
On Tuesday, at the 2025 Fairness Rally Beshear said he will veto the bill. Beshear is the first Kentucky governor to attend the annual rallies in support of LGBTQ+ rights.
When introducing the governor, Chris Hartman, the executive director for the Fairness Campaign, called him “the most pro-equality governor in the history of the commonwealth of Kentucky and if we are lucky, he just might be the most pro-equality president.”
Beshear, whose second and final term as governor ends in 2027, spoke last weekend in Selma, Alabama, at the 60th anniversary commemoration of Bloody Sunday, a landmark moment in the civil rights movement — giving him an opportunity to expand his name recognition and support nationally among Black Democrats, a key constituency in choosing the party’s presidential nominees.
Eric Hyers, a political strategist for Beshear, told the Kentucky Lantern Beshear had a “productive conversation” with House Democrats during their retreat. Beshear emphasized the importance of Democrats taking back the House and how candidates should focus on “communicating your why.” The governor shared perspectives gained as a Democrat who has won a red state.
Last year, Beshear was voted chair-elect of the Democratic Governors Association for 2026 — a key position for midterm elections.