Beshear knocks Vance’s ‘contrived origin story’ as he rallies Democrats in Iowa

Andy Beshear knocked JD Vance and hyped a Kamala Harris presidency at a Democratic event in Iowa.

Drawing upon the enthusiasm sweeping the Democratic Party in light of Vice President Kamala Harris’ candidacy, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a potential ticket-mate for Harris, took the stage in Des Moines to fire up newly-motivated Iowa Democrats for the presidential race.

Beshear took aim frequently at Donald Trump and JD Vance, while pumping up the prospect of a Harris presidency.

“I’ve only read parts of ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ because it made me so mad how he was describing our people,” he said. “It’s my job to stand up for our people, and [for Vance] to use them as some type of contrived origin story, he ain’t from Kentucky, he’s not from Appalachia, and he doesn’t share our Kentucky values.”

Pushing back on complaints about Beshear’s criticisms on, as Vance phrased it, Vance’s “origin story,” Beshear all but called him a phony.

“Batman had an origin story. Fictional characters have an origin story. Real people have childhoods! That’s how contrived his story is,” Beshear said.

Beshear added he looks forward to getting the opportunity to debate Vance if he’s chosen for the vice presidential nomination, but his main focus is on doing what he can to ensure Harris is elected.

More than anything, he said, a Kamala Harris presidency would move the country forward, and people wouldn’t have to dread looking at the news.

“Anger politics ends right here and right now,” he said. “She’s gonna get us back to focusing on our lives, moving our communities forward, and being a president that serves every single citizen of the United States.”

Beshear is one of seven options Harris is reportedly considering for her vice president as the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Other VP potentials are Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Compassion and taking care of people should be the top priorities of any leader, Beshear said. And he said he knows Harris is the perfect person to embody those values.

“You win by staying true to our values of compassion, of empathy, of doing right by our neighbors,” he said.

Beshear was elected to a second term last year, winning by five points in a red state. He’s spoken against Kentucky’s near-total abortion ban and vetoed an anti-trans bill, and championed many other Democratic issues. He said those values were the things he ran on.

Pushing back on those who have said Harris somehow doesn’t have what it takes to lead, Beshear highlighted the accomplishments of the Biden-Harris administration in fighting for workers, reproductive rights and marginalized groups across the country.

Too many freedoms are on the line, he said, and he mentioned reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, public education, and workers rights.

“In the end, we’ve got to win so we have a president who cares about us instead of a president who cares about the grudges that he has gathered,” Beshear said.

He also emphasized the energy and enthusiasm he’s seen from the Democratic Party as signs of the hope Harris brings to the country.

“She is already creating more energy than I’ve ever seen in politics. That energy is creating more volunteers, it’s raising more money than we’ve ever seen in a short period of time, and she’s also bringing people back in to her camp. It’s getting them excited to vote again.”