FRANKFURT, Ky. — Seeking to strengthen his foothold in national politics, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is taking a leading role in Democratic efforts to win the governorships in the 2026 midterm elections — when a majority of States will elect governors, including a crucial set of presidential changes. States.

Democratic governors on Saturday selected Beshear as chair-elect of the Democratic Governors Association for 2026. He will serve as vice chair in 2025, when Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly will continue to chair the group. Voters in Virginia and New Jersey will elect their governors next year.

His selection allows Beshear to play a leading role in candidate recruitment, messaging and fundraising for 2026, when the DGA says governorships are up for grabs in 36 states, including battlegrounds presidential elections in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

The assignment will raise Beshear’s profile within the national party as Democrats attempt to recover from last month’s bitter defeats, when The Republicans swept away the White House and both houses of Congress. Beshear is one of several Democratic governors who are the subject of early speculation as potential candidates for the party’s presidential nomination in 2028.

After securing his new role at the DGA, Beshear said in a statement that Democrats can win anywhere by focusing on “the fundamental challenges families face every day” — continuing a theme he has advanced in a New York Times opinion piece outlining the path forward for Democrats after the November election.

In the opinion piece, Beshear said Democrats can win back voters without abandoning the party’s values ​​on divisive social issues. But the focus, he added, should be on the fundamental issues: good jobs, affordable health care, education, public safety and good roads and bridges.

“Earning trust and showing people that you care also requires that we talk to people like normal human beings,” he wrote. “And that we’re not afraid to share our “why.” For me, my why is my faith and I share it proudly.

Beshear, the son of a popular former Kentucky governor, won three statewide elections in deeply red Kentucky — once for attorney general and once for attorney general. twice as governor. Now term-limited, his term as governor ends at the end of 2027. He was in the running to be Kamala Harris’ running mate this summer but lost to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Beshear became a surrogate for the ticket during the campaign, showing up in places like Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan and New Hampshire.

During his first term as governor, Beshear mostly avoided criticizing Republican Donald Trump, not wanting to rile voters in the Bluegrass State who overwhelmingly support Trump. Beshear, who was up for re-election in 2023, took a more aggressive tone against Trump this year as he vied for his party’s vice presidency and then as a campaign surrogate.

Beshear projected unifying themes and presided over record economic development, but sparred with Kentucky’s supermajority Republican legislature on a host of issues. His vetoes are routinely ignored, and Republican Party lawmakers attribute economic growth to their business-friendly policies.

In response to Beshear’s new role, Republican political strategist Scott Jennings said the “supposedly nonpartisan governor” would now spend time on partisan politics, but he expressed doubt that the new role would have much impact on the governor’s political future.

“It certainly gives him more contact with donors and party members, but I don’t think it’s a potential stepping stone or an albatross,” Jennings said Monday in a statement.

After Trump won back the presidency, Beshear said he would work with the new administration when it was good for Kentucky and “oppose it” when policies were bad for the state.

The governor raised concerns about the president-elect’s threats to impose harsh tariffs on foreign imports.

“We just had an election that was largely focused on inflation and other fundamental issues,” Beshear said recently. “I hope that a president who is committed to reducing inflation and making things more affordable doesn’t put in place policies that will raise prices. Because that’s what’s happening with human rights. customs.”

Beshear’s ability to win in tough terrain for Democrats, appealing to many urban, suburban and rural voters, makes him the ideal fit for the DGA position, said Democratic political strategist Mark Riddle. As for his future, Beshear will spend time with party leaders, strategists and donors, allowing him to “expand his reach across the country, make his case and see if people are willing to listen,” he said.

Regardless of the midterm results, this is a great opportunity for Beshear, he said.

“Win or lose, if he’s networking and building relationships, it’s a total win,” Riddle said Monday. “Obviously, if the Democrats lose in the midterms, they’re going to have a whole bunch of other, bigger problems.”