Ask Andy: Redistricting, Accountability, and The Big Question

Summary

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Andy Beshear Podcast

Episode: Ask Andy – Redistricting, Accountability, and The Big Question

Date: May 14, 2026
Host: Governor Andy Beshear
Guest Host/Moderator: John Fugelsang

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Overview

This special live episode of the Andy Beshear Podcast features Governor Andy Beshear in conversation with SiriusXM host John Fugelsang, answering caller questions from across the country. The show addresses critical issues facing Americans today: redistricting and threats to voting rights, political accountability, effective bipartisan governance, the fallout of the latest foreign conflict, and the big question about the Governor’s political future. Throughout, the conversation is marked by Beshear’s emphasis on empathy, practical governance, and a focus on issues that matter to everyday people.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Bipartisanship and Effective Governance

• Brent Spence Bridge as Collaboration Model
  Beshear highlights the Kentucky-Ohio partnership on the Brent Spence Companion Bridge, stressing that major infrastructure needs should be seen as “nonpartisan.”

  • Quote: “The most important things to the people of the United States aren’t partisan. They are nonpartisan and we ought to treat them that way.” – Beshear [07:56]

• 80/100 Rule
  Beshear describes his governing philosophy: spend 80% of time on issues that matter to 100% of the people—like jobs, healthcare, schools, and safety—rather than polarizing topics.

  • Quote: “When you prioritize those basic everyday needs, you don’t move a state or the country to the right or the left. You move it forward for everyone and leave nobody behind.” – Beshear [08:20]

2. Redistricting, Voting Rights, and Democracy Under Threat

• Caller Concerns About Judicial Manipulation
  Callers express frustration over court rulings post-election and the dilution of minority voting power via gerrymandering. Beshear underlines the pivotal role of Democratic governors as a "last line of defense" against anti-democratic maneuvers.

  • Quote: “In Kentucky, we are not going to redistrict. My super majority is not going to be able to carve out the last Democratic seat. Why? Because we have a Democratic governor in me who is not calling them back into session.” – Beshear [18:26]

• Urgency of Down-Ballot Elections
  Beshear warns about what’s at stake in upcoming governor races, citing the risks of election deniers gaining power in key states.

  • Quote: “If Katie Hobbs is not re-elected as governor in Arizona...Can you imagine what he would do in that position in the future?” – Beshear [19:27]

• Impact of Recent Supreme Court Decisions
  Explains how new legal interpretations have made partisan gerrymandering even easier, resulting in the dilution or elimination of minority representation.

  • Quote: “It's a very painful chapter in our nation’s history moving backwards in the way we are.” – Beshear [22:15]

• Big Reforms Proposed
  Beshear advocates for a "fix the government, fix the country" constitutional amendment:

  • Nonpartisan redistricting
  • Campaign finance reform and overturning Citizens United
  • Congressional and Supreme Court term limits
  • Quote: “I know it’s big, I know it’s bold, but maybe that’s where we are in the country. We need big and bold to not just solve our problems of today, but to set up a better future for tomorrow.” – Beshear [25:32]

3. Foreign Policy, Accountability, and Competence

• On the Current War in Iran Beshear forcefully criticizes President Trump’s handling of the Iran conflict:
  • Lack of clear objectives and failure to consult allies
  • Economic harm from tariffs and instability, driving up costs across the economy
  • Laments the absence of a plan and confusion over military solutions such as “Operation Freedom”
  • Quote: “This is on him, without...any real plan of what victory looks like and without doing the work to understand the differences between Iran and Venezuela… We are in a war that the American people don’t agree with, that Congress hasn’t authorized.” – Beshear [10:21]

4. Southern Politics, Identity, and Winning Back Voters

• Breaking Through Entrenched Belief Systems
  Addressing the Southern states’ traditions and persistent Republican dominance, Beshear encourages investment, local connection, and providing real opportunities.

  • Quote: “We’re fighting back. Southern Democrats are fighting back for a seat at the table...Have hope.” – Beshear [31:21]

• Democratic Party’s Failures and Path Forward
  He challenges his own party for “zero investment” in the South and offers hope via shifting demographics and recent election successes.

  • Example: By helping open a new paper mill in a Republican-trending Kentucky county, Beshear tripled his support in the next election once voters saw tangible benefits.

• On Avoiding Demonization & Focusing on Solutions
  Beshear avoids terms like “MAGA Republicans” to keep channels of communication open, focusing instead on shared economic struggles.

  • Quote: “I want them to hopefully listen and think about it. And with what’s happening in their lives right now, people are going to be more open.” – Beshear [32:02]

5. Practical Solutions: Cutting Through the Noise

• State-Level Relief
  Beshear describes priority decisions like cutting Kentucky’s gas tax to help families during economic hardship—even at the expense of an easier state budget.

  • Quote: “I will pick a more difficult budget for the state every single day...if it helps our Kentucky families.” – Beshear [48:41]

• Model for Economic Development Kentucky’s focus on high-quality jobs and successful recruitment of international investments (e.g., large-scale paper mill and Polish manufacturer) is offered as a template for others.

6. Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

• On Being Compared to Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson:

  • Quote: “If I fall in a category with Dolly Parton, I’m in.” – Beshear [16:42]

• On the Future and Presidential Ambitions

  • Quote: “My lawyers tell me I can’t respond to that directly...Being governor is enough. You get to work for the people of your state every day. While I don’t know what form my future will take, I will not leave a broken country to my kids or anybody’s kids or grandkids.” – Beshear [45:43]

• On Healing the Nation

  • Quote: “It’s not enough to have a Democratic version of Trump and to try to get retribution. I want to move beyond this. I want my kids to live in a country that doesn’t think about retribution, that internationally is back to being leader of the free world and not the bully on the playground.” – Beshear [47:09]

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Timestamps for Major Segments

| Time | Segment | |-------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:25-05:33 | Kentucky Derby as Common Ground & State Promotion | | 07:02-09:27 | Bipartisan Infrastructure: Brent Spence Bridge, 80/100 Rule | | 10:21-14:49 | War with Iran: Accountability, Economic and Foreign Policy Costs | | 16:57-19:29 | Redistricting, Court Schemes, Role of Governors, Dangers in Upcoming Elections | | 21:20-25:49 | Undoing Voting Rights Act, Tennessee/Memphis, Call for Amendments (Redistricting/Term Limits)| | 27:17-29:26 | Moderation, Trust in Candidates, 80/100 Rule for Unity & Progress | | 29:40-36:18 | Entrenched Beliefs in Southern States & Building Democratic Gains in the South | | 36:29-39:38 | Tennessee Redistricting Absurdities, Fighting Back with Better Politics | | 41:04-44:45 | Handling Criticism for COVID Response (Amy Acton), Finding Common Ground | | 45:17-47:45 | The Big Question: 2028, Future Leadership, Healing the Country | | 47:56-48:24 | Recognizing Bipartisan Work (Brent Spence Bridge) | | 48:24-49:14 | State Gas Tax Cut for Relief Amid War-Driven Price Rises |

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Tone & Notable Quotes

The tone is direct, relatable, and constructive—with clear empathy for working families. Beshear combines wonky policy details with personal anecdotes and maintains a steady call for hope, unity, and practical solutions. There’s an insistence that the best politics are those that “leave nobody behind.”

Sample Quotes

• “Governors are the last line of defense to ensure fair elections…” [18:26]
• “It’s time for a fix the government, fix the country type of constitutional amendment…” [24:59]
• “Democracy and the American dream are not guaranteed. Every generation...has to stand up and protect them.” [45:43]

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Conclusion

This episode stands out for its frank assessment of America’s political dysfunction but pairs concern with actionable optimism. Beshear’s message is consistent: focus on real issues, elevate decency above partisanship, and pursue “big and bold” reforms to restore trust and opportunity. Whether discussing national crises, local victories, or the health of democracy itself, he calls listeners to build coalitions—rural and urban, left and right—around what binds and benefits all Americans.

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How to Follow

• Andy Beshear Podcast: Saturdays 11am ET on SiriusXM Progress and wherever podcasts are found
• Social Media: @AndyBeshearKY

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This summary captures the substantive, memorable, and actionable moments of the episode, with clear structure and direct speaker attribution for context and clarity.

Transcript

[Caller]

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[Governor Andy Beshear]

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[John Fugelsang]

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[Governor Andy Beshear]

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[Caller]

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[John Fugelsang]

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[Governor Andy Beshear]

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[John Fugelsang]

Venmo stash bundle Terms and exclusions apply. See terms at Venmo Me Stashterm. Venmo checkout not available at all merchants. Venmo MasterCard is issued by the Bancorp Bank. NA.

[Governor Andy Beshear]

Welcome to the Andy Beshear Podcast. This week we've got something different and something special. On Tuesday, I did a live show with John Fugelsang. He is a commentator and host on Sirius xm, along with being a bestseller author. And we took questions from voters across the country. So buckle up. We have one hour of answering questions from Americans. Things they're concerned about, things they want to see. This is my response to your questions. I hope you enjoy.

[John Fugelsang]

Welcome back to Sirius xm. I'm John Fuglsang. It is a great pleasure to have you all here for another episode of Andy Beshear Live. I want to tell you that you, you are invited to take part in this conversation with the governor. Our number here at Sirius XM progress is 866-997-474-8866-6997. Grit friends, it's an honor to be here. We are coming to you live in a time of war. A war far away that was promised us wouldn't happen. A war that's taken thousands of lives, causing gas prices to surge and threatens America's standing with our allies and the world. Back at home, a systemic redistricting scheme designed to diminish the power of African American taxpaying voters and anybody else in the way of one party rule. That is why I am so thrilled to welcome back to this channel one of the heroes of the Democratic Party, one of the leaders that has been emerging in the past decade for people hungering for democracy. A very popular Democratic governor in a very beautiful red state. Friends, welcome back Governor Andy Beshear. Hello, sir.

[Governor Andy Beshear]

Hello. It is good to be back on with you, John. It's also an important time to be able to take people's questions, so I hope they call in. I think a lot of people feel anxious about all the chaos that's out there, the gross incompetence of the Trump administration and whether that's their failure to bring down prices and in fact make everything cost that much more to their handling of this war that they call a war and then say it's not a war, then say it's over and there's a ceasefire, except we're still firing at each other. So I know what a critical moment this is in the country and glad that we can directly communicate with folks out there that want to hear some reasonable voices in this chaos.

[John Fugelsang]

Well, sir, you are renowned for direct and very reasonable leadership. I have been so looking forward to having you back and discussing this horrible, destructive conflict as well as this redistricting scheme at a time when trust in our leadership is so low. You're a voice that really matters. And that's why I want to begin by asking, how was your Kentucky Derby? How was it?

[Governor Andy Beshear]

The Kentucky Derby was amazing. It was a day that we put aside any differences, division and got together with 100 plus thousand of our closest friends there at Churchill Downs, got together with about 20 million people watching online and they saw an amazing race where a long shot came in and Cherie became the first female trainer to ever win the Derby. Down the stretch, it was two brothers racing on their horses to see who would win. I think everybody who tuned in for it saw just an incredible Derby and how great Kentucky's thoroughbreds truly are.

[John Fugelsang]

Yeah, I think, I think it was Aristides won the very first one back in the 1870s. I grew up as a kid very into Kentucky Derby history, and I have to say, you looked at me amazing. Your wife looked amazing, as always. And it was really great to see also, just because that's an event where, you know, you see people from both sides of the political aisle coming together to appreciate the day. And it's nice to be reminded that that can still happen in social settings.

[Governor Andy Beshear]

Yeah, my wife, Brittany, always looks amazing. For me, it took work, but thankfully she was willing.

[John Fugelsang]

I didn't want to say anything. Yeah.

[Governor Andy Beshear]

To help me out, but it also just shows off this state that I love our hospitality, everything that Kentucky has to offer. As governor, though, you work on Derby, everybody else is having fun. I walk between six and eight miles on Derby Day because I'm going to find the CEO that's there that's considering bringing jobs to Kentucky, and I want to make sure I talk to her or him. I'm going to find the travel writer that's going to write up what Kentucky means to them on this trip. And I want to make sure that we look as good as we can. I want to make sure that I find those folks that are in Kentucky for the very first time and realize this isn't just a great place to visit, but a great place to live. So I once said to someone, you know, I'm the only person in government that's working today on a Saturday. And somebody looked back at me and said, well, it's a heck of a place to work. And they were right.

[John Fugelsang]

Well, I love your state. I've had many great experiences in your state, and I do want to talk quite a bit about some of the innovations that you have been doing in the state, working with Republicans to bring about innovation that I really think a lot of Democrats and mainstream media should focus on. I want to remind everyone we're taking your calls the full hour at 866-997-4748. And I'd like to begin off the bat with Mitch, who is calling in from Kent State in Ohio. Mitch, welcome. You're on Sirius XM with Governor Beshear.

[Caller]

Thank you, John. What an honor. Governor, it's great to talk to you. Really appreciate it. And hello, neighbor. When we visit down my brother down in Nashville, we always see that big water tower there. When we come out of Cincinnati, they're at the border. And so it's a reminder that hello and welcome, neighbor. I always appreciate that, Governor. You know, our states have some similarities, I think. I mean, Governor DeWine, you know, he, you know, he's good and bad, I guess. But, you know, I just, my main question is, you know, how do you work with, you know, an overwhelming Republican Senate and Congress as far as getting things done? I mean, is there any trade secrets as far as getting along? And how do you prioritize, let's put it that way, your priorities and how you manage them, working with them?

[Governor Andy Beshear]

That's a great question. It's good to hear from a neighbor. And in fact, Kentucky and Ohio, a Democratic governor and a Republican governor have worked together and just broke ground on one of the largest infrastructure projects of the last several decades. And that's the Brent Spence Companion Bridge.

[John Fugelsang]

That's right.

[Governor Andy Beshear]

So the bridge between Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati is one of the most important for commerce in the entire country. A significant portion of the country's GDP crosses it every single day. So if you are east of the Mississippi, that bridge is important to you and to your job. It was something they claimed would never happen. Multiple presidents promised it. But Governor DeWine and I coming together, recognizing that a bridge in Democrat or Republican, it's just a really important bridge. We're able to push this forward. You had Senator Rob Portman, who I've worked with despite being in the other party at the time, we had John Yarmouth, Democrat in Kentucky, working with us to push it through the House. So it is an example, even on the biggest, toughest projects, even on things that people previously said were impossible, that we can work together. The way I try to work with everyone is a recognition that the most important things to the people of the United States of America aren't partisan and they're not even bipartisan. They are non partisan and we ought to treat them that way. It's your job and whether you make enough to support your family, it's your next doctor's appointment for yourself, your parents or your kids. It's the roads and bridges you drive, the school you drop your kids off at and whether you feel safe in your community. So what I do is I spend 80% of my time on those issues because they matter to 100% of the American people. And the idea is when you do that, when you prioritize those basic everyday needs, you don't move a state or the country to the right or the left. You just move it forward for everyone and leaving nobody behind, which helps everyone,

[John Fugelsang]

which is a message I think our conservative brothers and sisters can respond to in New York. We've been trying so hard, Governor, to get a damn tunnel between downtown Manhattan and New Jersey for such a long time. And it's been so difficult to bring about seeing you and Governor DeWine just last week who's a reasonable man. He was a hero during COVID and it just sort of seems like it should be a no brainer. These projects are good for both parties and good for all the taxpayers.

[Governor Andy Beshear]

I watched him during COVID We communicated a lot of and he had the help of his head doctor during that period, a woman by the name of Amy Acton. And Amy is now running for governor in Ohio and I think would make a fantastic governor.

[John Fugelsang]

I completely agree. Governor, I want to ask you a few questions about what's going on internationally and thank you again, Mitch, for your call. Our number is 866-997-4748. Governor Beshear, the it's been a while since we've sat down. In the last two months, we of course have seen this destructive conflict begin in Iran without being told what the goal is, what victory looks like, why the original nuclear deal that the military swore Iran was complying with had to be torn up. Governor, what does a president owe his people. When he takes a nation to war,

[Governor Andy Beshear]

a president owes the people a lot more than this one has given them. He went to war just days after his State of the Union. That moment where a president talks to not just Congress, but the people of the United States of America. And he hardly mentioned it, believing that he didn't owe any type of explanation or reasoning. And then he launches a conflict that he alone decided to launch. This is on him without, like you said, any real plan of what victory looks like and without doing the work to understand the differences between Iran and Venezuela. They've now been pretty clear that he just expected the people of Iran to rise up, to take over. There would be this miraculous regime change that is not realistic at all. And then he was advised, but ignored, that the Strait of Hormuz could be closed, that Iran could seize it, that it would make Iran more powerful than it is right now, and that the cost of everything would skyrocket. And look at where we are. We are in a war that the American people don't agree with, that Congress hasn't authorized. And the costs of it are being borne by Americans who are paying, what, $5 for diesel in most places right now. That powers your farm machinery high $4.80, $4.90 for gas. That makes the price of everything we ship around the United. And so this president, who already escalated prices through tariffs, is now making it that much worse. And here's the thing, they don't seem to have any exit plan now at all. It appears that he's just going by his gut on any given day, and we're seeing that the decisions there aren't good now. It almost looks like what he wants to get in place was the arrangement that we had when he became president the first time that he undid and will have gone to war for what? The status quo that the same president had undone. You can see the incompetence even through the announced and then canceled Operation Freedom. He didn't want to have to go to Congress to get authorization for the war. So he claimed the war was over. But now we have an operation that was going to open up the Strait of Hormuz and get oil flowing again. Except after announcing this thing that's so important, he called it freedom. He paused it. And why did he pause Freedom? Because Pakistan asked him to. To this president, Apparently Pakistan can pause Freedom and then he ends up canceling freedom. After a day and a half after he had Pete Hegseth and one of his top generals come out to talk about how well planned this thing is. It's already overt. You cannot wage a war with this type of internal chaos, indecision and incompetence, especially when Americans are paying the price.

[John Fugelsang]

Yeah, I mean, I don't know what Project Freedom meant. I heard that at first and I thought it was an ad for like a nicotine pouch that Kid Rock sponsored. But we did have almost 48 hours of freedom, Governor. Let's give him credit for that. And again, it's. It's the lies. It's the double talking jibe. It's the fact that our allies weren't told about this. As you pointed out, none of us were told in the State of the Union days before. The people of Iran have come so close over the years to really building a movement to depose their fundamentalist religious leadership. And I fear that that leadership is going to be entrenched now for decades longer. They've been made stronger. Putin's gotten rich off of this, and the strait's been turned into a. A toll road. It seems like the rest of the world is crying out for American leadership that they can at least trust and face value.

[Governor Andy Beshear]

You're right about the doublespeak. The President saying there must be regime change and now claiming there has been, when who's in charge? The son of the leader that the United States killed and is now more radicalized than ever. And then just the. The idea that we would start a war without consulting our allies, without getting their buy in, and then have the expectation that they will show up and help. That's not realistic foreign policy. And our president ought to have better judgment than that.

[John Fugelsang]

Indeed. Well, I want to talk about some of the remedies that you've been fighting for to lessen the burden on citizens. We're going to take a very quick break and when we come back, more with Governor Beshear and your calls live. 866-9974. We can't wait to hear from you. This is SiriusXM Proc. Out on the road, it helps to

[Governor Andy Beshear]

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[Governor Andy Beshear]

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[Governor Andy Beshear]

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[John Fugelsang]

Tennessee 2012 thank you, Dolly. Welcome back. We're at 866-997-4748 with Governor Andy Beshear.

[Governor Andy Beshear]

Always good to have Dolly.

[John Fugelsang]

Well, it's always good to have a guest who can be the DJ on this show. I gotta tell you, you send in good music every time we do one of these. Governor.

[Governor Andy Beshear]

We do our best. I got the good fortune to make Dolly Parton a Kentucky colonel. And that's because her Imagination Library that provides a book every month to children newborn up to age 5 that promotes literacy, that gets families to read together. Such a good thing. And she's such a good person.

[John Fugelsang]

Well, she's also such an icon because like Willie Nelson, she's someone who is beloved by all sides and yet she doesn't hold back on her own opinions. And I think, if you don't mind my saying, I'd put you in that category as well. Someone who is definitely progressive and always has been, but also is beloved by both sides of the aisle.

[Governor Andy Beshear]

Well, if I fall in a category with Dolly Parton, I'm in.

[John Fugelsang]

Let me go to the phones again. We're at 866-997-GRIT. We'd love to hear from you. Yes, I just compared the man to Willie and Dolly. Joe is on the line from Chicago. Joe, thank you for waiting. You're on with Governor Beshear.

[Caller]

Yes, thank you very much. I just wanted to express my concerns that the Democrats just fail to see the shifting reality as it's occurring and are left waiting in the wind. One example is the Virginia Supreme Court changing their minds when before the election, they ruled that the vote could proceed and then somehow after the election's over, their rulings changed.

[John Fugelsang]

That's a good point.

[Caller]

But we can infer from this. We have to assume at this point the Republicans are actively bribing judges and Virginia should subpoena these judges that change their opinion, get their phone records, get them and other people to testify under oath who they talk to, what happened that made their opinions change. And I don't think it's going to be a deep dive to find out they were given promises or actual money to help them change their minds Okay.

[John Fugelsang]

I don't think it's also a deep dive to suggest that they are just ideologically predisposed to being, being with the Republican scheme to undermine democracy. But the governor, he makes a good point. You know, these red states like Texas, God bless them, they went and said, we're gonna carve up the districts ourselves, take away black representation. California and Virginia actually went to the voters and said, should we do this to push back against the gerrymandering? The people of Virginia chose, yes, we wanna do this democratically. And this Supreme Court, they could have come out beforehand and said no. But to our caller's point, they waited until after the election and after the people had spoken to undo it.

[Governor Andy Beshear]

Yeah, it shows how important both state supreme courts and governors are. A lot of the focus right now, rightfully, is on Congress and whether the House will flip, whether the Senate will flip. But if you look at what's going on in America right now, governors are the last line of defense to ensure that we have fair elections to call or not call their legislatures into session on redistricting. So in Kentucky, we are not going to redistrict. My super majority is not going to be able to carve out the last Democratic seat. Why? Because we have a Democratic governor in me who is not calling them back into session. So we're going to make sure that we have an election with our, our current districts. But remember, in a lot of states, governors also appoint those Supreme Court justices. And so making sure that we elect Democratic governors all over the country is absolutely essential. And as people, again, are looking at the map, look at the governor's races we have up this year. Can you imagine if Katie Hobbs is not reelected as governor in Arizona? Her likely opponent is an election denier, believes that Donald Trump won the election. Can you imagine what he would do in that position in the future? Look at the opportunities that are out there in Iowa with Rob sand, the Democratic auditor, running, and Amy Acton running in Ohio. If those two states flip blue, then they're in play in 2028. And so I'd say your governor is critically important for democracy. It's also important for the rule of law. I'll give you an example. This Trump administration is canceling grants that Congress approved and appropriated the money for. For instance, AmeriCorps, such an incredibly important program. They work in food banks, they work in schools, they work in high poverty areas to try to help kids and our American citizens to. To get by. Well, the Trump administration decided it was going to defund AmeriCorps. It doesn't have the legal authority to do it. And so democratically led states sued and what happened? We won. But that only turned on AmeriCorps in our states. And so you've got a lot of programs out there that currently are in blue states because we're willing to stand up to Donald Trump, but not in red states. So if you have a red state governor or attorney general, right now, you are losing out on tens of millions of dollars that Congress appropriated to help your people. And what it means is you're putting your fealty to this president above what's best and right for the people of your state.

[John Fugelsang]

Governor, we're witnessing something that we haven't seen in our lifetimes before, where it's sort of like they are trying to undo the Voting Rights Act. Of course they tried.

[Governor Andy Beshear]

They cared about it. Yeah.

[John Fugelsang]

I mean, back in 2013, they got rid of Section 5. Now they've done this. Jim Clyburn's district may disappear. Memphis is a city that is overwhelmingly African American. The state of Tennessee, God bless him, is 40% African American. And they have diluted the voting power, cutting the city into threes and absorbing, diluting all those votes into majority white districts. A lot of our friends are wrong to say that they're taking away the black vote. They're doing something more insidious. They're letting them have the vote and taking away any power for representation from the vote. What would you say to folks in Tennessee, African American voters who are the backbone of the economy of that state, who are feeling like democracy is a lost cause?

[Governor Andy Beshear]

It's a very painful chapter in our nation's history moving backwards in the way that we are. Last year I got invited to the 60th anniversary of Selma and the march in Selma. And I got to meet some of the brave foot soldiers that are still with us that that day had the collective courage to march across a bridge knowing that there was a Southern governor who was trying to oppress them and had the state police on the other side. They put their lives on the line. They certainly put their physical well being because they were beaten on the line. And their courage and the visuals that came out that day changed the country, led to the Voting Rights act, moved us in the right direction, and now some of those very same people are having to see it undone. I will say it was a deeply moving experience for me to be there. I got to be the Southern governor marching with now the state police were marching with everyone. We were actually marching in the right direction. And then The Supreme Court now was basically standing on the other side of that bridge. As they write biographies on presidents, they also write them on supreme courts. And this is going to be a stain on the reputation of every single person who sided with the majority. Think about Congress without diverse views. Think about Congress without a Jim Clyburn. Think about Congress where everyone from a given state is the exact same party, even though in any state there's at least 25, 30% of the population that is of another one that is not democracy. And it's basically.

[John Fugelsang]

That's exactly what they're thinking about.

[Governor Andy Beshear]

It's basically moving back to the way the US Senate used to be selected by state legislatures. Because now these state legislatures in the south that are doing this redistricting are saying, well, they put a majority of us in the state legislature, which means they want us to send conservatives to Washington, D.C. no people are supposed to show up and vote. So here's where I am. Because there's so many things that are wrong and even broken about our politics. I think it's time for a fix the government, fix the country type of constitutional amendment where we can actually get back on the right track. The first part ought to be nonpartisan redistricting. Therefore the voters select their elected officials and elected officials don't get to select their voters. You know, the second one should be campaign finance reform in it.

[John Fugelsang]

Yes, sir.

[Governor Andy Beshear]

Get all of the dark money out of politics. Get back to a system where you got to be supported by people who give certain amounts and you got to have enough support out there to raise it one contribution after another. So overturning Citizens United. But I'm going to go one further. It is time for term limits. Term limits for Congress and term limits for the Supreme Court, too. Somebody sitting for 40, 50 years potentially, I just don't think is right. And we have seen what it can do with people gaming when a justice steps down or doesn't step down. You know, I know it's big, I know it's bold, but maybe that's where we are in the country. We need big and bold to not just solve our problems of today, but to set up a better future for tomorrow.

[John Fugelsang]

Big and bold is what we need. It's what the Democratic Party needs. It's what the voters are crying out for. And I would settle for a ban on bribes with Supreme Court judges. Let me go to Bill in the great state of Indiana. Bill, thank you for waiting. Welcome. You're on SiriusXM with Governor Beshear.

[Caller]

Yes, sir. Good afternoon. Let me ask you a question and I'll tell you why I say this. In all honesty, I moved from Virginia about a year ago, and what happened there to me was a complete whatever nice you want to call it. Ironically, Indiana, which I'm in now, you know, went the other direction. But the question I have is this. Like President Biden and like Abigail Spandberger, they both were portrayed or supposedly were independent, were moderate, maybe a little bit left to center. Spamberger particularly, went off the deep end in my estimation. And I'm not a MAGA guy, believe me. I voted both sides of the aisle. My concession is this the next time, and maybe I'm thinking about you, Governor, that a Democrat runs who is considered as a moderate. And they, and this goes both ways. Republicans, the same thing. And they shift to the far left or the far right. What confidence does that give a person who voted for them?

[Governor Andy Beshear]

Bill, thanks for calling in and thanks for your views. I appreciate that you vote for people on either side of the aisle because in the end, if we're doing this right, it should be a competition of ideas or who you believe would either do the best job or fight the hardest. For you. I can tell you, for me, I am who I am, and I'm not afraid to show you who I am. The things I ran on for governor, the things I'm still working on today and my promise to my state, but also what I'm suggesting to other candidates out there is we ought to all have what I call an 80, 100 rule, right? We'll all have our convictions that we stand up for, and maybe we disagree on some of those. But if we spend 80% of our time on those nonpartisan issues that help everyone, you could call that moderate or we could call it just being focused on the American people. I think that's both how we improve people's lives in this tough time and how we heal some of this division. So 80% of our time on better jobs, on more accessible health care, on safe roads and bridges, on good public schools and on public safety. That's, I think, the path forward. And in many ways, you see, that's what's really promised in a lot of these elections that could be on on either side. I think Donald Trump won in 2024 because the last group of undecided voters believed he was more focused on the economy and bringing down prices, on their everyday nonpartisan needs. I think Abigail Spanberger ran on that. Mikey Sherrill ran on that.

[John Fugelsang]

That's right.

[Governor Andy Beshear]

Even Mondame in New York I think convinced people that he was going to at least try harder. And I think a lot of people said I don't think a lot of his proposals are going to work, but he seems passionate about trying to help me in my everyday life and needs. And so if we could get back there, if we could get back to, you know, let's do the things we all agree on first and then let's argue about the things we disagree on. We could probably disagree a little bit better, too.

[John Fugelsang]

Welcome back to Progress. We're at 8669-9747-4886-6997, GRIT with Governor Andy Beshear. Governor Antoinette is on the line from Seattle. Antoinette, welcome. You're on with Andy.

[Caller]

Hi. Good morning, everyone.

[John Fugelsang]

Hello.

[Caller]

I just have a question about the undermining belief systems of the Southern states. These are generational belief systems that have persisted for a long, long time post civil war and are still entrenched. How do we shift people? Because what I'm seeing is they might not like President Trump, but they're still voting in the same incumbent senators and representatives that are not going to shift the country. So their belief systems, the belief systems of the country, especially the fact that President Trump still has 80 to 90% support in the Republican Party, this is a major disbelief for me that all that's occurred. If a Democrat were creating all of this disruption, he would have been gone by now.

[John Fugelsang]

Democrats would have impeached him by now.

[Governor Andy Beshear]

Yes, Democrats are pro democracy, which is a good thing.

[Caller]

Yeah, it is a good thing. But I don't understand why the Republican Party really dislikes us and why we have such a low rating amongst the voters. Because we fought for all of the social programs that have helped everyone. Those social programs are failing and we have a tremendous debt because corporations aren't paying their fair share of taxes. But that's not our fault.

[Governor Andy Beshear]

Governor, I, Antoinette, thanks for, thanks for your question and thanks for caring. Thanks for caring enough to give voice to your concerns because I can tell you're worried about the well being of the American people, as am I. If you look at the south, which you mentioned early on, what we saw for decades, and this is just fact I can criticize my own party is zero investment from the Democratic Party into those states. And you saw tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions of dollars from the Republican Party demonizing especially national Democrats with no response. And so you've got, you know, decades of an echo chamber that people have heard. But let me tell you, we're fighting back Southern Democrats are fighting back for a seat at the table. We now have Democratic governors of Kentucky, North Carolina and Virginia. We have two Democratic U.S. senators from Georgia. So have hope. We've got leaders out there that are pushing and pushing hard. I think where we are right now as a country is in need of our McCarthyism moment, of people to take a breath and say that, okay, things have gone too far, that I'm supposed to be an American before I'm a Republican or a Democrat. And I think what we've got to do to get there is, yes, we judge the president, but we shouldn't necessarily be judging voters simply because they vote differently than we do. It's why I never say the phrase MAGA Republicans, because I don't want somebody that voted for this president to just go to their partisan corner. I want them to hopefully listen and think about it. And with what's happening in their lives right now, people are going to be more open. If you are a Trump voting soybean farmer and you saw his tariffs, send your largest customer in China to Brazil and Argentina and your crop is rotting in the field or in the bins, you see a president that has harmed your well being. If you are a truck driver and you're filling up right now and you see the amount that it's costing, you know that it's Trump's war with Iran that has that has caused it. And so we've got to be the party that, yes, points out the challenges that he has created, but we also have to be for something and not just against someone. For me, the Democratic Party has been and should be about that American dream, about fighting for a system that if you work hard and play by the rules, you can still get ahead, that you can purchase your first home before you're 40. John that is the average age for first time home ownership right now in the United States. That you can afford both to put food on the table and buy your child's next prescription and that those basic needs you should be able to meet from that one job so that you can worry about other issues and not your own survival. I mean, this is a chance that Democrats can give voice to. I think exactly where the American people are. And they're saying, focus on us, focus on our families, make sure that this system works. And that's not just Democrats, it's Republicans and independents too. I'd close by saying I have seen the power of providing opportunity to where people who vote different ways can change their mind. There is a county called Henderson in Kentucky. It's a former coal mining county. It was trending Republican. I won it in 2019 by about 500 votes. I thought it was the last time I'd ever vote for a Democrat before my reelection. We landed the world's cleanest, greenest recycled paper mill there. And talk about incredible jobs. 350 jobs. They paid $40 an hour. What happened in my reelection, we won that county by three times more than in 2019. So folks that had voted Republican over and over and over saw their lives getting better, saw their community moving forward, and they were willing to go with that person that ultimately just provided that better path.

[John Fugelsang]

Your state just got a company from Poland to open up manufacturing right there in Kentucky.

[Governor Andy Beshear]

We are still succeeding here. And it is in spite of, and not because of the Trump administration. Tariffs are raising the cost of all the reshoring we were doing in the Biden administration, but raising it by 30 or 40%. Why? Because if we don't make something in the United States and we want to do it again, we've got to import all the machinery to do it. And tariffs make it that much more expensive. I've been proud as governor. Every year I've been governor, Kentucky's been top five in economic development per capita. We've had our best years for private sector investment and for new jobs, but also for wages because I stopped incentivizing cut rate jobs because we wanted better jobs where you could actually afford that home.

[John Fugelsang]

It's a model that works and capitalism does better when working people can afford to buy stuff. Let me go to Ken, who's calling from the great state of New York. Ken, hello and welcome. You're on with Governor Beshear.

[Caller]

Yes, good afternoon for you, Mr. Beshear. I suppose it's still morning. We used to live in Nashville, Tennessee. Lived there for 44 years. To show you just how absurd this whole thing is, what they did to dilute Memphis down and keep diluting Memphis is they merged with Williamson County. Williamson county in a district. Williamson county is about 210 miles away from Memphis. That's absurd.

[Governor Andy Beshear]

It's crazy what the Supreme Court has allowed, rightfully, we think about it, in terms of how it's going to dilute and in many places eliminate minority representation, something that this country desperately needed and were better for. But it also now opens the doors to the wild, wild west that says you can gerrymander for any reason, especially purely partisan political reasons. There's no diversity of thought there. And right now it's allowing certain states that the legislature's Republican to basically just pledge fealty to one individual, that is Donald Trump, and do whatever he says, even though he changes his mind multiple times a day and has changed multiple parts of the Republican platform just because that day, that's what he felt like doing. That's why I think the constitutional amendment is so important. I don't want a system where we redistrict every year or every other year to try to take Congress or for some other reason. I don't want that type of chaos for my kids. You know, the country that I grew up in wasn't perfect and we needed to improve in lots of different ways, but it was stable and I felt like my voice mattered. I want to make sure that the people of Tennessee feel like their voice mattered. I spent four great years in Nashville and the idea that a neighborhood there would be a part of a district that cuts into Memphis is simply crazy. And then think about, I mean, the size of Memphis and others as a city having no real representation. There is even a likelihood of this, that there's not going to be a congressman or woman that lives in Memphis coming out of Tennessee. It's really wrong. People should be upset about it. People should be fired up about it. And you know what? They should prove that doing this is not only wrong, but it's bad politically. Democrats ought to get out there and Republicans ought to join them and we ought to win anyway. Send a clear message that you don't win by cheating. You don't change the rules in the middle of the game. We can't let those that are doing this prosper because of that type of cheating. And I tell you what, I think we're going to see more Senate seats in play because of how upset that people are about what's going on on those House seats.

[John Fugelsang]

I want to ask you about exactly that, Governor, and about specific things Democrats can do to remind folks who's fighting for non millionaires. We've got to take a very quick break. Back with your calls in just a moment. Again, we'd love to hear from you at 866-997-4748. I promise I'm not going to ask too much about 2028, Governor. 866997 GRIT. We'll be right back.

[Governor Andy Beshear]

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[John Fugelsang]

We are taking Your calls at 8. God bless. John Prine, 866-997-4748 Talking with a man who has shown that compassion is good politics and good economics. Therese is on the line from Youngstown, Ohio. Therese, thank you for waiting and welcome to Sirius xm. You're on with the governor.

[Caller]

Hi John. Hi, Governor Beshear. It's great to talk to you both. I'm from Northeast Ohio, not too far from Mitch in Kent State. And I have a question. You had mentioned earlier that you as far as during COVID kind of work with Governor DeWine, who I think did a great job with Dr. Amy Acton, Democrat, Republican. I had some questions talking with people. There's a lot of people who are so against Amy Acton because they said she closed the state down during COVID I frankly think she did a fantastic job. I watched them every single day because I lost my job during that. And I just have a question for you. If you have any advice on what to tell people, I'm going to help with her campaign and these people who are just so against her because they really didn't believe in Covid and just wanted to get your insights.

[Governor Andy Beshear]

I appreciate it.

[John Fugelsang]

The anti vaccine crowd.

[Governor Andy Beshear]

And Amy Acton is a great candidate. She'll be a great governor. I'm fully supporting her in that election. When you look at what she did, I think you talk about it in terms of compassion. Listen, you never want to have to make that tough decision. You never want to ask people to be healthy at home. But if you care enough about the people of your state in a time of pandemic, you're willing to make the hard decisions. And there's no question that you have to do that as governor and that Amy Acton already has experience doing it. I remember at one point when people kept saying, what do you say to the people who don't want the vaccine? I said, I'm not trying to tell you what to do. I'm not trying to push something onto you I just care about you enough that I'm trying to convince you to do something that would save your life or save the life of a neighbor. And I think you start there. But while a lot of people are still focused on that or bring it up, there's no question right now it's the cost of groceries and gas, your child's next prescription, that matters most to people. And so I think there's also a chance to say, you may have disagreed with some decisions that I made in the past, but who do you trust to help you get by? Right now, the country's in a tough place. So many people are struggling. I'm convinced the candidates that are winning are the ones that, that truly care more, can express that and people believe will work harder to find a solution to what's in front of them. And the other thing is there are some voters that just aren't going to change their mind. And that's okay. I'm of the belief that you don't need to sit around and argue with them all day long. We can have different beliefs. You try to find that common ground. I remember in my reelection we had a, an event and it was so packed I had to get out of the car and walk through somebody else's lawn to get to it. And the owner came out and said hi, and he was being nice and then he said, but, you know, I'll never be able to vote for you. And I said, well, what do you mean? He said, well, we're not for the same things. And I said, you're not for a record number of jobs. You're not for record private sector investment. You're not for the new specialty clinic that opened up here in your backyard so you don't have to drive an hour anymore. Turns out that guy voted for me later. Just trying to find that common ground that maybe pushes away what people tell us are important and actually focuses on the things that we know are important.

[John Fugelsang]

You remind me of the America we grew up expecting to inherit. Governor, that was lovely. I think there's hunger for that. I think we can disagree with our co workers and loved ones passionately and still get along and work towards the same goals of helping each other.

[Governor Andy Beshear]

Absolutely. It's the idea that even if we disagree with them on almost everything, our neighbor is not the enemy from within. He or she is just our neighbor trying to do their best in a complicated world.

[John Fugelsang]

Let me get to Renee, who's calling from the beautiful state of Kentucky. Renee, hello and welcome. Perhaps you've heard of our Guest I

[Caller]

have actually, I actually live in Burbank, California, but I'm driving through the great state of Kentucky right now. And because I grew up in Cincinnati, I spent every summer in Somerset, Kentucky, helping my grandma. Canned beans. All right, so I'm very familiar with Kentucky and I love it. And I think that, Governor, you are the antidote that we need in this country. You are the perfect candidate. Please, I beg of you, run for president. We need you.

[Governor Andy Beshear]

Well, thank you, Renee. My lawyers tell me I can't respond to that directly, but I greatly appreciate the encouragement. I'll tell you, when I walked off the stage my reelection on re election night, I looked at my wife, I exhaled, and I said, who? We'll never have to run for anything ever again. Because being governor is, first of all, is enough. You get to work for the people of your state every day. And I'm so proud of the work that Kentucky has put in and where we are today. And while I don't know what form my future will take, I will not leave a broken country to my kids or anybody else's kids or grandkids. As we've seen now, democracy and the American dream are not guaranteed. Every generation or certain generations have to stand up and protect them and fight for them and make sure we leave our kids and grandkids the same type of country, or at least the same potential of that country for each successive generation. That's why I'm speaking out. You know, there's not a lot of people speaking out against a president in a state he won by 30 points. There's not a lot of governors who have sued this president 20 plus times from a state he won by 30 points. It's not because I'm a Democratic governor and he's a Republican president. It's because his policies are harming the people of Kentucky and the American people. I think whatever our next leadership is in this country has got to be one that can heal the nation. It's not enough to have a Democratic version of Trump and to try to get retribution. I want to move beyond this. I want my kids to live in a country that doesn't think about retribution, that internationally is back to being leader of the free world and not the bully on the playground. So you'll see I'm traveling a lot right now trying to speak reason into this chaos because I love the United States of America and I want the very best USA for that future generation.

[John Fugelsang]

Rene, thank you so much for that lovely call. I should also point out, Governor, I didn't Give credit earlier when we were talking about the Brent Spence Bridge to President Joe Biden who did so much to make this happen. And in our Go ahead, please.

[Governor Andy Beshear]

No, it was Joe Biden. It was Mitch McConnell who crossed party lines to vote for it. It was a Democratic and Republican governor. It was Rob Portman. It's Democrat John Yarmuth. The day we announced it, when the cameras were showing a US House of Representatives in disarray, not knowing who the speaker was going to be, we had Democrats and Republicans all laughing, all smiling because we were all just doing something good together. That's what we need to get back

[John Fugelsang]

to in our final couple of minutes. I just want to commend you for cutting the state gas tax last week. You'll be saving drivers quite a bit as the gas prices rise with this ongoing war. I think that's a great template for other governors to follow and provide that tax relief where people need it most right now.

[Governor Andy Beshear]

Well, I had to make a decision about whether to watch my Kentucky family struggle or to have a more difficult budget for the state moving forward. I will pick a more difficult budget for the state every single day and every single challenge if it helps our Kentucky families. You know, sometimes we start thinking of the things we run as more important than the people that we serve. It's always putting those people first. I hear Trump is now proposing it in Congress, but he has a much simpler way of lowering gas prices. Negotiate an end to this war and they will plummet. I don't think he's got the competent people around him to do that. And I certainly wouldn't trust J.D. vance to negotiate a thing.

[John Fugelsang]

Amen. Governor, really quick, what's the best way for listeners to follow you and keep up with more of your work?

[Governor Andy Beshear]

Well, tune in to the Andy Beshear Podcast Saturday mornings at 11am on Sirius XM Progress. You can download the podcast wherever you get your podcast. You can follow me on all social media platforms. Andybashearky. We'd love to have you subscribe, follow and you can get the news. You can get my opinion. You can see somebody fighting back against this administration every day.

[John Fugelsang]

Governor, again, it's always a pleasure. I want to thank your entire team and thank everyone at Sirius XM and Sirius XM Progress. And thank all you guys for listening. We will be back very shortly with another episode with Governor Beshear. And thank you personally, Governor, for showing that compassion is excellent politics and excellent economics.

[Governor Andy Beshear]

Thank you, John and everybody out there. Make sure to buy his book.

[John Fugelsang]

Thank you. Peace.

[Governor Andy Beshear]

If you enjoyed this episode. Make sure you follow us on social media and go over to our YouTube channel at Andy Beshear Podcast. Leave in the comments if you'd like to see more shows like this. In the end, this podcast is about communicating with Americans. It's about making sure you understand the things that are going on in this country and trying to make a little sense out of the chaos that is our current federal administration. We want to hear from you. We want you to be a part of this podcast family. So encourage your friends, encourage your family. Let's get more followers for the Andy Beshear Podcast. And remember, there is plenty of merch. Nothing tells somebody that you care about them like an Andy Beshear Podcast mug, an Andy Beshear Podcast shirt, or of course, the Andy Beshear Podcast tote bag. Don't be without one. Everybody else has them. I hope you enjoyed the episode and we'll be back soon. Boom. Clock it. Cloudless skies in the midday sun Bees

[Caller]

are buzzing now that spring is done

[Governor Andy Beshear]

the bird song blows as the tide

[Caller]

rolls out these memories are what summer's about beach sidewalks with a view for

[Governor Andy Beshear]

miles but the rolling hills can't compete with your smile Evenings in with a

[John Fugelsang]

movie and take out feel On Deck

[Governor Andy Beshear]

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[John Fugelsang]

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[Governor Andy Beshear]

Com. Depending on certain loan attributes, your business loan may be issued by Ondeck or Celtic Bank. Ondeck does not lend in North Dakota. All loans and amounts subject to lender approval.