FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — Governor Andy Beshear focused on reaching across the political divide during his annual State of the Commonwealth speech at the Kentucky Capitol on Wednesday evening. He urged people to turn away from the bitterness of national politics.
Beshear, who has received significant national attention over the last two years, touted Kentucky's successes like its economic and job growth. He said those achievements were possible because Kentucky pushed out the national noise and focused on common ground.
“Yes, there are a lot of big, important issues facing our country,” Beshear said. “But if you’re staring at the cost of your child’s prescription and wondering how you’re going to pay for both it and your family’s dinner, the offense of the day in Washington just doesn’t seem that important.”
“Let’s let our positive actions speak louder than the nasty words we hear on TV or that we read online,” he added. “And we can do this simply by focusing on the core areas where we can and we should find common ground.”
Beshear encouraged state lawmakers to be "thoughtful" as they create new laws over the next three months.
"Please be thoughtful of how legislation treats those suffering from poverty or addiction, how it treats the homeless or the hopeless," said Beshear. "Do we make more room at our tables or in our prisons?"
"Do we recognize that the difference between the carrot or the stick is the difference between feeding or beating? I hope and pray that God grants us the wisdom to see beyond the anger of today to the possibility and promise of tomorrow," he added.
Beshear, who is term limited, has had a strained relationship with the GOP-led legislature at times, and there were plenty of empty seats in the House chamber for his speech. Republican lawmakers say Beshear has taken credit for economic development successes that they say are the result of business-friendly policies passed by the legislature, sometimes over Beshear’s opposition.
“Probably the governor’s single-largest legislative accomplishment has been the fact that we override his vetoes,” Kentucky House Speaker David Osborne, a Republican, said in an interview on Kentucky Educational Television after Beshear’s speech.
The speech comes as Beshear’s national profile has continued to grow. Democratic governors recently picked Beshear as chair-elect of the Democratic Governors Association for 2026, meaning he will take a lead role in his party’s efforts to win governorships in the midterm election, including a crucial set of presidential swing states.
Beshear accepted an invitation to speak at the upcoming World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, a global event that brings together business, government, and academic leaders. Beshear has said it’s an opportunity to promote Kentucky on the global stage. It also could boost his reputation as his name comes up amid early speculation about potential Democratic contenders for the White House in 2028.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
