Beshear hosts Kentucky fundraisers for vulnerable Ohio Democratic Senator

Unburdened by a reelection effort, Gov. Andy Beshear is continuing to build his national political network.

Such was the case in late May when Beshear hosted U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, D-OH, for two fundraisers, one in Frankfort and another in Louisville.

The May 29 events are in line with Beshear’s recent work to raise his profile outside of the Commonwealth.

The second-term governor headlined a Montana Democratic dinner in March and has high-profile speaking engagements lined up in Tennessee and Virginia this summer.

Beshear’s political action committee, In This Together PAC, has focused on candidates facing a tough political landscape like he did in his 2023 re-election where he won by 5 points in a state that just barely elected him in the first place and recently gave Donald Trump and two Republican U.S. senators 20-point margins.

Brown’s race against GOP candidate Bernie Moreno is one of the closest-watched in the nation. Ohio, once a bellwether state for the nation, has trended Republican in recent election cycles.

The Cook Political Report rates Brown and Moreno’s race as one of three “toss-ups” this year.

With West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin leaving office in ruby red West Virginia, the Democratic caucus is largely expected to lose one seat of their 51-49 majority over Republicans in the Senate.

That means Democrats would need to win all three toss-ups and the presidency to hold a majority.

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Alongside Brown, Beshear’s In This Together PAC has already endorsed the other two Democrats running in “toss up” races: Nevada Sen. Jackie Rosen and Montana Sen. Jon Tester, who Beshear visited earlier this year.

“Brown meets virtually all of the criteria that Andy Beshear cares about,” Eric Hyers, Beshear’s top political consultant who is involved with In This Together PAC.

Hyers also mentioned that Kentucky and Ohio share media markets, which is particularly true of the Cincinatti-Northern Kentucky metro area, and that Beshear and Brown collaborated on the Brent Spence Bridge project in the area.

Hyers did not share how much was raised at the Frankfort and Louisville fundraisers for Brown.

Beshear also hosted a fundraiser in Louisville last month for North Carolina attorney general Josh Stein, the Democrat running to replace outgoing Democratic governor Roy Cooper in another heated red state race against lieutenant governor Mark Robinson.

In This Together PAC reported raising more than $217,000 as of April 30 of this year, largely from Kentucky donors according to Federal Elections Commission records.

Beyond the political action committee, Beshear allies’ nonprofit 501(c)(4) group Heckbent has been raising and spending money this year. As a 501(c)(4) group, also known in politics as a “dark money” entity, Heckbent is not required to publicly disclose its donors, unlike political action committees akin to In This Together.

All this comes at a time when Beshear might be wise to gain allies across the nation, particularly if he has national ambitions.

Al Cross, a longtime political commentator and journalist in Kentucky, recently called Beshear’s outside political involvement “a way to run for president without running for president.”

Earlier this year, famed political consultant James Carville said in a New York Times article that Beshear ranked as one of eight top Democratic talents “right below the presidential level.”

Crit Luallen, the former state auditor and lieutenant governor under former Gov. Steve Beshear, hosted Andy Beshear and Brown for the Frankfort event at her family’s homeplace.

Luallen spoke at the event alongside the governor, Brown and the elder Beshear, father of the current governor. She said around 60 people showed up for the fundraiser and the senator was “well-received” when he spoke for around 15 minutes on the need to break through congressional gridlock and work across the aisle to solve problems.

“That’s the kind of energy we need in Congress: folks who are willing to take on issues important to their districts back home and who will find allies in their own party but also across the aisle to try to make things happen,” Luallen said.

Jerry Deaton, a former lobbyist and government staffer, was at the Frankfort fundraiser and remarked on Brown’s easy, down-to-earth nature. Deaton said he’s met a few senators in his day, but none as relatable as Brown.

“He stood there with me as long as I wanted to talk,” Deaton said. “I got to talking about my family being from Eastern Kentucky and the fact that we’re having our family reunion in Miamisburg, Ohio, and there are so many other families like ours from the East… I was impressed with his concern for the common man in Ohio.”

Luallen added that events like the one she hosted are likely to benefit Beshear, who at age 46 could have a long political future ahead of him.

“I think a lot of Democrats are looking to him to see how Democrats win in states that are becoming increasingly conservative as Kentucky is.,” Luallen said. “Because of that, I think he’s seen as a rising star in national Democratic politics.

“He’s obviously interested in helping others succeed, and I think that builds a network of alliances for him no matter what he decides to do in the future.”

Beshear has committed multiple times to serving out the remainder of his second term in office, which will come to an end in 2027.