CHICAGO, Ill. – Democratic Party heavyweight Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear spoke to News4JAX on Tuesday about how the party plans to change Florida to a swing state.
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Beshear, who was on Vice President Kamala Harris’ short list of running mates, is one of two Democratic governors of southern states.
“We make sure that we both run and govern where people live,” Beshear said. “That’s whether you have a good job, whether you can support your family, whether you can afford your next doctor’s visit, the quality of the roads and bridges you travel every day, public safety, and public education. When we govern where people live we don’t govern to the right or left, we move forward.”
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There was a lot of buzz in the room of Florida delegates about who would run for governor in Florida when current Gov. Ron DeSantis’ term expires.
Beshear is trying to lay out a path for victory in a state, which like Kentucky, has a lot of Republicans, but still voted for a Democratic governor.
He also said Democrat optimism is at a peak.
“This is more excitement than I have ever seen in an election cycle,” Behsear said. “2008 was a lot of energy, but this is unparalleled. How quickly it’s come about the number of volunteers, the amount of money flowing in.”
In the room of Florida delegates, there were numerous up-and-coming politicians from the Sunshine State looking to make a move.
Former State Senator Audrey Gibson is a veteran of Democratic politics.
She, like many delegates in Chicago, believes Florida is still a swing state.
“I’m extremely excited for this week and for our future including the future of Florida. All we need is a big effort. Knocking on every door whether they’re Republican or independent,” Gibson said.
Daniel Henry, head of the Duval County Democratic Party said Jacksonville is facing a lot of the issues that Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz are campaigning on.
“I think Jacksonville is able to deal with a lot of the issues she’s talking about. Housing affordability is something that’s really important in Duval. It’s hard for you to be able to afford a house. It’s hard for you to be able to get an apartment. There’s rising costs for interest rates. We don’t have the inventory for people to get a home. They’re focused on a $3 million to get houses built across the country, give $25,000 assistance for people to buy a new home. You have a governor (in Walz) who served in the armed services who can talk to a lot of veterans who live in Duval county,” Henry said.