Kentucky Gov. Beshear takes jabs at JD Vance in his home state of Ohio

Source: CNN Politics

PUBLISHED Mar 22, 2026, 2:44 PM ET


Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, speaking in JD Vance’s home state of Ohio on Saturday, tore into the vice president, questioning his Appalachian roots and telling voters they “deserve better.”

The comments from Beshear — who is viewed as a rising star in the Democratic Party and has been floated as a potential 2028 presidential contender — came during remarks at a spring gala hosted by the Butler County Democratic Party in Middletown, Ohio.

The two-term Democratic governor has previously feuded with Vance, who is also considered a likely 2028 candidate. Beshear doubled down on his past criticisms of Vance on Saturday, including by saying the vice president “ain’t from Appalachia.”

“(Vance) wrote an entire book that trafficked his tired stereotypes about the people in my state, called the people who mined the coal that power the Industrial Revolution, helped us to win two world wars, he called them lazy,” Beshear said, referring to “Hillbilly Elegy,” which the governor described as a work of “poverty tourism.” “Ohio deserved a much better senator than (JD Vance), and we all deserve a much better vice president,” Beshear said.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/22/politics/beshear-vance-criticism-ohio