LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and U.S. Sen. JD Vance are giving us a preview of what a potential debate between the two could look like.
After Beshear took Vance to task Monday morning and said Vance "ain't from here" while criticizing his perception of Kentuckians and Appalachia, the Republican vice presidential candidate responded.
"It's very weird to have a guy whose first job was at his dad's law firm and inherited the governorship from his father to criticize my origin story," Vance said. "Yes, nobody gave me the governorship and nobody gave me a job because of who my father was. I'm proud of that."
Beshear's father, Steve Beshear, served as governor from 2007-2015. Andy Beshear's name has been floated as a possible running mate for Kamala Harris on the Democratic ticket.
Beshear appeared on CNN Monday night and was asked by Kaitlan Collins about Vance's comments.
"What was weird was him joking about racism today and then talking about diet Mountain Dew," he said. "Who drinks diet Mountain Dew? But in all seriousness, he ain't from here. He is not from Kentucky. This is a guy who would come maybe in the summers for some period of time, or to weddings or funerals.
"And then he claims to be from eastern Kentucky, writes a book about it to profit off our people. And then he calls us lazy. This especially makes me angry about our people in eastern Kentucky. These are the hard-working coal miners who powered the industrial revolution. He calls them lazy and acts like he understands our culture and he's one of us. He's not. This is a guy who went out to Silicon Valley and trying to be an Every Man. He ain't one of us."
Vance joked at a campaign rally Monday that he drank a diet Mountain Dew and Democrats would somehow find a way to call that racist.
Beshear also called Vance "fake" and "a phony."
On Monday morning, Beshear endorsed Harris on MSNBC's Morning Joe. Multiple reports published since Joe Biden announced he would end his reelection bid Sunday said the Kentucky governor was among the top choices to run with Harris.
ABC News and the Associated Press reported Tuesday Beshear is one of four people being vetted by the Harris campaign.
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