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In Kentucky, a Democratic governor gains new fans: Republicans

Every evening, he begins the same way. 鈥淲e will get through this,鈥� says Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear shortly after taking the podium. 鈥淎nd we will get .鈥澛�

No state has been spared from COVID-19, and while Governor Beshear may not be speaking from one of the nation鈥檚 鈥渉ot spots,鈥� his nightly 5 p.m. briefings have become a reassuring ritual for Kentuckians. Mothers pause their dinner preparation to turn up the TV鈥檚 volume, and 20-somethings tune in to online watch parties.听

Members of both parties in the Bluegrass State say Mr. Beshear鈥檚 daily briefings are a comforting antidote to these anxious times, with more than a dozen self-identified conservative Kentuckians interviewed by the Monitor offering unabashed praise for their Democratic governor.听Dominique Dye, a stay-at-home mom from Lexington who voted for Mr. Beshear鈥檚 Republican opponent just four months ago, has found herself creating and sharing memes in a聽聽of more than 180,000. Some of the governor鈥檚 most popular phrases from his briefings are even being marketed on T-shirts and mugs, with proceeds going to the state鈥檚 COVID-19 relief funds.听聽

He isn鈥檛 the only governor enjoying a surge in popularity right now. A recent found strong bipartisan support for state executives, with almost 75% of Americans approving of their governor鈥檚 handling of the crisis. Republican Govs. Mike DeWine of Ohio and Larry Hogan of Maryland have won widespread praise for taking decisive action early. Some governors have hit record approval ratings, such as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, whose daily briefings have made him something of a national star. Mr. Beshear鈥檚 audience is far smaller than Governor Cuomo鈥檚, but his fans appear equally ardent.

Editor鈥檚 note: As a public service, we鈥檝e removed the paywall聽for all our coronavirus coverage. It鈥檚 free.

Every night the newly elected governor updates his state calmly and confidently, but without fear-mongering, many Kentuckians say. He presents both practical advice, such as how to explain the current situation to children, as well as the state鈥檚 detailed containment plan. He announces to make daily life easier, such as pausing all housing evictions and expanding unemployment eligibility.

Most important, say his conservative supporters, Mr. Beshear is staying true to the 鈥渢ogether鈥� part of his opening statement by avoiding partisan language and blame shifting. Like other U.S. governors elected in states that lean to the opposing party, Mr. Beshear campaigned as a moderate who would reach across the aisle.听But locals say he鈥檚 done more than that, just a few months after barely beating a widely unpopular incumbent governor. He鈥檚 proving it鈥檚 possible to effectively communicate with both Republicans and Democrats during a crisis.

鈥淗e has given me hope that we can turn this around,鈥� says Ms. Dye. 鈥淏oth the coronavirus and our country鈥檚 polarization.鈥�

Ms. Dye says she鈥檚 never voted for a Democrat before, but if Mr. Beshear runs for reelection in 2024, she will not only vote for him, she will volunteer for his campaign. Her mother, Deborah Dye, vowed she would never vote for a Democrat after seeing how the party treated President Donald Trump 鈥� but says she鈥檒l break that promise for Mr. Beshear.听

鈥淗e鈥檚 doing what I wish all politicians would do, which is set aside the politics of it and focus on what鈥檚 good for the country,鈥� says Deborah Dye.听

When reporters try to 鈥渂ait鈥� Mr. Beshear with questions about the federal response, or other states, he typically redirects the conversation. After President Trump said last week that he would like the country back up and running by Easter, for example, Mr. Beshear was 聽if he considered the president鈥檚 statement 鈥渞ealistic.鈥� The governor didn鈥檛 reference the president in his answer, instead saying that Americans need to be prepared to sacrifice more and wait longer to protect one another.听

鈥淚 just hear a lot of Trump bashing around this,鈥� says Cathy Samuels, a registered nurse from Louisville, who voted for President Trump in 2016 and plans to vote for him again in November. She didn鈥檛 vote for Mr. Beshear, and if the election was held again tomorrow, she鈥檚 not sure she would change her vote. But for now, she appreciates how Mr. Beshear seems to be looking out for all of Kentucky, not just his own party. 鈥淚 appreciate the fact that Beshear is not politicking this right now.鈥澛�

鈥淚鈥檓 starting to question whether he鈥檚 a Democrat or not,鈥� says Ms. Dye, laughing. 鈥淚鈥檓 even starting to question if he鈥檚 a politician 鈥� and I love that.鈥�

Of course, not everyone in Kentucky is happy with how their governor is handling things.听

Similar to the partisan debate happening at the national level, some Kentucky conservatives believe the governor鈥檚 efforts to fight the pandemic have gone too far, unnecessarily hurting the economy. On March 19, a Republican legislator聽聽to a bill in the Kentucky state house allowing residents to sue the state if an executive order adversely affects their business. And Mr. Beshear has drawn criticism from the left, with some environmental advocates accusing the governor of using COVID-19 as a smokescreen to sign聽.听

But his ability to communicate without 鈥渃oded鈥� language could offer a lesson for other politicians, says Stephen Voss, an associate professor of politics at the University of Kentucky. Instead of talking about the essential role of government in protecting public health, for example, Mr. Beshear is talking about the essential role of community. The governor鈥檚 daily briefings have become 鈥渢he social media version of FDR鈥檚 fireside chats,鈥� says Mr. Voss, blending comfort with competence.听聽

鈥淭he lesson here is that in a crisis of this sort, where people are fearful, they don鈥檛 look at the government the same way they do under normal circumstances,鈥� says Mr. Voss. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not about ideology right now.鈥�

Editor鈥檚 note: As a public service, we鈥檝e removed the paywall聽for all our coronavirus coverage. It鈥檚 free.