Kentucky’s governor dives into his podcast, the hot format for politicians

If Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear vaults into national prominence as a Democratic leader, he may one day look back at Thursday as a key step in that direction.

- BY DAVID BAUDER

KENTUCKY Gov. Andy Beshear could be a 2028 presidential candidate.

SiriusXM announced that it was giving Beshear's new podcast a national platform starting this month, along with featuring him in a regular call-in show on its Progress network.

President Trump's appearances on podcasts were a pivotal media strategy in his successful 2024 Republican campaign. Moving forward, mastering a personal podcast could replace soft-focus biographies or wonky books as a way for politicians to increase their profiles.

Beshear said on NBC's "Meet the Press" this summer that he will "take a look" at running for president in 2028. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, also in the circle of potential presidential nominees, started his own podcast earlier this year.

Speaking to the anxiety of voters

In an interview, Beshear said a motivating factor in his own podcast was people who have come up to him, especially during the Trump administration, to talk about their anxieties.