Beshear on Social Issues, Khanna Saying DEI Is Back: 'Need to Stand Up for Your Convictions', I Vetoed 'Anti-LGBTQ+' Bills

On Thursday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Arena,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) responded to Rep. Ro Khanna’s (D-CA) declaration that DEI is back after the 2026 midterms and whether Democrats should avoid social issues by stating that “I think you need to stand up for your convictions.” And that he has vetoed “every anti-LGBTQ+ bill” on his desk.

Host Kasie Hunt asked, “Gov., are you saying that Democrats need to avoid the culture war issues that dominated the 2024 election? Rep. Ro Khanna, for example — also talked about as a presidential candidate — posted immediately, DEI is back. Is that the wrong type of message?”

Beshear answered, “Well, I think you need to stand up for your convictions. Listen, I’m the Gov. of Kentucky. I vetoed every anti-LGBTQ+ bill, I vetoed anti-choice bills that have come to my desk, and I still have a 60-plus percent approval rating in my state. The reason is that I spend 80 percent of my time on things that matter to 100 percent of people in my state. They might disagree with me on this or that social issue, but they know the vast majority of my time, again, is about good jobs. It’s about their next doctor’s appointment, the roads and bridges they drive, the education our kids are getting, and whether people are safe in their communities. People mainly want focus.”

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