FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) 鈥 Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, one of the leading contenders to be Vice President Kamala Harris鈥 running mate on the Democratic presidential ticket, apologized this week for something he said in lambasting Ohio Sen. JD Vance as inauthentically Appalachian 鈥 but the apology wasn't to Vance.
Beshear, at his regularly scheduled news conference at the Kentucky State Capitol on Thursday, pulled out a bottle of Diet Mountain Dew and apologized to the makers of the soft drink. Earlier in the week, the Republican vice-presidential nominee had said at a that he鈥檇 had a Diet Mountain Dew that day and fully expected to be called a 鈥渞acist鈥 because of it.
Beshear, in a CNN interview, called the comment 鈥渨eird" and added: 鈥淲ho drinks Diet Mountain Dew?鈥
On Thursday he retreated 鈥 but only a little bit.
鈥淔olks, I鈥檝e been a person that when sometimes I鈥檝e gone over the line, I鈥檝e wanted to make sure that I set the record straight, so, I do owe an apology to Diet Mountain Dew,鈥 Beshear said.
The Kentucky governor wasn鈥檛 ready to retreat from his attacks on the 鈥淗illbilly Elegy鈥 author for what he said was misrepresenting and calling people who live there lazy in the book. Vance grew up in Middletown, Ohio, and while he has family in Kentucky, Beshear has said bluntly: 鈥淗e ain鈥檛 from here.鈥
At the news conference, Beshear held up the drink and said he was wrong to single it out, though he still thought more Kentuckians were likely to turn to Ale 8 as their soft drink of choice.
He also said his criticism had nothing to do with being considered by Harris for vice president.
鈥淲hat I said about JD Vance isn鈥檛 because of anything that is rumored about me or any role he鈥檚 stepped into,鈥 Beshear said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 because he has exploited and attempted to attack my fellow Kentuckians. And it鈥檚 my job as governor to stand up when that happens.
鈥淭o spend some summers or parts of summers or weekends or come into special events and then to claim that you know the people of eastern Kentucky, the culture of eastern Kentucky, to make money off of that claim and then to call our people names, is just not acceptable. If anybody else had done it, I鈥檇 be speaking up, too."
