Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is drawing online backlash after saying it is time to abolish the Electoral College. During an appearance on CBS’s Face the Nation, the Democratic governor argued that the current system leads candidates to skip states like Kentucky because voters there are seen as reliably partisan. Commenters pushed back, contending that eliminating the Electoral College would instead focus campaigns on major cities and leave smaller states even more overlooked.
The clip was posted on X by @FaceTheNation. It features Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear appearing on CBS’s “Face the Nation” in an interview with Ed O’Keefe. In the video, Beshear proposes a constitutional amendment to “fix the darn government.”
He states it should “outlaw partisan redistricting and enshrine part of the Voting Rights Act right there in the Constitution,” create term limits for Congress and the Supreme Court, overturn Citizens United, and “call for direct elections of the president and the vice president.” When O’Keefe notes, “I didn’t realize you support abolishing the Electoral College,”
Beshear replies, “Yeah, I’ve said it several times, and it’s because in Kentucky we will never see a candidate for president or vice president unless they’re from here.” He adds, “Why? Because people expect that it’ll go one way or the other. It’s the idea that someone would get elected not just by knowing about seven states, but by earning votes all over the United States. I certainly think it’s time.”
The footage shows the studio interview and does not include events before or after the exchange. Beshear’s comments form part of a broader discussion on government reforms during the appearance.
Public Feedback on Ending the Electoral College
Some users argued the proposal would reduce attention to smaller states, with one writing, “Without the Electoral College, Kentucky would never see a presidential candidate. Why would you campaign in a small state when you can just focus on major cities?”
A Kentucky commenter added that candidates “would spend their time in NY, LA, Dallas, Atlanta, Boston, and Philadelphia” and “never set foot in another part.”
Others called the idea deeply flawed, stating that abolishing the Electoral College is “one of the dumbest ideas imaginable” because a close election “would require a recount in every damn precinct in the entire country” and create a “catastrophic problem.”
A smaller number of responses questioned whether the issue ranks among voters’ top priorities, with one noting, “There does not appear to be a credible national ranking that places abolishing the Electoral College among voters’ issue priorities,” or simply urged keeping the current system in place.
Beshear’s comments add one more voice to the long-running debate over the Electoral College and how presidential elections should be structured.
