Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear on Sunday called for abolishing the US Electoral College and replacing it with direct popular elections for the President and Vice-President, arguing that the current system effectively sidelines most American states from meaningful campaign attention.

What Beshear Proposed

Beshear, a Democrat who is reportedly weighing a potential 2028 White House run, framed the Electoral College overhaul as part of a broader package of constitutional reforms. His proposals include Congressional and Supreme Court term limits, a ban on partisan redistricting, constitutional protections for sections of the Voting Rights Act, and the overturning of the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling — which fundamentally reshaped political campaign financing in the United States.

'It is time. It should outlaw partisan redistricting and enshrine part of the Voting Rights Act right there in the Constitution,' Beshear said. 'It should create term limits for Congress and the Supreme Court. No more gaming those appointments. It should also overturn Citizens United, and I think call for direct elections of the President and the Vice-President.'

The Case Against the Electoral College

Beshear cited his home state of Kentucky as a direct example of the system's distortions. Because the state is considered reliably Republican-leaning, Presidential candidates from either party rarely campaign there. 'In Kentucky we will never see a candidate for President or Vice-President unless they're from here,' he told CBS News. 'Why? Because people just expect that it'll go one way or the other.'

He argued that direct elections would compel candidates to build support across all fifty states rather than concentrating resources on a narrow band of competitive battleground states. 'It's the idea that someone would get elected not just knowing about seven states, but having to earn votes all over the United States,' he said.

Beshear's Political Standing and 2028 Ambitions

Beshear, who has described himself as a pragmatist and a pro-business Democrat, has not yet committed to a 2028 presidential bid. He said he expects to reach a decision after his term as Chairman of the Democratic Governors' Association concludes in December. 'I haven't made any final decision on that,' he said.

He emphasised that the Democratic Party must rebuild competitiveness in Kentucky and other Southern states if it hopes to assemble a durable national coalition — a view that sets him apart from the party's more urban-focused wing.

Broader Reform Agenda

Beshear presented the full package of constitutional changes as a means to restore public confidence in the federal government, arguing that structural fixes — not just policy shifts — are what Americans need to believe the system can improve. This comes amid sustained polling showing historically low trust in US federal institutions across both parties.

Whether the proposals gain traction will depend heavily on whether Beshear formally enters the 2028 race and how the Democratic Party positions itself on electoral reform heading into the next cycle.