By Caroline Housworth, Editor-in-Chief, and Mallory Mankin, Staff Writer
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat leading a Republican state and a possible 2028 presidential candidate, visited the western suburbs to promote his new book about faith and politics.
Beshear’s new book “Go and Do Likewise: How We Heal a Broken Country” was released Sept. 22. To promote the book, he went on tour, and the 14th stop was at Anderson’s Bookshops in Naperville, Ill. About 150 people attended the conversation and book signing, in which Beshear hinted at a potential 2028 presidential run.
He began both the talk and his book by describing the biblical parable of the good Samaritan. In the story, a Jewish traveler is beaten and robbed, and several religious leaders pass him by without offering their help. A Samaritan, despite cultural division between Samaritans and Jews, stops to help him. Beshear uses this parable to provide context to the title of his book, citing that “Go and Do Likewise” is the commandment that Jesus gives to the audience at the end of the parable.
Beshear said that he met a good Samaritan in Kentucky after a weather disaster. Elissa, he writes, is a Kentuckian who, after one of the worst floods in the history of Kentucky, helped to clean her neighbor’s house before her own. He also describes this in his book, for when he asks Elissa whether her house is already cleaned, she responded in a way Beshear did not expect:
“We haven’t started on my house yet; I thought I’d start with my neighbor, and we’ll get to mine later,” she replied.
Elissa’s decision illustrates the theme of sacrificial love that serves as the focal point of Beshear’s book, his political career and his hopes for America.
“While I don’t want us to have as many natural disasters as Kentucky,” he said. “If we can remind Americans that we are the very best of ourselves, when we love and care about our neighbor, and that our neighbor is not the enemy from within, we can move beyond this division in our country.”
Beshear said much of the division he sees stems from President Donald Trump. He emphasized the theme of unity as a solution to the polarization of the country, while also criticizing Trump’s actions both in his talk and book, claiming Trump could learn from the parable.
“I wonder if Donald Trump has ever heard of the story of the good Samaritan,” he says in the first chapter of his book. “If he has, he failed to learn its central lesson.”
As governor, Beshear explained he personally has tried to live according to his Christian faith and learn from the parable. But during the event, he said he may just take that with him into a higher level of office, hinting at running for president in 2028, recalling his reelection as governor in 2023.
“I walked off the stage, and I looked at my wife, Brittany, and I said I will never have to run for anything ever again,” he said. “But if my faith tells me I got to leave things better off and we were moving forward until this guy named Trump came and pushed us backwards, then it means I got more work to do, so while I don’t have an announcement tonight, that statement I made walking off stage, I’m not so sure it’s true anymore.”
Beshear interprets the parable of the good Samaritan in a way many evangelicals would disagree with. He cites the Christian faith as a reason to support LGBTQ rights. He quoted Matthew 7:1, “Judge not unless you are judged” and the biblical commandment, “love your neighbor as yourself,” to provide a context as to how his faith intersects with his convictions supporting the LGBTQ community. He sees these scriptures as a charge to be a good Samaritan for all, including those who are marginalized.
“I think the Bible’s supposed to challenge everyone,” he said. “We’re called to walk across that road and help that next person.”
Though his book reconciles his religious beliefs and political engagement, he rejected Christian nationalism in his speech — earning loud applause from the audience. In doing so, he made clear that the role of the book is not to convert people to Christianity, but push them to be a better version of themself.
“I respect all faiths and those who choose not to pursue a faith; whatever it is that guides you to be good that’s what the book is trying to lift up,” he said. “And let me just say that I don’t believe my faith should be written into law.”
He was joined by Hadley Duvall, a Kentucky advocate, who is the titular character of the ninth chapter of Beshear’s book. She advocates for abortion access after her experience with rape and abuse by her stepfather, who impregnated her when she was 12. Duvall was featured in a political advertisement promoting Beshear’s run for governor in 2023, in which she shared her story.
During the event, Duvall explained that the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision prompted her to be in Beshear’s ad, as she believed that other girls in Kentucky could be experiencing similar circumstances.
“I consider my story lucky because I had options, and now there are so many women and girls in my state who no longer have any options, not even for rape and incest,” Duvall said.
Duvall announced that she is now a mom to a little girl, and that Beshear and his family threw her a baby shower to celebrate her pregnancy. Beshear said her ability to choose made the pregnancy and celebration all the more meaningful. The baby shower is the final scene of his book.
“A final note of hope: Brittany and I just hosted Hadley Duvall’s baby shower. She’s having a girl,” he writes. “She’s going to be a great mother. And we should make sure that baby grows up in a better, kinder America.”
Laura Evans, an employee at Anderson’s Bookshop, watched the talk from the back of the room. She noted that those in attendance were the kind to be expected to support a person like Beshear.
“The audience fits the author,” she said.
Evans remarked that Anderson’s has hosted a variety of political figures, even closing the streets down for former President George W. Bush with his book “41: A Portrait of My Father.” She said she appreciates the bookstore’s role in the community.
“This is why we do what we do, to bring people together,” Evans said.
