Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) is not a fan of Ron DeSantis, calling him the "worst governor" in America during a recent appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
"Ron DeSantis," Beshear answered when Stewart asked him who he'd like to run into in an elevator. The answer drew laughter and applause from the crowd.
"So smooth, so smooth," Stewart responded.
Gov. Beshear has been rumored as a 2028 presidential candidate. Gov, and DeSantis could be a successor for Republicans to President Donald Trump.
Notably, Gov. Beshear appeared at the Florida Democrats' annual Leadership Blue Gala at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on DeSantis's home turf last June.
But is Beshear correct? Not quite, at least according to Floridians.
According to a Mason-Dixon poll released in January, Gov. DeSantis had a 50% job approval rating among Floridians, with 46% dissaproving.
Gov. DeSantis has largely remained popular with Floridians in his seven years in office, with only one instance of unpopularity in the polling's eight results from March 2019 to January 2026.
Notably, elected officials often leave office with low approval ratings for various reasons, including broken promises and unpopular decisions. Gov. DeSantis is term-limited and set to leave office in January 2027, but his numbers suggest he might remain popular with Florida voters up until the final day.
And Beshear?
Well, he is also popular. According to a recent Morning Consult poll, Beshear is the third-most popular governor and the most popular Democratic governor in the U.S., with 65% of approval.
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott (R) and Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon (R) are above Beshear in the polling. DeSantis is 10th from the bottom, but maintained a positive approval rating of 54%, according to the poll.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy polled as the worst governors in America with disapproval ratings of 49%.
