Favorite Red State Democratic Governor

[Schiff for Senate]

I like all four given how red all of their states (excluding NC) are. Here is how I would rank them -

  1.) Governor Andy Beshear (D-KY): A moderate but mostly liberal Democrat (he didn't win in 2019 because he's moderate, he won because Matt Bevin was unpopular) who is genuinely interested, unlike most politicians, in bipartisan outreach. He's enacted a liberal, good agenda while not being partisan like Cooper (his cabinet includes multiple Republicans) for Kentucky, and should win reelection in 2023, though he faces an uphill battle.
  2.) Governor Roy Cooper (D-NC) - tied with John Bel Edwards: A mainstream Democrat who has pushed forth a fairly liberal agenda while taking care of COVID-19 well, despite pushback from the North Carolina legislature. Recognising his success, North Carolina voters reelected him by 4.5%. He won in 2016 because Pat McCrory, like Matt Bevin, was disliked - and while Beshear may not win because KY is red, it seems that Cooper is a rising star. He can run for the Senate in 2022 and honestly, Harris should pick him as her running mate in 2024 (assuming Biden isn't running, in which case it will be a Biden/Harris ticket) if she wants to win North Carolina.
 3.) Governor John Bel Edwards (D-LA) - tied with Roy Cooper: A more liberal Democrat than most give him credit for, Edwards has made the red state of Louisiana better, handling COVID-19 fairly well and pushing a mostly liberal agenda (he may be pro-life but he's not 'socially conservative;' he supports LGBT+ rights). He won in 2015 with bipartisan support and was reelected in 2019.
  4.) Governor Laura Kelly (D-KS): Kelly won against an unpopular, controverisal, extremist Republican, Kris Kobach, and she's a decent governor, although she could have handled vaccinations better. She most likely won't win reelection in 2022 unless Kobach is renominated (which is unlikely).