2024 Elections: Mitch McConnell defends Electoral College

Just days ahead of the election, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said he thinks a popular voting system would be "a better form of democracy" than the Electoral College.

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says he's not surprised.

According to a statement from McConnell, the Electoral College is "what compels presidents to govern nationally," appealing to all states including those in Middle America. Rather than to the interests of a specific state like New York and California.

"Democrats’ disregard – and borderline disdain – for the constitutional guardrails that safeguard our political system has lurked below the surface of their rhetoric for a long, long time," Kentucky's senior senator stated. "Those genuinely concerned about the future of our country should call for strengthening our constitutional guardrails, not obliterating them. At its core, the Electoral College protects Americans from the whims of the majority, something I’m familiar with in the Senate. It’s what makes our democracy, and our sprawling nationwide elections, feasible."

The governor made comments in his weekly Team Kentucky press conference Thursday, saying he would support any change that "gets us closer to every state being a part of the presidential election."

"I don't think that the Electoral College will be dissolved anytime soon, but certainly a popular vote would be beneficial to Kentuckians making sure that every single Kentucky voter felt like their vote for the presidency matters," Beshear said.

Kentucky PoliticsBeshear says he supports abolishing the Electoral College as Election Day nears

Moving to a popular vote system, Beshear said, would mean more national candidates would come to Kentucky and "every single American" would "be an important part of the election."

"I think it gets us closer to a place where we can govern in a way that lifts all Americans up, that we're not pushed towards any extreme, that we don't write off crazy things that some candidates may or may not say, but that we would truly get an election for all Americans," Beshear said. "I think to do that, we would ultimately have to abolish the Electoral College."

Reporter Hannah Pinski contributed to this article. Contact breaking/trending news reporter Marina Johnson at [email protected].