• Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear endorsed bipartisan approaches to most issues.
• The governors agreed the National Guard should not be used for law enforcement.
• Both want the federal government shutdown to end.
• Both highlighted their cooperation on the $3.6 billion Brent Spence Bridge project.

Rob Portman established a center at the University of Cincinnati two years ago to bridge the gap between the left and the right.

Ohio’s former Republican senator won cooperation on that count from Ohio and Kentucky’s governors on Oct. 21, as the two agreed on how to use National Guard (not for law enforcement), when to end the federal government shutdown (now), the importance of the Brent Spence Bridge project (giant) and who should inspire public policy (citizens).

“In these polarized times,” Portman said, setting up the conversation between Mike DeWine, Ohio’s Republication governor, and Andy Beshear, a Democrat who fills that job in Kentucky, “I think there’s a real interest in how to get together and solve problems.”

Here’s what the governors had to say before a politically mixed crowd at a packed UC auditorium.

(Separately, Beshear told reporters a presidential run is something he and his family will “consider” if they feel he’s the best candidate for the job in 2028. And DeWine declined to comment on Cincinnati’s police chief, saying only “That issue just has to get resolved. It’s not mine to get resolved.”) 

Should the National Guard police American cities?

National Guard members are useful during natural disasters and civil disturbances when mayors request them, DeWine said. Otherwise, other agencies are better equipped to help, he said. In Cincinnati, for example, state and local officials worked out an agreement for the Ohio State Highway Patrol to backstop local officers to address urban crime.

Beshear said citizens deserve to be safe and feel safe, but agreed National Guard officers are not trained to handle law enforcement. He also said the National Guard of one state should not be sent to another state where the governor does not want them.

“Decreasing crime and making people feel safer is hard work that can’t be solved by a stunt,” he said.

How is the federal government shutdown affecting your state?

Beshear said he’s hearing from federal workers worried about paying their mortgages and electric bills. “We’re looking at a lot of families that aren’t getting a paycheck,” he said. “We need to think about them.”

At the same time, rising costs, particularly of health care premiums, are hurting families, he said. Health care costs are a central issue in the shutdown, with Democrats wanting to extend insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act before they expire at the end of the year and Republicans wanting to end the shutdown before working out that issue.

DeWine said he is concerned that recipients of benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Women, Infants and Children program will not get needed benefits come Nov. 1.

“The further this goes on the pain is very, very clear,” he said.

Speaking to reporters later, DeWine said the state of Ohio has “no additional money” to provide those benefits. “What we hope is that this matter is resolved in Washington, D.C.”

Kentucky‘s overtime loss to Texas came with a serious silver lining: Cutter Boley had his best game as a Wildcat, throwing for 258 yards on 31/39 overall with 45 rushing yards and a score on the ground. The redshirt freshman took some bad sacks and threw an ugly pick, but outside of a handful of youth-driven errors, the kid showed some real stuff.

His head coach thought he grew up right before our eyes against the toughest defense on the schedule.

“I’m very impressed with Cutter,” Mark Stoops said after the loss. “Very impressed because there was a couple of things early and we were coaching him and talking to him and he’s learning and staying positive and working very hard. The completion percentage, to go 31 of 39, it was impressive. I like to see that.

“We needed our completion percentage to keep on increasing and it’s doing that. He’s a big reason why. I thought he was very comfortable.”

It could’ve been a chance for Boley to pat himself on the back and celebrate the individual win as the future looks bright in Lexington with the Hodgenville native under center. Instead, Boley could only focus on being six inches short on the overtime goal line stand and letting the Longhorns head back to Austin with a win.

“It’s tough, we’re six inches away right there, and it’s tough not to get that done,” he said after the loss. “… It’s just tough when you come up short like that. We should’ve come out of there with the win for sure.”

Don’t confuse his frustration for pessimism, though. Boley is proud of the team’s progress and general trajectory as the puzzle pieces slowly start to come together. No matter the record at 2-4, confidence is high the Wildcats can figure things out before it’s officially too late.

There are still six games to be the team they believe they can be.

“Come back on Monday and take steps,” Boley said. “Everybody believes that confidence ain’t slacked at all. Just postgame, everything like that, everybody still believes. We just gotta keep coming to work and putting in the work. … I think that there’s obviously — a loss sucks, you know what I mean? But I don’t think that fazed anyone’s confidence at all. 

“We know the team we got, we’re in here working every day.”

As for his own growth, he just feels he’s making the plays that come his way and playing within his ability. When the situation calls for a scramble, he’s going to tuck it and go. When he needs to take the layup, he drops it off to move the chains and live to see another day. Need a home run? He’s got that in him, too.

Whatever the coaches need him to do or however the game unfolds, he’s ready to adjust.

“Just trying to execute the play as it’s called. I feel like we came in with a really good plan .I was just throwing it to the open guy,” he said. “… Just taking what they give me, I don’t have to go out there and force things to happen, I don’t have to make crazy plays. I just gotta take what they give me and when I have to make a play, I’ll make a play.

“It just kind of comes naturally, just trying to execute the play that’s called and get it to the open guy.”

The coaches trust him to do that. Now it’s on the coaches to put him in position to succeed — and Boley’s offensive coordinator understands that.

“I think there’s something there with him, for sure,” Bush Hamdan said of Boley. “I think his confidence continues to grow, but we’re falling short. We’re not making those plays. I understand the criticism, it’s warranted, and we gotta get it fixed.”