Watch this Year’s Three Governors Races

There are three governors’ races to watch his off-year election cycle. Two of the governors are sitting Democrat governors: Louisiana and Kentucky. Mississippi is the third state with a Republican governor. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards’ term is over, so there will no doubt be a new governor.

Kentucky

Going alphabetically, let’s start with Kentucky. Andy Beshear (Democratic Governor) is running for his 2nd term. His first term was won by a very narrow margin – less than one percentage point in 2019 against former Governor Matt Bevin, a Republican. Trump won Kentucky by 25 percentage points in 2020. Two Republican senators from Kentucky (McConnell & Rand Paul) are currently serving, but Governor Beshear is considered one of the most beloved governors in the country. He ranked Number 9 of the top 10. One reason is because of increasing approval from the state’s Republican voters. His leadership during natural disasters is one reason why he is so popular. Beshear received praise from both political parties, whether it was the Appalachia flooding in 2022 or the tornadoes that struck western Kentucky. Republicans did criticize Beshear’s use of emergency powers during the pandemic when he issued mandates. Mostly the criticism over the mandates was for his lack of collaborating with other state officials and the Republican-controlled legislature.

There is a wide field of primary challengers. There is one Democrat challenger.

Beshear is being challenged by Daniel Cameron, the former Trump U.N. Attorney General. Ambassador Kelly Craft, Ryan Quarles (state agriculture commissioner) and Mike Harmon (state auditor) are some of the Republicans who are vying to challenge Beshear. Cameron has already notched Trump’s endorsement for the office, though it’s unclear how influential it will be among Republican voters after many of Trump’s nominees struggled during the November midterms.

Geoff Young, a former congressional candidate, is also running for office.

Daniel Cameron might be familiar to you. After Breonna Taylor’s murder, the no-knock warrant bust that killed her made him the center of attention in the protests and riots at Louisville. Women’s March co-founder Tamika Mallory, a Farrakhan supporting anti-Semite, called Kentucky’s attorney general a “sellout negro” The 2021 Grammy Awards Ceremony. Marxists really don’t like conservative black Americans who think for themselves.

Articles of impeachment were introduced in 2021. were filed Both Governor Beshear, and Attorney General Cameron were impeached. Evidently, neither impeachment was successful.

Will an endorsement from Trump help Cameron’s chances in the Republican primary on May 16? That’s not clear. Trump was successful in many Congressional elections, but not in the gubernatorial contests. The statewide candidate must have different political skills from the Congressional district candidates. They need to appeal to many people, not just those in their communities. Kentucky is a popular choice for Republican presidential nominees, but the state has had only seven Republican governors since 1900.

It’s still plenty early. I’m not yet making predictions about this race. Let’s wait a bit and see how everyone handles it. One candidate that is wasting no time, though, is Kelly Craft, Trump’s former U.N. Ambassador. It is notable that Trump chose Daniel Cameron to be his ambassador over his former one. She’s the first candidate to launch a television ad blitz. Her superpower is fundraising and she’s married to a billionaire coal magnate so she won’t have to worry about money in her campaign.

Five months out from the hotly-contested 2023 governor’s race, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft became the first of several 2023 candidates for governor of Kentucky to launch a television ad blitz. Craft’s campaign spent well over $100,000, with $62,000 going toward ads that will play during University of Kentucky games – when the men’s basketball team plays the University of Louisville and when the football team plays in the Music City Bowl – on a week of television from Dec. 27 to Jan. 3.

This is the first major advertising purchase in a competitive Republican field that includes six candidates who either have received significant campaign donations or run professional campaigns. Craft raised almost $752,000 in just one month of being on the campaign trail. Given Craft’s vast personal wealth, due to her marriage to billionaire coal magnate and philanthropist Joe Craft, she is very likely to have the monetary edge over her Republican primary opponents.

Craft is a political greenhorn but fundraising is not something she is unfamiliar with. Craft was a “bundler” In 2004, former President George W. Bush was awarded the state cochair position by Joe Craft. In 2012, Joe Craft was the co-chair of the Mitt Romney presidential campaign’s state committee. Joe Craft was a multi-million dollar donor to former president Donald Trump’s inaugural committee.

They are prominent donors to the University of Kentucky’s athletic programs and often make appearances with players of the basketball and football teams. Multiple training facilities for university athletics facilities bear Joe Craft’s name. On the day of Craft’s September announcement for governor, two prominent UK football coaches re-posted Craft’s announcement video on their Twitter accounts. Later that day, an official from athletics contacted senior staff to remind them of the university policy prohibiting employees from participating in political activities.

Louisiana

The next governor’s race to look at is Louisiana. Governor John Bel Edwards has a term limit, as I already mentioned. Only one Republican has entered this race so far, Jeff Landry, the current attorney-general. There is a possibility that Senator John Kennedy might run for governor. He is being talked about running, even though he was just reelected to the Senate. In November, he stated that he is considering it.

“Over the last year, Louisianans have asked me time and time again to come home to serve as governor during these difficult times. Becky and I love the people of Louisiana. We’ve always listened to them, so I am giving serious consideration to entering the governor’s race. I’ll be announcing my decision soon,” Kennedy was reelected for a second time last month.

There are several Republicans that could be in the race, but they seem to be waiting on Kennedy to make a decision.

I hope the Republican candidate wins the gubernatorial election. That’s just my gut reaction, as a former longtime resident of Louisiana and student of the state’s politics. John Bel Edwards was elected as a moderate pro-life Democrat. He was the first Democrat elected to this office since 2003. He was not popular with voters during his time in office. He received less than half the approval. We will have to wait and see if Senator Kennedy enters the race. There are no Democrats yet to declare candidacy. The jungle primary system in Louisiana makes Louisiana an interesting place.

Mississippi

Mississippi is the last state to be elected. Governor Tate Reeves seeks a second term. There are no Republican challengers yet but there is time – the Republican primary is not until August 8.

Reeves received mixed reviews during his tenure as governor. Reeves often fell under the category for a poorly-rated governor with less that 50 percent approval. His approval rating declined over time, but he did receive high praises from voters when the coronavirus epidemic began in 2020. He has been involved in a state welfare suit, even though he is not being accused of any wrongdoing. It’s an investigation into state welfare funds and the appropriation of the money. Other prominent Mississippians have been implicated in the investigation, including former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre. Favre is a Mississippian.

All things considered, I expect Reeves will be reelected. He is a well-funded war machine and has the advantage incumbency. Mississippi is a red state, so there are little reasons to believe the Democrats will win the seat.

Kentucky seems the most interesting of all three races. Keep an eye out. I’ll keep an eye on them all.

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