KY GOP targets tough competition against Dem Gov. Beshear.

Kentucky GOP Primary: Who Can Reclaim the Governorship?

Looking Ahead to November

As Kentucky’s GOP primary campaign nears its end, Republicans are already looking ahead to the November election. They are searching for the candidate who can best reclaim the governorship, a job that the state’s dominant party has struggled to hold despite its strong showing in other races.

Who Can Challenge Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear?

Some voters are basing their decisions in the May 16 primary on which Republican would pose the toughest challenge to Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, who is facing nominal party opposition. The contest is expected to send loud signals about whether Democrats can remain competitive in what has become rock-solid Republican territory.

Handicapping the Crowded Pack

Republican voters are handicapping a crowded pack of candidates vying for the gubernatorial nomination in hopes of confirming their party’s dominant status. Leading contenders in the 12-candidate field include Attorney General Daniel Cameron, former U.N. Ambassador Kelly Craft, and state Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles.

What Sets Them Apart?

The top contenders often sound alike on core GOP issues. They support gun rights, oppose abortion, and demand more parental input in school policies. Those similarities have further elevated the question of who would run the best race against Beshear.

What Voters Are Saying

David Hines thinks Craft is the answer to that question. “She’s the best chance we’ve got to get him out of there,” the retired highway worker said while watching Craft shake hands and chat with supporters after a lunchtime speech this past week in Liberty, a small community in a rural GOP stronghold.

Roger Monday, another retiree at the event, said Craft’s tough talk on combating the spread of illegal drugs was a winning message in a state plagued by drug abuse problems. “She doesn’t mince words,” he said. “I firmly believe that she will do what she says.”

At a Cameron appearance in Richmond that same day, retired factory worker Gary Robinson was won over by the candidate’s emphasis on conservative values and his record as attorney general of going to court to challenge policies by Beshear and President Joe Biden’s administration. “He’s got backbone,” Robinson said of Cameron. “We’ve got so many people in government today that have no backbone to stand up against things that are wrong, like the ‘woke’ stuff that’s going on in our schools and in our government.”

The Struggle for the Governorship

Despite its victories in other statewide races and its dominance in controlling the legislature and all but one congressional seat, the Kentucky GOP has struggled to win the governorship, in part due to the staying power of the Beshear family name. The last two Republican governors — Ernie Fletcher and Matt Bevin — lost reelection bids, in 2007 and 2019, respectively. Each time, it was a Beshear who unseated them, forging a strong political brand that, so far, has endured Republican advances elsewhere.

What the Candidates Are Saying

In the current GOP primary, each leading camp has trumpeted its candidate’s qualities as a party standard-bearer against the Democratic incumbent. Cameron supporters portray him as a unifier, a point he played up in his speech in Richmond. Quarles backers note his strong ties to rural Kentucky from his nearly two terms as agriculture commissioner and the steady flow of policy announcements from his campaign. Craft supporters say her family’s immense wealth — and her ability to self-finance her campaign — would free her from being beholden to anyone.

What’s Next?

The Kentucky GOP primary is shaping up to be a closely watched race, with national implications. The winner will face off against Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear in November, and the outcome will send a message about the state of politics in Kentucky and beyond.

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