“It’s been a long time since we’ve had a governor from rural Kentucky — it’s time for one of us.”
Barbourville, KY February 21, 2023 Peyton Mills, Reporter
With just over 80 days until Kentucky’s gubernatorial primary election, current Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles bolstered his campaign for the Republican nomination by paying Barbourville a visit last Tuesday. The evening kicked off with free food, refreshments, and general good cheer, as Quarles and his campaign organizers milled about with community members, taking questions and addressing concerns even before the event was scheduled to begin. Amid jokes and recaps of stories from his time traveling across Kentucky, Quarles and friends unspooled his array of accomplishments: three undergraduate and two graduate degrees from the University of Kentucky, a Master’s degree and full-ride from Harvard University, a doctorate from Vanderbilt University, two terms in the House of Representatives, and two terms as the Commissioner of Agriculture. Now, he is seeking to add “Governor of Kentucky” to that list. Citing his hundreds of endorsements, Quarles hammered home first his upbringing in Scott County, working with “mud on [his] boots” on his family’s tobacco farm, and then used this upbringing as the backdrop to his Republican beliefs, which he argues were “only strengthened” during his time at Harvard. Turning next to defining those Republican beliefs, Quarles envisioned for those gathered a Kentucky that is “tough on crime,” “pro-gun,” “pro-life,” and “energy independent, with the EPA out of the state.” A Kentucky that gives “parents a say in what goes on in the classroom,” with less taxes and less government interference. A Kentucky that supports its workforce and, most notably, its farmers. Quarles further called on current Governor Andy Beshear’s alleged propensity for lawsuits — especially in regards to House Bill 518, which Beshear argued stripped the executive branch of power granted to it by the Constitution — as evidence of a politically divided state, stating that if he is elected, he will work towards “cooperation, not lawsuits” and fight against the partisanship he claims is running rampant in politics today. Indeed, after criticizing Beshear’s handling of agricultural endeavors in the state, Quarles capped off his time in Barbourville by reiterating to his base, “It’s been a long time since we’ve had a governor from rural Kentucky — it’s time for one of us.” Primaries will be held on May 16. Quarles will be up against Attorney General Daniel Cameron, Kentucky State Auditor Mike Harmon, former ambassador for the Trump Administration Kelly Craft, and more.
