Kentucky Democratic Party Chair Colmon Elridge is coming out swinging as Kelly Craft enters the race for the Republican nomination.
Elridge issued a statement shortly after Craft released a video launching her campaign for governor on Wednesday.
“Kentuckians want a governor who lives here, will actually work for us and who won’t give us another four years of Matt Bevin. Kelly Craft bought the only public offices she’s ever had — then didn’t show up for work. Now, even though she lists her address in Oklahoma, Matt Bevin’s biggest supporter wants to buy the Kentucky Governor’s office,” he said. “Kentucky is not for sale. Being governor is a full-time job as Andy Beshear has proven over and over again during his three years in office — showing up every day with steady leadership through devastating natural disasters while smashing every annual economic development record in Kentucky history, creating thousands of good-paying jobs and opportunities in every corner of the state as one of the country’s most popular governors.”
The statement acts as a partial news dump of the areas Craft will have to answer for as a candidate for governor, including listing her home address as Oklahoma on contributions to candidates. Craft’s husband, billionaire coal magnate Joe Craft’s full-time residence is in Tulsa where his company is headquartered.
The KDP is also seeking to tie Craft to former Gov. Matt Bevin. She was co-chair of Bevin’s 2015 inaugural committee.
The Democrats are not the only ones seeking to create space as Craft enters the race, Attorney General Daniel Cameron launched an ad on Wednesday claiming he was the only one who could beat Andy Beshear next year.
