Daniel Cameron, a Republican running against Trump in Kentucky, got his support.
Kelly Craft, who is running for governor of Kentucky as a Republican, campaigned with U.S. Rep. James Comer on Wednesday, hoping to get as much support as possible from the powerful home-state Republican after not getting a nod from former President Donald Trump.
During a stop in Elizabethtown, Craft talked about important campaign topics. She said that if she was elected, she would change Kentucky’s education system, support the state’s coal industry, and crack down on illegal drug trafficking. She also said that she would support the death sentence for drug dealers who killed a Kentuckian.
Craft got Comer’s support as soon as she ran for governor as a Republican last September. On Wednesday, with the state’s primary election coming up in mid-May, the congressman joined Craft at campaign events.
“She is the real deal, and she and Max Wise are the right ticket to lead Kentucky into the future,” said Comer of Craft and her running companion. “I don’t get involved in primaries. … The book says that if you want to be a smart politician, you shouldn’t get involved in the primaries. Because I know Kelly Craft, I can’t do it.”
Since he became head of the House Oversight Committee, Comer has gotten a lot more attention from Republicans across the country. Because of this, he is at the center of the panel’s broad probe into the family of Democratic President Joe Biden.
Before Craft got into the race, Trump backed Craft’s opponent, the state’s attorney general, Daniel Cameron. Cameron has been seen as a rising star in the GOP for a long time. He often talks about how the former president, who easily won Kentucky in the 2016 and 2020 elections for the White House and is running again in 2024, backs him.
Craft is connected to Trump’s rule in her own way. Trump chose her to be the U.S. ambassador to Canada and then the U.S. ambassador to the UN. Wednesday, Craft and Comer spoke to about a hundred people at a restaurant in downtown Elizabethtown. They talked about these ties.
Craft said she helped make it possible for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal to happen. This was a long-awaited change to the North American Free Trade deal that Trump had wanted for a long time. Craft said that workers, farmers, and companies in Kentucky and all over the country have gained from the new trade deal.
“She and President Trump put America first,” said Comer.
When asked on Wednesday how Trump’s support for Cameron might affect the result of the primary, Craft said, “My support comes from people here. From every part of the state, it comes. These are the things I agree with.”
Twelve people are running for the Republican ticket for governor of the state. Andy Beshear, the Democratic governor of Kentucky, is running for a second term. His campaign is getting a lot of attention from all over the country, as people want to see if the popular leader can help his party win in a state that leans Republican.
During the stop on Wednesday, Craft talked about schooling and getting rid of drugs. She emphasized the importance of education at all levels, from trade schools to colleges, to fill jobs in the Bluegrass State that are in high demand.
She said, “We’re going to make everyone proud that they chose what they want to do, so they can reach their fullest potential.”
Craft also promised to get rid of “woke ideologies” from schools, which is a common idea among Republicans in Kentucky and all over the country.
She said that if she were chosen, her first official act would be to break up the Kentucky Department of Education. That means to take it apart and put it back together.”
Craft talked about the effects of drug abuse in Kentucky and the flow of illegal drugs, which she said was due to the open southern border of the United States.
She said, “That border is wide open and easier to cross than it is to get into a University of Kentucky basketball game.”
The former diplomat promised to work for harsh sentences for people who sell drugs, including the death penalty in the worst cases.
“If a drug trafficker, drug dealer, or anyone else in the drug business kills a Kentuckian, they will also get the death penalty,” Craft said. The crowd cheered.