Democratic Governor Andy Beshear urged Northern Kentucky voters to get out and vote because “we need all of your work on these last, final days.”
Beshear spoke at New Riff Distilling in Newport on Saturday morning as part of a Get Out the Vote Rally for Northern Kentucky Democrats. Just down Interstate 75, Republican Sen. Rand Paul held a Get out the Vote Barnburner in the afternoon in Verona.
Joining the state’s top Democrat was 4th Congressional Candidate Matt Lehman, U.S. Senate Candidate Charles Booker, Senate District 24 Candidate Rene Heinrich, House District 68 Candidate Kelly Jones, Rep. Buddy Wheatley (D-Covington), Rep. Rachel Roberts (D-Newport), and Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Susanne Cetrulo.
Republicans and Democrats look to liven up their bases ahead of the Nov. 8 election, but the party leaders brought drastically different messages to the region and in different localities.
Speaking in the more urban and Democratic part of Northern Kentucky with a backdrop of bourbon barrels in a warehouse, Beshear conveyed that Kentucky’s economy is flourishing despite 40-year record high inflation — something he said is temporary.
“We’re living through inflation right now, that while temporary, is still tough on our families,” Beshear said, elaborating that the invasion of Ukraine is also having an impact.
He touted his economic accomplishments while describing how he navigated the state through the COVID-19 Pandemic, tornadoes in Western Kentucky, and flooding in Eastern Kentucky.
“We didn’t just break, we shattered every economic development record in the books and it wasn’t even close,” Beshear said. “Look at what’s going on in Kentucky: A record $11.2 billion of new investment last year, a record 18,000 new Kentucky jobs at the second highest wage we’ve ever announced.”
When speaking about the pandemic, Beshear said that his race in 2019 against former Governor Matt Bevin was more than just right and wrong.
“If you want to think about how important these elections are, sometimes we don’t even know,” Beshear said. “Because when we were all here on the last days of that 2019 election, I stood up here and I told you that that race was about right versus wrong, and we thought it was — it turns out it was about life versus death.”
For Northern Kentucky voter Jim Thomas, the message from the Democrats resonates with him because it matches his value system.
“I don’t know that it’s any of the specific issues that are particularly important to me,” said Thomas, a professor emeritus at Northern Kentucky University and long-time Northern Kentucky resident. “There’s just a general philosophy of government — basically, the Democrats are concerned about more equality.”
Thomas’s wife, Nina, who served as the assistant dean for undergraduate programs at the College of Business at the University of Cincinnati, said a local issue for her is that Kentucky businesses can’t hire enough people.
“Part of that is because a lot of people died, a lot of people have long COVID, but part of that is because a lot of women have not been able to return to the workforce because there’s not childcare available, and I think we really need to work on that issue,” Nina Thomas said.
While Beshear thinks that inflation is temporary, down the road in Verona, Paul delivered a different message to voters.
Paul spoke on a sunny Saturday afternoon at the Verona Winery. The venue was markedly different than New Riff. Horses chewed on green grass behind the fences surrounding the winery, a metaphorical showcase of the sizable rural voting base cultivated by the Republican Party in the commonwealth.
Paul was joined by a slate of other Republican speakers such as Kentucky state Treasurer Allison Ball, state Sen. John Schickel (R-Union), Boone County Judge/Executive Gary Moore and Senate District 20 candidate Gex “Jay” Williams.
The event kicked off with a singing of the national anthem, a recital of the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer. Ball orated first, followed by Schickel, Moore and Williams. Each had their own pitches, analogies and anecdotes on why the audience, and broader Northern Kentucky voting base, should turn out for the Republicans on Nov. 8.
Throughout the speaker’s slate, there was one central theme in their messaging — that a “red wave” is imminent, even though in Kentucky Republicans hold a super majority in the state legislature, controlling 75 out of 100 House seats and 29 out of 38 Senate seats. They hold five out of six U.S. congressional seats, and both U.S. Senate seats. The only executive branch of state government Democrats control is the governor’s office.
“There’s a red wave coming,” Paul said as the audience cheered. “Are you ready for it?”
Paul hit on a variety of hot button issues important to Republican voters such as vaccine mandates and inflation.
When discussing pandemic safety protocols, Paul criticized Beshear, Dr. Anthony Fauci, lockdowns, continued masking and vaccine mandates. Paul told the audience he was never against the vaccine and said the media misrepresents his stance on the issue.
“The left-wing media mistakes this. I’m not against the vaccine. I actually recommend if you’re older or at risk to have taken it. Some of you probably took the vaccine,” Paul said. “I’m not against it. I’m for the freedom for you to decide whether you need it or not.”
He then argued the Republican Party’s messaging was more difficult than the Democrats because they offer less tangible benefits.
“They offer you free college, free cell phones… Maybe two free cell phones, free food, free housing,” Paul said. “What are we offering? We’re offering something less tangible. We’re offering opportunity. We’re offering freedom, liberty, the ability to associate, the ability to go to church, our God given liberty. That’s what we’re offering you. But it doesn’t come in the form of a handout.”
On the economy and inflation, Paul’s message contrasted Beshear’s. Paul argued that federal measures such as distributing multiple stimulus checks to Americans contributed to inflation by saying, “when you pass out free stuff, you pay a penalty. It’s called inflation. Inflation is the tax everyone is paying now.”
Paul placed the blame on the Democrats, but also the Republicans who voted for increased spending during the height of the pandemic, and touted that he and Rep. Thomas Massie were the only Republicans who voted against it.
“No one is escaping the high price of gas,” Paul said. “No one is escaping the high price of eggs, of meat, of everything they see. They know who to blame, and the blame is on the Democrats, the last $2 trillion at least. Let’s be ecumenical. During the COVID crisis, during 2020, it was Republicans and Democrats that voted for all the spending.”
He wrapped up his stump speech by promising that he and the Republicans, if they regain majorities in the U.S. House and Senate, would “bring prosperity back.”
Northern Kentucky voter Jan Skavdahl said Paul earned her vote because he argues against vaccine mandates and promotes individual liberties.
“Rand specifically has my vote because every vote he has taken, I agree with,” Skavdahl said. “I’m very big on personal freedom and I think that people should have the freedom to choose whether or not they want to be vaccinated.”
Related to Northern Kentucky, Skavdahl said the biggest issues facing the electorate are the economy, schools and abortion.
As both parties make their final pitches, Kentucky voters will decide what issues matter most on Nov. 8.
“Who we elect matters, and we have seen what happens when we lose seats that we should win, whether they are in the state legislature or the judiciary,” Beshear said with a message that could resonate with Republicans or Democrats. “Every race on the ballot this November matters.”
