Former governor Bevin doesn’t file as deadline ends

As of Friday, there are 15 candidates running for governor: 3 democrats and 12 republicans

FRANKFORT, KY (WTVQ)- All eyes have been in Frankfort as the filing deadline to run for office closed at 4 p.m.

That means no more Republicans or Democrats can enter the Governor’s race.

Speculation grew surrounding another run by former kentucky governor Matt Bevin, who held a presser Friday afternoon.

He was in Frankfort, but only gave a speech, saying he loved the state and raised his family here.

Bevin called on legislators and those running to do more to fix broken sustems in the state.

He touched on the Jefferson County Public School System, saying only 30% of students are proficient readers.

He also discussed fixing the state’s child welfare system, the justice and juvenile justice system.

He also presented a challenge to others to look into the future when making decisions about infrastructure improvements.

Ultimately, Bevin called on those running to unify.

“Let’s not tear each other up, bring each other down. Yeah everyone wants to be the nominee, but at what cost? I say this as it relates to our current governor. He’s not the enemy. He’s not the boogie man. His party is not the boogie man. For Republicans that are listening to this, we’re all Kentuckians. Let’s celebrate that. We’re all in the boat. We’re gonna go faster if the boat goes faster, we’re gonna get our feet wet if there’s a hole in the boat.”

As of Friday, there are 15 candidates running for governor: 3 democrats and 12 republicans.

Among the democrats, incumbent Andy Beshear seeks re-election against two challengers. One is Peppy Martin, a former GOP candidate who ran unsuccessfully in 1999.

Several high profile Republicans have entered the race, including Kentucky Ag Commissioner Ryan Quarels, Attorney General Daniel Cameron, former U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft, and Somerset Mayor Alan Keck.

The primary is set for May 16th, 2023.