Governor Trump? Kentucky's 2023 gubernatorial race is getting interesting

As early as that night in November of 2019 when Andy Beshear thwarted Matt Bevin's bid to win re-election as Kentucky's governor, speculation began on which Republicans might decide to run in four years to unseat Beshear, and which candidate might be the front-runner.

And that was before Beshear's bungling of the state's Wuhan Chinese virus response, the resulting unemployment fiasco, and all the other missteps his administration has made since he took office 17 months ago.

The three term-limited state Republican officials -- Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles, Auditor Mike Harmon, and Treasurer Allison Ball, have all used the duties of their offices to hold Beshear accountable and responsible for all the mistakes that have been made on his watch.

Quarles continues to be most frequently mentioned as a 2023 GOP candidate, and was declared the front-runner on KET on Election Night 2019. Harmon's name comes up more and more often in the speculation, but not much is said about Ball.

As for the other two statewide officeholders, Attorney General Daniel Cameron and Secretary of State Michael Adams, they aren't frequently mentioned as possible candidates. Conventional wisdom still has it that Cameron has his eye on Mitch McConnell's Senate seat (as McConnell's handpicked successor), and Adams has alienated a number of Republicans over his acquiescence to Beshear's temporary election changes last year and the permanent changes passed by the General Assembly this year.

The other name that came up immediately after Bevin's loss to Beshear was that of U.S. Rep. Jamie Comer. Comer lost the 2015 GOP nomination to Bevin by a mere 83 votes and toyed with the idea of running against him in the 2019 primary. He has a set of loyal backers and is said to still be bitter over his 2015 loss despite having settled into a relatively safe congressional seat.

But as we get deeper into Beshear's four-year term, and as dissatisfaction grows with the slow pace of Kentucky's return to normalcy, the speculative list of possible challengers grows longer and more interesting.

The leading legislative opponent to Beshear's agenda has been Rep. Savannah Maddox. Early on as panic ensued last spring, she saw what was going on and knew it would get worse. She tried without success to get the General Assembly to curb Beshear's executive abuses as the abbreviated 2020 session wound down, and has continued to be his most vocal critic. There's been a growing contingent of people calling for her to run for governor, and "Draft Savannah Maddox" sites showed up on social media earlier this week. She enjoys the support of much of the anti-Beshear faction of the GOP and the leading voices for freedom and liberty.

The establishment wing of the party would probably fall in line behind Kelly Craft should she choose to run, as has been rumored. The former U.S. ambassador to Canada and the United Nations, and the wife of coal operator Joe Craft, is said to have an interest in the race. She recently showed up at some flood relief efforts in the upper Kentucky River valley, which raised a lot of eyebrows.

Brad Barron, who ran as a Libertarian against McConnell and Amy McGrath in the 2020 U.S. Senate race, is openly pondering a possible gubernatorial run as a Republican.  He's earned a lot of goodwill among Kentucky Republicans who have voiced "voter's remorse" at having chosen McConnell, only to see him turn against President Trump as his term wound down.

In a bit of a surprise, Bevin has been making some noise about running again. He has been mostly silent on issues the past year, and his social media presence has been mainly dedicated to promoting his son's fledgling auto racing career. But he recently made a public appearance with an eye on the political ramifications, according to Nick Storm's new Kentucky Fried Politics site, and has been actively discussing a run for his old seat.

Storm also reports that first-term Somerset Mayor Alan Keck is thinking about filing, but he'd be an also-ran and his candidacy would be inconsequential.

But it was in a social media discussion of another afterthought candidate that a bombshell was dropped.

An unknown named Johnny Rice is already promoting his own candidacy. As the crowded nature of the field was discussed on a post about Rice's qualifications, an attorney who is very active in and knowledgeable about politics (and is leading many of the legal battles against Beshear's executive edicts) stated that Donald Trump Jr. is thinking about moving to Kentucky and running for governor.

Yes, THAT Donald Trump Jr. Son of the 45th president and a popular surrogate for his father on the 2016 and 2020 campaign trails. His entry into the race would turn it on its head.

Don Jr. is no stranger to Kentucky. Even outside of campaign appearances for his dad, he's been a frequent visitor to the state. He made waves a few years ago when he was spotted dining at Applebee's in Hazard. He would, of course, have to establish residence here ahead of statutory deadlines. And there would be the inevitable "he's not a Kentucky native" outcry, most often uttered by critics of Bevin who conveniently forgot that former Go. Brereton Jones wasn't born in this state either.

Without a doubt, the GOP field will be crowded. The race will be expensive, especially if the wealthy Bevin and Craft enter. The presence of Trump would exponentially increase the costs. Beshear has given his prospective opponents plenty of ammunition and will continue to do so. The longer the Wuhan Chinese virus restrictions and the unemployment system woes linger, the weaker Beshear's re-election chances become. Republicans are already anxiously awaiting the race, and attention will only intensify as November 2023 approaches.

Since Rand Paul is in no real danger of losing his Senate seat next year, look for the focus on the gubernatorial race to get even sharper. And if Donald Trump Jr. buys a home in the Bluegrass State in the next few months, it's going to get very entertaining in a hurry.