FANCY FARM, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Republicans came to the state’s premier political event this weekend intent on winning elections in November and beyond, but some gubernatorial hopefuls were having a hard time coming to terms with Donald Trump’s defeat in 2020
They gave analyzed or tortured answers when asked if Democrat Joe Biden’s victory over Trump for the presidency was fairly decided. Their tiptoeing was a sign of Trump’s continued hold over many in the GOP, including Kentucky, which he easily carried twice.
That influence was evident Saturday when Trump supporters held large “Trump Wins” signs as people gathered for the political speech at the Fancy Farm picnic in western Kentucky. Signs promoting Trump’s false claims of a rigged election in 2020 drew cheers from the Republican faithful. The stump speech at the picnic — shown on state television — is a rite of passage for state candidates in Kentucky.
The GOP gubernatorial candidates will face off for the party’s nomination next May.
Trump has already weighed in on the Bluegrass state’s 2023 gubernatorial race, endorsing GOP Attorney General Daniel Cameron. Democratic Gov. Andy Bescher, who is running for a second term, skipped the picnic and spent Saturday comforting flood victims in eastern Kentucky.
Cameron indicated his support for Trump during his picnic speech. But he bristled at questions over the weekend about the former president’s unsubstantiated claims of widespread election fraud in 2020.
“The election was fair and secure here in Kentucky,” Cameron said in response to questions from reporters. “Look, we have to focus on the future. And that’s what this campaign is all about.”
However, Cameron distanced himself from the views of some die-hard Trump supporters who believe the results of the 2020 presidential election should be overturned.
“President Biden is the president of the United States. I don’t dispute that,” said Cameron, who as attorney general has joined numerous lawsuits challenging the policies of the Biden administration.
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Cameron, who worked for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and considers him a mentor, also declined to discuss the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. The House panel investigating the attack placed the blame on Trump, saying the attack was not spontaneous but an “attempted coup” and a direct result of the defeated president’s efforts to annul the election.
Instead of discussing the Capitol siege, Cameron pointed to the 2020 demonstrations sparked by the deaths of George Floyd, Breona Taylor and other black Americans in clashes with police. He said he was not being asked about protests that destroyed property in some of the nation’s cities.
Cameron, who is black, even joked about supporting Trump in his picnic speech — in true Fancy Farm form, where fraud and fabrication are not only common but expected.
“Now people are speculating how I got this approval. So today I’m going to spill the beans. It was actually pretty easy. … All I had to do was assure Trump that Mitch McConnell was not Mackenzie’s grandfather,” Cameron quipped, referring to his wife.
Cameron was the only gubernatorial candidate to mention Trump, whose endorsement has been sought by other GOP gubernatorial candidates, from the Fancy Farm stage.
In her speech at the picnic, state Rep. Savannah Maddox, another gubernatorial candidate, referred to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as a “true Republican” who “will fight for your constitutional rights and freedoms.”
Cameron wasn’t the only GOP candidate who struggled to answer Trump-related questions.
Asked if he thought Biden won fairly, Ryan Quarles said Kentucky had a “safe election” and that Trump “won big” in the Bluegrass state. Quarles, the state agriculture commissioner, is also among the gubernatorial candidates seeking the GOP nomination to be decided next spring.
“I think President Trump would be doing a much better job than President Biden if he was in office today,” Quarles added.
Another gubernatorial candidate, State Auditor Mike Harmon, gave a more than 140-word response when first asked if Biden won fairly. Harmon later said some key election-related controls had been “removed,” but said he could not “make an assessment one way or the other.”
Harmon said he wished the Capitol had not been attacked, but also pointed to the damage and destruction of property during police-related protests, saying it was being overlooked.
“Of course, President Biden serves as our president,” Harmon said later. “We should pray for him just as we would pray for any of our presidents. And hopefully he provides guidance. There are some things we wish he’d done differently, obviously.
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