Did you miss Matt Bevin?

Political junkies attending the annual ham breakfast at the Kentucky State Fair last week were keeping close eye on Kelly Craft, wondering if she would finally drop a hint on her expected run for governor or drop millions of dollars again to buy the grand prize country ham.

And then Matt Bevin walked in.

This was the second political event attended by the former governor in a 12-hour stretch, which did not tamp down the speculation that he's eyeing a political comeback next year.

This week's newsletter will also cover the latest development in the longshot recount efforts of a half dozen "liberty" candidates who lost their GOP primaries, but first — a look at the $212 million of flood relief that a special session of the legislature is sending Eastern Kentucky's way.

Flood relief speeds through Frankfort

The Kentucky General Assembly raced through a $212 million flood relief bill for Appalachian counties in just three days, which was quickly signed into law by Gov. Andy Beshear — ending a special session marked by a wealth of bipartisan agreement and praise, a rarity in Frankfort.

The only hiccup for the relief bill was an amendment by Republican Sen. Brandon Smith of Hazard to direct an additional $50 million for housing, noting his many constituents still having to live in tents.

Here are our takeaways from the special session, including why Smith's housing amendment did not survive, what the bill means for affected schools and why Sen. John Schickel, R-Union, was the only legislator to vote against the bill.

If you want to get all the political news from The Courier Journal and a whole lot more, you'll want to check out this great deal for new subscribers! 

Bevin and Craft and $5M hams, oh my!

Former United National ambassador Kelly Craft came to the ham breakfast last week focused on 1) buying the state fair's prize county ham for millions of dollars and 2) not revealing any details on the if, when and where of her expected announcement that she is running for governor next year.

Craft fulfilled both missions, splitting the cost of the $5 million ham and saying she's "not gonna give you my game plan" on her candidacy — which pretty much every political observer in Kentucky expects her to make official in the next week or so.

And what about Matt Bevin? For the past 32 months, the former governor has been a ghost from public events and not spoken to the media, but here he was at the Jefferson County GOP dinner Wednesday night and the ham breakfast Thursday, working the room like a candidate.

Bevin was polite (seriously) but cagey when asked by me if he is planning a run for governor next year or getting encouragement to do so, only revealing that he planned to "eat ham."

If Bevin and Craft both get into the GOP field for governor, they would join at least four other elected officials and legit candidates vying for the nomination, meaning anybody could end up winning the 2023 primary with as little as 25% of the vote.

Check out all of what Republicans officials at the breakfast had to say about the prospects of a Bevin run, and why his presence may have given some a little heartburn with their bacon.

Rage against the (perfect) machines

A $57,000 bond may be able to buy you a recount, but it apparently can't buy you a victory.

A Campbell Circuit judge certified the winner of a GOP primary for state Senate, finding that Shelley "Funke" Frommeyer won with 4,094 votes and recount petitioner Jessica Neal placed second with 3,787 votes — the exact same totals from voting machines election night.

The judge also dismissed allegations from Neal and her supporters that shenanigans were afoot with broken seals and stuffed ballots, saying she had "not offered even the slightest amount of evidence concerning such ballot security."

Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams took another victory lap against those questioning the integrity of Kentucky's elections and voting machines, saying: "We checked the tech, and it works. Stop the insanity.”

In case you missed it...

• With less than 70 days until the general election, Morgan Watkins examined what it would take for Democrat Charles Booker to pull of an upset against Sen. Rand Paul.

• Columnist Joe Gerth pointed out that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and his allies are suddenly not interested in calling out questionable or outright racist statements about his wife and China, so long as Donald Trump is the one doing it.

• Two prosecutors have been kicked out of the Kentucky Commonwealth's Attorneys' Association over their well-publicized misconduct.

• Sarah Ladd detailed why birthing center laws are causing hundreds of Kentuckians to leave the state to give birth.

• The salaries of coroners in Kentucky remain low as deaths caused by COVID, drug overdoses, murders and disasters increase.

• Bob Heleringer wrote a farewell to former state Rep. Ron Crimm, the Louisville Republican who served for 20 years in Frankfort and died last week at age 87.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Did you miss Matt Bevin?