Fancy Farm 2023: Takeaways on Breonna Taylor, Donald Trump and more at KY political picnic

It’s been said that campaigns are no longer won at Fancy Farm — but they certainly can be lost.

Nowadays, the politicking at the annual St. Jerome Catholic Church Fancy Farm Picnic is less about shaking hands and kissing babies and more about giving a speech that translates to social media-friendly campaign content and avoiding embarrassing, unforced errors.

In that regard, most candidates can probably leave Graves County feeling unscathed with more than 90 days left until Election Day on Nov. 7.

Beyond the zingers and Auditor Mike Harmon’s dad jokes, here’s what you may have missed from Fancy Farm weekend:

Beshear, crowd hit Cameron on Breonna Taylor

GOP nominee Attorney General Daniel Cameron was the first of the candidates on the ballot this November to speak under the pavilion Saturday afternoon, and the crowd’s abundance of energy and vocal strength were on full display. (The same could not be said when speeches concluded more than two hours later, after the heat and constant yelling had clearly worn folks down.)

Democrats in the crowd chanted “Say her name!” for part of Cameron’s speech, a reference to his handling of the investigation into the 2020 fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor. Cameron’s office did not indict any officers for Taylor’s death, a decision which still draws outrage from many liberals.

Prior to Cameron’s speech, there were also chant’s of “Say her name! Breonna Taylor!” and a few shouts of “Breewayy!” which is a phrase used by those demanding justice for Taylor.

In 2022, the crowd shouted Taylor’s name for the entirety of Cameron’s speech, at times rendering him difficult to hear in the crowded pavilion. Just a few days earlier, the federal Department of Justice announced criminal against four charges for their connection to the raid on Taylor’s south Louisville apartment.

Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear also took a not-so-subtle shot at Cameron on the Taylor case.

“I know you just heard from Daniel Cameron. It’s not true. It’s all lies,” Beshear said. “But if you’re willing to lie about a grand jury, he’s willing to lie to you.”

After grand jury proceedings in the Taylor case concluded in September 2020, an anonymous grand juror went to court for the right to speak out the case, including that Cameron’s prosecutors did not give them the option of weighing homicide charges for Taylor’s death.

This countered what Cameron had previously said: “homicide charges were not applicable for the officers who shot Taylor because “our investigation showed — and the grand jury agreed — that (Louisville Metro Police officers Jonathan) Mattingly and (Myles) Cosgrove were justified in the return of deadly fire after having been fired upon.” Cameron’s office later admitted the only charge presented to the grand jury was wanton endangerment for a third officer, Brett Hankison.

Not wanting to miss out on the fun, State Rep. Josie Raymond, D-Louisville, shared her own zingers on the website formerly known as Twitter and also hit Cameron on the subject.

“I think Daniel Cameron is going to have trouble connecting with voters this campaign with his preferred method of going door to door: no-knock,” Raymond wrote.

The flawed search warrant for Taylor’s apartment contained a no-knock clause. Three of the four officers being prosecuted by the DOJ are charged for their connection to the warrant, including accusations of lying on the sworn affidavit and attempting to cover it up after the fact.

On Trump, Cameron says he still backs ex-president — but little else

While speaking to reporters following the Graves County Republican Breakfast before the Fancy Farm picnic, Cameron was asked about the latest indictment of ex-president Donald Trump earlier in the week. (Trump has been indicted three times this year: in New York over an alleged hush-money scheme, federally for allegedly mishandling classified documents and federally again for his efforts to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 election in which he lost to President Joe Biden.)

“Well, look, I think obviously, you know, I continue to support Donald Trump, and I hope you’ll ask Andy Beshear that question as well,” Cameron responded.

“What do you think about it?” the reporter asked again.

“I continue to support Donald Trump, and I know there are a lot of people across the Commonwealth of Kentucky that continue to support Donald Trump,” Cameron said.

“Are you concerned about... the actual details of what he’s accused of?” the reporter asked for a third time.

“I continue to support Donald Trump, and I hope you ask Andy Beshear the exact same question,” Cameron said. “There’s a reason that Andy Beshear doesn’t say anything about Donald Trump, so I hope you ask him that today as well.”

Cameron was likely referencing Trump’s strong popularity in Kentucky and voters’ deep dislike of Biden. A recent Morning Consult poll found that 67% of Kentucky voters disapprove of the job Biden is doing, while 64% approve of Beshear, including almost half of Trump voters in 2020.

Beshear left before the speeches concluded at Fancy Farm and was not available for reporter questions.

Cameron touted his Trump endorsement early in the campaign — an advantage he could wield over his 11 primary opponents — but there was little Trump influence at Fancy Farm. There were attendees in ‘Make American Great Again’ hats and carrying Trump flags, and a brief chant of “Let’s Go Brandon,” but from Republican speakers on the stage, there were more digs at Hunter Biden than mentions of the 45th president.

AG candidates trade barbs over bar status, accomplishments

The Beshear-Cameron contest at the top of the ticket takes up most of the attention Fancy Farm weekend, but a down-ballot contest brought a back-and-forth with an edge to it.

GOP attorney general nominee Russell Coleman, a former U.S. attorney, wasted no time taking aim at his opponent, State Rep. Pamela Stevenson, D-Louisville, for her lack of a law license in Kentucky.

“After graduating from UK Law School, I spent many hours at what, before the tornado, was the Graves County Courthouse, studying for the Kentucky Bar Exam,” Coleman said. “Oh, hold on, Rep. Stevenson, let me explain. The Kentucky Bar Exam is a test you have to take to practice law here in the Commonwealth.”

The Herald-Leader reported in July that Stevenson, a career JAG in the Air Force and licensed attorney in Indiana, is not currently a member of the Kentucky Bar Association. Her campaign says she has passed the necessary test and will be a bar member before the Nov. 7 election.

When Stevenson stepped up to speak next, Republicans in the crowd taunted her with “Pass the bar!” and “Hoosier lawyer!”

“Now I know these boys,” Stevenson said, pointing at the GOP candidates behind her, “have been trying to make a big ado about my bar status. But I would, too, if I had to compete against my resume. Lord knows — and I know the Lord — that some of these boys wouldn’t even make it out of boot camp.”

Quarles hints at his future, but not this Election Day

Most of the down-ballot candidates and outgoing constitutional officers used some of their time to hype up their gubernatorial candidate of choice.

But not Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles.

Quarles is term-limited in his current role and came in a distant second to Cameron in the May primary. He was allotted three minutes, but used little more than one.

He didn’t mention the November election or Cameron, and he didn’t hit back at Beshear’s joke that he turned down a spot as Cameron’s running mate.

“It’s been an opportunity of a lifetime to serve you as commissioner of agriculture and as a legislator, and I’m here to say, we’re just getting started,” Quarles said before leaving the lectern. “I’m here to tell you just one thing: Kentucky, Kentucky is worth the fighting for, and Kentucky, I’m not done fighting for you.”