Governor candidate Kelly Craft makes campaign stop in Burnside

Feb. 23—For many in Kentucky, when they hear the name "Craft," they associate it with University of Kentucky sports. The men's basketball team practices in the Joe Craft Center, while the gridders prepare in the Joe Craft Football Training Facility.

And Kelly Craft knows how to speak that fan base's language.

Kelly Craft, Joe's wife and a key ambassador in the Donald Trump presidential administration, is one of a number of Republican candidates running for governor of Kentucky in this May's upcoming Primary Election, looking to challenge for the office in November. Born in Lexington and raised in Glasgow, Ky., Craft is the founder of marketing and consulting firm Kelly G. Knight, LLC. in Lexington, and co-founded Morehead State University's Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics along with her husband.

On Thursday, Craft made a campaign stop in Burnside, at Reno's Roadhouse, speaking to a packed room of supporters. And the use of sports terminology in describing her plans for the Commonwealth of Kentucky jumped out as a clear presentation strategy.

"We have to stop the drug flow from coming into Kentucky," said Craft at one point. "We're going to have to have a full court press."

At another, discussing Kentucky's competitiveness in the economic development landscape with surrounding states, she said "I'm going to introduce a third new sport in the SEC, and that's called the economy. We are going to beat Tennessee. We're going to beat Indiana. More than just on the basketball court, although we like to beat Tennessee on the basketball court and on the football field, but in the economy. ... We need to continue to be smart about lowering our tax rate. ... We have to beat our surrounding states, or we have to join them and have bilateral cooperation, or trilateral. So whatever it takes, Kentucky's going to be in the top 10."

But athletics was not the theme of Craft's visit — instead, she came to Pulaski as part of her "Kitchen Table" tour, a theme reflecting a focus on Kentucky's families, in regard to a variety of factors, including education and the effort to battle illegal drugs. Craft talked about the presence of an "empty chair," relating it to drug abuse in her own family and the absence of someone due to their struggles with addiction, and talked about the need to help those who have run into legal trouble overcome their disadvantages once they've done their time.

"Everyone needs to be engaged to stop drugs from coming into our state, and to help young adults," she said. "... We owe it to these individuals (who are arrested and put into detention or rehab on drug charges) to make certain that when they are released, that they have a safety net. .... We owe them a second chance, a third chance, a tenth chance, whatever it takes to welcome them back into society."

Under Trump, Craft served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and also to Canada, and she has traveled extensively. She talked about visiting the nation's border with Mexico, and how it was "wide open," with drugs like fentanyl freely coming into the country.

"I went down to that border in Yuma, Arizona, because I wanted to do my homework," she said. "As your governor, I'm not going to be waiting and signing onto other people's initiatives. I wanted to go down there and see it for myself."

She connected the drug traffic to China, which she noted she took on in her role as U.N. ambassador for human rights abuses and issues like theft of electronic communications, bringing up the recent newsmaking spy balloon.

Added Craft, "They are producing fentanyl in their labs in China, and they're sending it to Mexico, and it's coming here. I took them on every single day as the U.S. ambassador ... (m)y last day in office, I was sanctioned for the rest of my life by the Communist Party of China, and I wear that (as) a badge of honor."

Craft also addressed her plans for schools in Kentucky, pledging to see that parents have a greater voice in their child's education.

"We want kids to have the right to have their parents involved in their education," said Craft, who said that parents should tell school systems "no more of critical race theory. We want the A-B-Cs. We want to make sure that our children are taught skills and knowledge in order to reach their full potential for their future.

"I will tell you, and I'm sure you've heard this: Day one, I'm going to be dismantling the Kentucky Department of Education ..." she continued, drawing a round of applause from the room. "We're going to demand transparency.

"We have to make certain that we go back and we stand for the rights of parents with their children, (for) children the right to have their parents engaged, and make certain that we encourage teachers to discuss the children with the parents," she added. "The Kentucky Department of Education is doing the opposite. They're sending letters telling teachers they can't have discussions about children with the parent. Well, no more of that. We will transform, revamp, dismantle, I don't care what they want to call it. That's what we're going to do, because our children have to be ready to reach their full potential for the future."

Craft's plans for the Department of Education have made waves locally as they were challenged by Pulaski County's own candidate for governor, Somerset Mayor Alan Keck. Earlier this month, Keck responded to comments made by Craft at a Versailles campaign stop, in which she said that as "one of the very first pieces of action as governor — the Kentucky Department of Education will be dismantled."

Said Keck, "(W)e are products of that system — a system that no doubt has flaws and problems that need reform through effective leadership. But to suggest, as it appears Kelly Craft has, that dismantling this system is the answer to its problems is not leadership at all."

In reporting about that, the Commonwealth Journal noted in a previous article that a follow-up statement from Craft to the Lexington Herald Leader "indicates that Craft isn't advocating for the dismantling of the Department of Education. Rather, Craft wants to reorganize the members of the Board of Education." Additionally, it was reported that "a statement from Craft's camp, as reported in the Herald Leader, said that Craft's intent is to dismantle the current board similar to how current governor Andy Beshear did when he took office after defeating former govern Matt Bevin."

The Commonwealth Journal asked Craft following her campaign presentation about this issue, seeking a response to Keck's comments, and Craft firmly responded, "I'm going to double down and just say this one more time: I am going to dismantle the Kentucky Department of Education. I am going to dismantle the Kentucky Board of Education. ...

"Where are the education dollars being spent?" she added. "Are they being spent with bureaucracy, as we've heard here from several people? They need to be spent on the three most important parties here: the parents, the teachers, the kids. So I'm not backing down. I am doubling down."

When asked how she felt about Keck's comments, Craft responded, "I am focused on what is best for each child in our state, and that is to provide them with a quality education that will prepare them to reach their full potential for the future, and that means no woke left ideology. That means a quality, strong education so we can be competitive."

Craft said that she was happy to be in the Lake Cumberland area on her campaign tour, noting that she's down this way "quite frequently" in her travels.

"I'm criss-crossing this state, because every county matters," she said. "The more tables that I can sit at with people, if there are two chairs, I'm going to be there. Whether it's somebody's home, a coffee shop, a restaurant, wherever it is, I'm learning and I'm hearing the same thing: People want a better life for their children and their grandchildren."

With tourism and economic development being a major issue for Lake Cumberland that's always on the table — particularly there in Burnside, where efforts are being made by the Dream Big Burnside Authority to work with state officials on developing Burnside Island — Craft also spoke with the Commonwealth Journal about the possibilities for areas like this one, and the need to capitalize on Kentucky's natural beauty.

"This state is an abundant state of resources, right? We have the most beautiful, natural resources — our lakes, our parks," she said. "Tourism is a part of attracting industry. ... When somebody comes in and they're looking at a spot for industry, they're going to look to see what recreation activities do you have? What quality (of) education? Are there churches there? Is it a safe community? Do we respect our law enforcement? Tourism is just as important as all of the above because that is added value that our state has."