Governor candidate Maddox makes campaign stop at Somerset farmer's market

Aug. 14—Political season in the Bluegrass never rests — not even on a Saturday morning, as a Kentucky gubernatorial candidate paid a visit to downtown Somerset to meet and greet the public.

Savannah Maddox, one of a crowded field of Republican contenders for the governor's office in the 2023 elections, dropped by the Lake Cumberland Farmers Market at Citizens National Bank Pavilion Saturday around 9 a.m., as one of several stops in the area during the day, the others in London and Corbin.

Maddox, a state representative from District 61 in northern Kentucky, including her home of Grant County, is known as a conservative member of the state legislature and a vocal critic of current Democratic Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear's use of emergency powers in reaction to COVID-19.

Rather than give any sort of speech or presentation, Maddox simply visited the market and had conversations with those who approached her or were otherwise interested.

"It's been an absolute delight," she told the Commonwealth Journal. "I've been to (this) area a multitude of times, but its always a privilege to come back. I'm just grateful that people are willing to come out and take their time and engage in a civic discussion of this magnitude, because it tells me that people are paying attention, and people are taking ownership of their future."

Maddox said that in her discussions with potential voters, it's become clear to her that Kentuckians are ready for a change, and are excited to have the opportunity to support what she termed as "an authentic Republican" who will "lead from the front" and work to redefine the appropriate role of government in citizens' lives.

"I feel as though a lot of people's eyes have been opened to the true cost of big government overreach, in the context of Andy Beshear having shut down our economy, shutting down businesses, churches, and schools for so long," she said. "Really, I think that is just a symptom of a much larger problem. And now that many of Kentucky's families are having to deal with high gas prices and inflation on virtually every good and service that they purchase, I think that a lot of folks are looking for our next governor to be someone who has the courage and experience to make difficult decisions, because it's going to require difficult decisions to get us back on the path to prosperity."

Speaking on her fellow GOP members, the lifelong registered Republican and former chairperson of her county's party said that they all bring "a unique perspective" to the table, though she said that in particular, Kentuckians are looking for someone with a proven track record of standing up for what they say they believe.

"I stood up to Andy Beshear from Day One of the lockdowns and mandates, whereas my competition in this race, they waited a significant amount of time for it to become politically expedient or popular for them to kind of jump on the bandwagon," she said. "I think that sets me apart. I think that Kentucky's next governor is going to be a Republican, it's just a function of, is it going to be an authentic Republican like (Florida Governor) Ron DeSantis, who will fight for constitutional rights and liberties, or another 'go-along-to-get-along' moderate who's afraid of taking decisive action?"

She said, as an example of the above, that she's the only Kentucky gubernatorial candidate willing to speak out publicly against "Red Flag Laws" concerning firearm ownership.

Maddox also noted that key things she'd like to get done if she is elected governor include addressing workforce participation rates among able-bodied adults, and reforming the state's tax code.

"We have to abolish the income tax and pass a tax reform package that does not just shuffle the additional taxation onto other areas of the tax code," she said. "Whenever you lower the income tax or abolish it, there's going to be a shortage of revenue that has to be made up for somewhere. ... That's why it needs to coincide with meaningful cuts in wasteful government spending. Any tax reform package that we endeavor needs to be either revenue-negative or revenue-neutral to make sure that we are being good stewards of taxpayer dollars."

Challengers to Maddox in next year's Republican Primary include Daniel Cameron, David Cooper, Eric Deters, Mike Harmon and Ryan Quarles.