Here's who is running for governor and other state offices in Kentucky in 2023

The deadline for Republican and Democratic candidates to file for statewide races this year in Kentucky passed at 4 p.m. Friday, ahead of the May 16 primary election.

There are six constitutional offices on the ballot this year, with races to determine Kentucky's next governor, attorney general, secretary of state, state auditor, commissioner of agriculture and state treasurer.

Filing for those six statewide offices were 32 candidates, though independent candidates may also file to run later, with an April 3 deadline for their statement of candidacy and June 6 deadline to formally file with signatures.

Here is a quick rundown on each of the candidates running for the six constitutional offices, along with party affiliations.

Kentucky governor candidates

Three Democrats will face off in the gubernatorial primary, while the Republican primary will field a dozen candidates.

Andy Beshear is the incumbent Democratic governor who is seeking a second term, after edging Republican Gov. Matt Bevin in 2019 by 5,189 votes. Republicans now outnumber Democrats in the red-trending state, though polls have shown Beshear continuing to have a high approval rating, nearing 60%.

Peppy Martin (D) was the Republican nominee for governor in 1999, but is taking another crack at the office 24 years later as a Democrat. Martin is running on a platform of legalizing marijuana, allowing state-run casinos and rejecting "wokeness."

Geoff Young (D) is a perennial candidate from Lexington who pulled off an upset in last year's Democratic primary in the central Kentucky congressional district. He won 2% of the vote in the 2019 Democratic primary when he ran for governor.

More:Who's in, who's a maybe, who's out: Our look at 2023 Kentucky governor candidates

Daniel Cameron (R) the attorney general, won a blowout victory in 2019. Cameron was endorsed by former President Donald Trump soon after he announced his candidacy last year.

Kelly Craft (R) was the former United Nations ambassador in the Trump administration and has long been a prolific Republican Party fundraiser along with her husband Joe, a coal magnate. Her campaign raised more money than any other GOP candidate for the office last year and has already spent more than $500,000 on advertisements.

Ryan Quarles (R) is serving his second term as commissioner of the Department of Agriculture, first elected in 2015. His campaign leads his Republican rivals in cash on hand and boasts the most endorsement from state legislators and local elected officials.

Mike Harmon (R) is serving his second term as state auditor, for which he was first elected in 2015, and he previously served 13 years as a state legislator. His campaign touts him as an experienced government watchdog and a fiscal and Christian conservative.

Alan Keck (R) is the second-term mayor of Somerset. The 37-year-old is running on a platform of improving public safety, education, economic growth and "family-focused" initiatives like incentivizing paid parental leave.

More:Kelly Craft takes over fundraising lead among GOP candidates in Kentucky governor race

Jacob Clark (R) ran for a seat in the state House in 2022 but lost his Republican primary to an incumbent. In 2021, he filed a petition to impeach Beshear over his pandemic executive orders, which was dismissed.

David Cooper (R) of Kenton County is an Army veteran and vows to have "the most transparent bipartisan administration" in Frankfort.

Bob DeVore (R) is a perennial candidate from Louisville who has run unsuccessfully for half a dozen offices in Jefferson County.

Eric Deters (R) is a suspended attorney from Kenton County who announced his candidacy in late 2021. He hosted a large rally in Northern Kentucky last summer featuring speeches from Trump's two adult sons.

Dennis Ray Ormerod (R) is from Louisville.

Johnny Ray Rice (R) of Berry led a heavily armed rally outside of the Capitol in Frankfort in January 2021, days after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, protesting pandemic restrictions and Trump's election defeat.

Robbie C. Smith (R) of Berea is running on a platform of eliminating most taxes, allowing local governments to legalize cannabis, keeping the Kentucky National Guard in Kentucky and fighting "woke insanity."

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Kentucky attorney general candidates

Two candidates filed to run for attorney general, one from each party. That means both candidates will avoid a primary and are their parties' presumptive nominees to advance to the general election ballot.

Pamela Stevenson (D) of Louisville just won reelection to her second term in the state House last November. The attorney, Baptist minister and retired Air Force colonel is running on fighting the opioid epidemic, gasoline price gouging and "extreme laws" that "take away our freedoms."

Russell Coleman (R) of Crestwood was U.S. attorney for the Western District of Kentucky during the Trump administration. Already endorsed by the Kentucky FOP, Coleman says he will "back the blue" and "make America safe again" by targeting drug-trafficking organizations.

Kentucky secretary of state candidates

Three Republicans are vying to be the state's top election official, while Democrats fielded one candidate to run for the office.

Michael Adams (R) is running for his second term as secretary of state after deciding against a run for governor or attorney general last year. He has long touted his goal of making it "easier to vote and harder to cheat," supporting legislation that passed requiring voter identification and adding three days of early, in-person voting.

Stephen Knipper (R) of Independence has twice run before for secretary of state, losing a narrow general election race in 2015 and finishing third in the Republican primary in 2019. He has alleged widespread election fraud in Kentucky and nationwide in a statewide tour, claiming Trump won in 2020 and Matt Bevin won in 2019.

Allen Maricle (R) of Lebanon Junction was a state representative for two terms in the 1990s. His platform calls for improving election integrity and transparency.

More:If Kentucky 'liberty' candidates want recounts, judges say they will have to pay — a lot

Buddy Wheatley (D) of Covington was a two-term state representative, before losing his reelection campaign by a close margin in November. He is running on a platform of boosting voter turnout by increasing poll locations, poll workers and access to voting.

Kentucky state auditor candidates

Two Republicans are running to lead the office that's the watchdog for taxpayer dollars, while Democrats fielded one candidate.

Allison Ball (R) of Prestonsburg has served two terms as state treasurer, first elected to the office in 2015. As auditor, Ball says she "will continue to be a watchdog for taxpayer dollars, leverage her experience as prosecutor, and continue to promote transparency in government."

Derek Petteys (R) of Lexington ran for Congress in 2022, losing in the Republican primary. As auditor, his campaign website says, he will fight "loopholes, kickbacks, and the 'Good Ole Boy' system."

Kim Reeder (D) of Frankfort is the presumptive general election nominee for Democrats, facing no primary opponent. A tax attorney for more than two decades, she calls for "shining a light on how our tax dollars are spent to eliminate waste and abuse where it exists."

Kentucky agriculture commissioner candidates

Both parties will have a primary to determine their nominee, with each having two candidates to helm the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.

Richard Heath (R) is a six-term state representative from Mayfield and chairman of the House Agriculture Committee. He ran for commissioner in 2015, narrowly losing the GOP primary, and his campaign now touts his experience in both farming and as an agricultural leader in Frankfort.

Jonathan Shell (R) of Lancaster is a former state representative who was the campaign chairman for Sen. Mitch McConnell in 2020. His campaign touts him as "pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, pro-growth and pro-farmer."

More:Analysis: Here's where Kentucky's governor candidates are getting their money

Sierra Enlow (D) of Hodgenville is an Emerge Kentucky graduate.

Mikael Malone (D) is a Democrat from Winchester.

Kentucky state treasurer candidates

Three Republicans are facing off in the GOP primary for state treasurer, while Democrats fielded one candidate.

Andrew Cooperrider (R) lost a high-profile GOP primary for state Senate in 2020, though he picked up support from leaders of the "liberty" wing of the party. He is a Lexington coffee shop owner who defied Beshear's pandemic mandates and petitioned to impeach the governor. His campaign calls for ensuring tax dollars "are not being spent to violate your Constitutional rights."

Mark Metcalf (R) is a Republican from Lancaster.

OJ Oleka (R) was chief of staff for state Treasurer Allison Ball, before becoming president of the Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges & Universities. The son of Nigeria immigrants, he is campaigning on stopping fraud and abuse, protecting property rights and increasing budget transparency.

Michael Bowman (D) was the Democratic nominee for state treasurer in 2019, losing in the general election to incumbent Allison Ball. His campaign site states he will be a treasurer who "doesn’t just rubber stamp bad policy, but instead focuses on accountability and transparency."

Reach reporter Joe Sonka at jsonka@courierjournal.com and follow him on Twitter at @joesonka.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Here's who is running for governor, other Kentucky offices in 2023