{"id":2056195,"date":"2023-10-05T06:14:01","date_gmt":"2023-10-05T10:14:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democracy-derby-kentucky-secretary-of-state-tests-mcconnell-candidate-quality-theory\/"},"modified":"2023-10-05T06:16:54","modified_gmt":"2023-10-05T10:16:54","slug":"democracy-derby-kentucky-secretary-of-state-tests-mcconnell-candidate-quality-theory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democracy-derby-kentucky-secretary-of-state-tests-mcconnell-candidate-quality-theory\/","title":{"rendered":"Kentucky secretary of state tests McConnell&#8217;s candidate quality theory in Democracy Derby."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdemocracy-derby-kentucky-secretary-of-state-tests-mcconnell-candidate-quality-theory%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2056195&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>All eyes may be on \u20642024, but 2023 is an important election year for some states, not least Kentucky.<\/h2>\n<p>Top of the card is Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) and whether\u200d the Democratic incumbent can win again in a typically \u200dred state,\u2064 possibly launching himself into the 2028 presidential conversation.<\/p>\n<p>This\u2062 Washington Examiner series, Democracy Derby, will\u200d take a closer\u200b look at Beshear&#8217;s prospects, \u2062the makeup of the \u200dBluegrass State \u2064as a whole, and whether Sen. Mitch McConnell&#8217;s \u200d(R-KY) health\u200d may raise the stakes.<\/p>\n<h3>Election integrity matters in Kentucky,\u2062 and that could be good news for the \u2064incumbent secretary of state.<\/h3>\n<p>Michael Adams handily won his primary battle against two conspiracy-tinged challengers\u200b and now faces former state Rep. Charles &#8220;Buddy&#8221; Wheatley in the general election.<\/p>\n<p>In a state where \u2062Sen. Mitch McConnell \u2064(R-KY) touches every corner of the Republican Party, Adams is no exception. He&#8217;s a former McConnell Scholar at the University \u200dof Louisville, and perhaps, more importantly, \u200bhe gave no quarter to former President Donald\u2064 Trump&#8217;s\u2063 stolen election claims in \u20632020.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s had a number \u2062of \u2062challenges, and \u2062he&#8217;s handled them all beautifully,&#8221; said Scott Jennings, a longtime adviser to McConnell. &#8220;Mike has carved out a reputation as being probably the most effective secretary of state we&#8217;ve ever had.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Jennings\u2063 is\u2063 no neutral observer \u2014 he was Adams&#8217;s college roommate\u200d \u2014 yet his\u2064 assessment seems\u2062 to \u200dgel with the numbers. Adams bested former Miss America \u200dHeather\u2062 French Henry by 64,000 votes in 2019, the same election that saw Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) take office in the traditionally red\u2063 state.<\/p>\n<p>But\u200c the real challenges began later. Adams worked \u2062to alter election laws to accommodate the \u2062COVID-19 pandemic during his first year in office,\u200d then teamed with Beshear and \u200cthe state legislature to make some of\u200d those changes \u2062permanent the next\u2064 year.<\/p>\n<p>While Trump won Kentucky by 26 points in 2020,\u2063 his\u200d stolen election complaints still reverberated in the Bluegrass State. Stephen Knipper, Adams&#8217;s \u200beventual primary opponent, went on a &#8220;restore election \u2064integrity&#8221; tour in 2021 before announcing his candidacy.<\/p>\n<p>Ahead of the primary, Adams&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/five-house-democrats-hold-districts-donald-trump-won-in-2020-and-are-running-for-their-political-lives\/\" title=\"Five House Democrats in Trump-won districts fight for survival in upcoming elections.\">reelection campaign posted<\/a> on X, &#8220;We must keep\u200d the cranks, kooks and RINOs out \u2064of this office.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Voters agreed. Adams took 63.9% of the primary vote, compared to just 26.5% for Knipper and 9.6% for third-place candidate \u2062Allen Maricle.<\/p>\n<p>The situation could shake out well for Adams in \u2062the\u2062 general as well.<\/p>\n<p>State Attorney General Daniel\u2063 Cameron (R-KY) must navigate the thorny issue of abortion\u200d as he attempts to wrestle the \u200cgovernorship\u200c from \u200cBeshear. That won&#8217;t \u200cbe an issue\u200d for Adams, and Democrats also can&#8217;t attack him \u200dfor <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democracy-derby-kentucky-secretary-of-state-tests-mcconnell-candidate-quality-theory\/\" title=\"Kentucky secretary of state tests McConnell's candidate quality theory in Democracy Derby.\">entertaining stolen election claims<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Adams has\u200b helped \u2064push through conservative priorities, such \u200das requiring a photo ID to vote \u2063and \u200cpurging the voter rolls of people who have \u200bdied or moved out of state. His motto, &#8220;Easier to vote and harder\u200b to cheat,&#8221; has been used by other Republicans such as \u200cGov. Brian Kemp (R-GA). \u2063Lastly, Adams\u200b has not embraced early and mail-in voting to the extent \u200bthat\u200d some liberals would like.<\/p>\n<p>But using \u2062those points to boot him from office will be a tough sell in a solidly red state, argued University of Kentucky political science professor Stephen Voss.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s going into the statewide elections in perhaps the \u2062strongest position of any of the \u200dRepublicans on the\u200c ticket,&#8221; \u2062Voss said. \u200b&#8221;I can&#8217;t promise \u2064he&#8217;ll get the most votes, but he regularly\u2062 gets \u2063statements of support from\u200c independent \u200cor democratic voters.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Adams has made that kind\u2064 of statement himself, telling local news station WKYT, &#8220;I can\u2019t go to Kroger or CVS or a restaurant without people coming up and thanking \u2063me for \u2062my work, especially Democrats. They say, \u2018I never voted for a Republican in my\u2064 life and I\u2019m voting for you.\u2019&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>McConnell, who Jennings described as the godfather of the Kentucky Republican Party, has \u2064urged the GOP \u200bto\u2063 move beyond Trumpy \u200ctypes in major elections. After a disappointing midterm showing, the Senate minority leader said\u2063 he&#8217;d be looking for \u200c&#8221;quality candidates&#8221; ahead\u200d of 2024 while\u2062 urging\u2063 Trump \u2062to\u2064 stay\u2064 out of it.<\/p>\n<p>Adams may be the type of politician McConnell had in mind, even if most Republicans won&#8217;t\u200d enjoy the kind of cross-party appeal he&#8217;s aiming at.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Michael Adams is the Republican that\u2063 Democrats like to \u200bpoint\u200d to\u2063 to show \u2064that they\u200b don&#8217;t hate all Republicans,&#8221; Voss said.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/democracy-derby-michael-adams-kentucky-secretary-of-state\">CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How might Charles \u2064&#8221;Buddy&#8221; \u2063Wheatley&#8217;s \u200dchallenge to Beshear in the Democratic primary impact the outcome of\u2064 the general election?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  \u2063Face a primary battle, with Charles &#8220;Buddy&#8221; Wheatley challenging Beshear for the Democratic nomination.\u200b This could potentially split the Democratic vote and give Adams an advantage in the general election.<\/p>\n<p>Adams has\u2064 made election integrity a key\u200d focus of his campaign, which may appeal to Kentucky voters who are concerned about the security and accuracy of their \u200celections. In a \u200dstate where McConnell&#8217;s influence is significant and where Trump&#8217;s claims of a stolen election\u2064 still resonate, \u200dAdams&#8217;s unwavering stand against those claims could be seen as a positive attribute.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, Adams&#8217;s track record as secretary\u200b of state has been\u2063 commendable. He successfully navigated the challenges of the\u2064 COVID-19 pandemic \u200bby implementing necessary changes to election laws, and his collaboration with Beshear and the state legislature to make some of those changes\u200d permanent demonstrates his \u200bability to work effectively across party lines.<\/p>\n<p>Scott Jennings, a longtime adviser to McConnell, has praised Adams as \u200bone of the most effective secretaries of state Kentucky has ever had. This \u200dendorsement, coming from a prominent Republican figure, speaks volumes \u2063about Adams&#8217;s competency and leadership skills.<\/p>\n<p>Adams&#8217;s previous electoral victory over Heather French Henry, a well-known figure in Kentucky politics, suggests that he has the \u2063support and trust of the voters. Winning by\u2062 a wide margin in the primary\u200b against Stephen \u2064Knipper and Allen Maricle further strengthens\u2064 his position as the front-runner for\u200d the general election.<\/p>\n<p>While Adams\u2064 may not \u2063face the same thorny issues as Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who is navigating the abortion\u200d debate \u2064in his \u2064bid for the \u2063governorship, his focus on election integrity and his alignment with McConnell&#8217;s\u200b party will likely appeal to many \u200cconservative voters in Kentucky.<\/p>\n<p>As the general election approaches, all\u2064 eyes will be on the \u2064race between Andy Beshear \u2064and \u200bhis Republican opponent, likely to be Michael Adams. While the outcome is far\u2064 from certain, Adams&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-lays-out-his-middle-east-policy-supporting-israel\/\" title=\"DeSantis backs Israel in Middle East policy.\">strong \u200dtrack record<\/a>, his commitment to election integrity, and\u2062 his alignment with influential\u200b figures like McConnell, give him \u200ca solid\u200c chance of \u2063securing victory in a \u2064state\u200b that is traditionally red.<\/p>\n<p>In\u200d conclusion, the 2023 election in Kentucky\u200d is\u200d an important battleground, with Governor Andy Beshear seeking re-election and Secretary of \u2062State Michael\u2064 Adams vying for a second term.\u2064 Adams&#8217;s focus on election integrity, his\u200b successful tenure as secretary \u200bof state, \u200cand his \u200calignment with influential figures within the Republican Party make him a formidable contender. \u2062As \u200bthe race\u2064 unfolds, Kentucky\u2062 will be\u200b a state to watch closely,\u2064 as the outcome could \u2064have implications\u2062 not only\u200c for the state but also for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sen-rick-scott-expects-ex-nevada-ag-adam-laxalt-to-run-for-senate\/\" title=\"Sen. Rick Scott Expects Ex-Nevada AG Adam Laxalt to Run for Senate\">national political landscape<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>closer look at the crucial 2023 election year in Kentucky. Governor Andy Beshear&#8217;s (D-KY) re-election bid in a traditionally Republican state holds significance, potentially propelling him into the 2028 presidential race. As attention focuses on 2024, this Washington Examiner series, Democracy Derby, will delve into the upcoming elections and their implications.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2056196,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2056195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2056195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2056195"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2056195\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2056196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2056195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2056195"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2056195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}