All Entries in the "Dea Riley" Category

At debate, candidates for lieutenant governor disagree on tax reform

By Jack Brammer
jbrammer@herald-leader.com

With two weeks to go before the Nov. 8 general election, the three candidates for Kentucky’s second-highest political office — lieutenant governor — appeared in their first and only debate Monday night before a statewide television audience.

Democrat Jerry Abramson, Republican Richie Farmer and independent Dea Riley argued issues ranging from taxes to coal but maintained a mostly civil tone throughout the hourlong debate on Kentucky Educational Television’s Kentucky Tonight.

The sharpest disagreement came when host Bill Goodman asked the candidates their opinions on the need for tax reform.

Dea Riley brings energy, and baggage, to Gatewood Galbraith’s campaign

Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of stories about the candidates for lieutenant governor.

In Gatewood Galbraith’s eighth run for statewide office, observers have noticed a new focus, attention to detail and online presence missing from previous campaigns.

The credit, the gubernatorial candidate said, goes to his running mate, Dea Riley, an economic development and marketing professional who has managed several previous political campaigns.

“She is such a good writer, and she’s so good with people,” Galbraith said recently of the woman he picked to be lieutenant governor. “She’s helped so much with social media.”

But Riley also has made questionable decisions in the past that have put her at odds with former allies, and created embarrassing legal problems.

For example, in 2003 she was issued a citation in Nelson County for breaking into a house in Bloomfield. She was charged with criminal trespassing and paid a $150 fine, according to court records.

Beshear outraises Williams 4 to 1 from May 17-Oct. 7

By Jack Brammer
jbrammer@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT — Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear’s re-election campaign has raised more than $9.5 million, it said Wednesday in a news release.

Beshear and his running mate, former Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson, collected more than $4.1 for the most recent filing period — from May to early October, according to disclosure forms filed with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance.

The campaign reported having $1.07 million cash on hand. It said it has pre-purchased $1 million of television advertisements for the final weeks of the campaign. Election Day is Nov. 8.

Farishes will hold fundraiser for Beshear-Abramson campaign

FRANKFORT – Father and son Will and Bill Farish of Lane’s End Farm near Versailles will host a fund-raising reception Friday at their thoroughbred race horse breeding farm for the Democratic ticket of Gov. Steve Beshear and his running mate, former Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson.
The reception will be from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the farm’s Stallion Barn on Midway Road.

The invitation to the fundraiser says couples Will and Sarah Farish and Bill and Kelley Farish suggest a contribution of $1,000 to attend.

Second poll shows Beshear with double-digit lead over Williams

By Beth Musgrave
bmusgrave@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT — A second poll released this week shows Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear with a more than 20-point lead over Republican challenger David Williams.

Insight’s CN|2 poll, conducted by Braun Research, showed Beshear and running mate Jerry Abramson with 53.4 percent of the vote, compared to 25.3 percent for Williams and running mate Richie Farmer.

The independent slate of Lexington lawyer Gatewood Galbraith and marketing executive Dea Riley garnered about 7.2 percent of the vote.

Earlier this week, Public Policy Polling released numbers that showed Beshear witha 27-point lead over Williams.

Beshear campaign touts support of Republicans, including Larry Hopkins

By Jack Brammer
jbrammer@herald-leader.com

Former U.S. Rep. Larry Hopkins, who represented Central Kentucky’s 6th District for 14 years, is among more than 300 Republicans publicly backing Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear for governor.

Hopkins, at a news conference in Lexington Thursday with first lady Jane Beshear, said he is friends with the other two candidates for governor – Republican David Williams and independent Gatewood Galbraith — but he considers Beshear “the best leader.”

Hopkins, who was in Congress from 1979 to 1993, also endorsed Beshear for governor in 2007.

The Beshear campaign also released the names Thursday of more than 150 other Kentucky Republicans who have publicly announced their support for Beshear and his running mate, former Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson.

They included Paintsville Mayor Bob Porter, Newport Mayor Jerry Peluso and Calhoun Mayor Thomas C. Fulkerson.

It’s official: Galbraith a candidate for governor

]By Jack Brammer
jbrammer@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT – Saying Kentuckians are “so disgusted with the status quo” in Frankfort, Lexington attorney Gatewood Galbraith turned in 7,396 signatures with the secretary of state’s office Thursday morning to become an independent candidate in this year’s race for governor.

Galbraith, a Lexington attorney, needed 5,000 signatures to get on the Nov. 8 ballot with his running mate, Dea Riley, a Frankfort marketing consultant.

Mary Sue Helm, with the secretary of state’s office, said a few hours later that 7,094 of the signatures were certified with all necessary information and that Galbraith and Riley were official candidates.

Any opposing candidate or registered Kentucky voter could challenge the signatures, but Helm said they appear in order for filing to run. Galbraith and Riley paid the $500 filing fee.

Beshear-Abramson campaign touts economic records in new TV ads

By Jack Brammer
jbrammer@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT – The re-election campaign of Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear and his running mate, former Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson, started airing two TV ads Monday touting their economic records.

The ads come on the heels of a TV ad by the Republican Governors Association that claims Kentucky’s economy has suffered over the last four years with one of the Top 10 unemployment rates in the nation and that GOP gubernatorial nominee David Williams has a plan to improve it.

Beshear and Abramson are featured in the 30-second Democratic campaign’s new ads. Williams is not mentioned.

Galbraith expects to make race for governor official next Thursday

FRANKFORT — The independent campaign of Gatewood Galbraith and Dea Riley in this year’s race for governor and lieutenant governor plans to officially enter the race next Thursday.

Riley, a Frankfort political consultant, said Friday that Galbraith, a Lexington attorney, and she plan to submit about 7,500 signatures to the secretary of state’s office July 21 to get on the Nov. 8 ballot. Five thousand are needed.

Riley also said the campaign knew that Ralph Long would be departing as its manager.

After filing deadline, lineups are set for May 17 Kentucky primary election

By Beth Musgrave

FRANKFORT — Gov. Steve Beshear will not have an opponent in the May Democratic primary for governor, but Republican frontrunner and state Senate President David Williams will have two opponents.

Tuesday was the filing deadline to run for the state constitutional offices on the May 17 ballot.

In the Republican primary race, Williams and running mate Agricultural Commissioner Richie Farmer will face Jefferson County Clerk Barbara “Bobbie” Holsclaw and retired Navy officer and Jefferson County teacher Bill Vermillion Jr. Also on the Republican ticket is Phil Moffett, a Louisville businessman, who is running with state Rep. Mike Harmon of Danville.

Williams is the front-runner in both name recognition and fundraising. Williams and Farmer, a former University of Kentucky basketball player, have reportedly raised more than $753,196. Moffett has reported raising $53,000.