Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles has made official what had been speculated for the past year — he is indeed running for governor in 2023.
Quarles, a Republican, made his intentions official at Saturday’s Fayette County Lincoln Day Dinner. He is in his second term as the state’s commissioner of agriculture after serving one term in the House of Representatives.
He said the current climate in Frankfort is one of unprecedented political division and said his shared vision of economic growth, investment in infrastructure and education, and less government intrusion in jobs and schools.
Quarles has been an advocate for farmers at the regional and national levels.
Following Quarles’ announcement, Kentucky Democratic Party Chair Colmon Elridge released a statement calling Andy Beshear “the most popular Democratic governor in the country because he is providing effective leadership focused on attracting record economic development to the commonwealth.”
Elridge said Quarles has engaged in self-enrichment and political grandstanding that has defined his more than a decade in public office.
A recent rule change in politics does not require Quarles to announce his choice of Lt. governor when he officially files to run for governor. The Republican primary could be a crowded one as they look to unseat Beshear, who has a job approval rate of nearly 60-percent according to a recent Mason-Dixon poll.
