Read transcripts of Kentucky Governor hopefuls’ 2023 Fancy Farm Speeches

Below is the transcript of a speech given by Governor Andy Beshear at the 2023 Fancy Farm picnic, followed by a transcript of the speech given by Attorney General Daniel Cameron. Fancy Farm is a traditional political gathering and church picnic in Kentucky. This annual event held on the first Saturday of August at St. Jerome Catholic Church in Fancy Farm, Kentucky, is renowned for its lively atmosphere and fiery political speeches.

This year, Governor Beshear used the platform to highlight his administration’s accomplishments, discuss political rivals, and express his hopes for the future of Kentucky. He also acknowledged the strength of the local communities in the face of recent natural disasters.

Governor Andy Beshear:

I’m ready! Thank you St. Jerome and thank you Fancy Farm. It’s great to be back in Western Kentucky where my family is from, where Jamie Comer pretends to live and where Daniel Cameron will show up for a political rally but not for tornado survivors. Surprisingly, Cameron is here. He recently told Eric Deters he would go to his big rally and then backed out. He really wanted to come, he said. He really did but he had other things to do. That’s exactly what Ryan Quarles told Daniel Cameron. But hey, he has Robbie Mills. You know, if you took all the people on Daniel’s L.G. list ahead of Robbie Mills and put them together, you would have the biggest crowd of the Cameron campaign.

Robbie certainly is an interesting choice. When I went to court and saved the pensions of every teacher and police officer, Robbie was mad. Robbie was big mad. Robbie said it was the most frustrated he had ever been, which is exactly how Daniel felt when the best he got was Robbie Mills. And listen, I know you just heard from Daniel Cameron. It’s not true. It’s all lies, but if you are willing to lie about a grand jury, he is willing to lie to you.

Listen, we all have fun at Fancy Farm. We throw out some zingers but we should remember that we are at a church picnic and a place hit hard by tornadoes and recently flooding. This area has shown us how to be our best. Neighbors helping neighbors because that’s what we do in Kentucky. We take care of each other. People hauled out debris, volunteered their time, and donated even when budgets were tight. My faith teaches me that while weeping may linger in the evening, joy comes in the morning.

That joy is record economic development right here in Western Kentucky. Billions of dollars invested in this area, good paying jobs at Osmondson, Mayfield, Madisonville, Ascend, Hopkinsville, Halibus in Murray, Precision Zoner in Benton, Payer in Henderson and so much more. These are the jobs that are changing the trajectories of families and communities. We have had more than $26 billion of new private sector investment in Kentucky. We have our lowest annual unemployment rate in history and more jobs than before the pandemic.

We have also brought hundreds of millions of dollars to Western Kentucky to rebuild. We are rebuilding houses for families, supporting farmers and small businesses and, Father, we paid for the funeral of all 81 people we lost because we grieve together. Today, at St. Jerome’s, let’s remember we are told not just to talk about our faith, but to actually live it out. I’m reminded of the golden rule, which is that we love our neighbor as ourselves. And the parable of the Good Samaritan said everyone is our neighbor.

Here you see a contrast. This race is the difference between vision and division. They’re trying to pit us against each other, calling everybody names who disagree with them, telling you it’s okay to yell at and hate your fellow Kentuckians. I’m ready to prove that’s a losing strategy in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. See, people here know there is no Democrat or Republican bridges. That a good job isn’t red or blue. And the most important thing for a Governor is getting the job done.

We are getting the biggest projects done in our history. We are four laning the Mountain Parkway, building the bridge without tolls and moving I HF 69 forward all at the same time. We brought a half billion dollars in clean drinking water, the largest investment in the expansion of internet access.

I have signed 627 bipartisan bills, 627.

You know, folks, Graves County and Mayfield are known for their resilience. They’re also known for championship football. They know when you are on a historic winning streak, you don’t fire the coach. You don’t sub out the quarterback. You keep that team on the field and you rack up championships! In Kentucky, it is our time to win. We have a can’t miss opportunity, a chance to be the generation that changes everything. Everything now is about building for the brighter future.

We can turn these three great years of economic development into 30 years of prosperity. So let’s get out there, let’s win for every single Kentuckian at every part of the Commonwealth and let’s win some championships. Thank y’all, God bless!

Cameron took this opportunity to critique incumbent Governor Andy Beshear, challenge his leadership and policies, and draw a stark contrast between their visions for Kentucky. With impassioned remarks, he outlined his stances on a range of issues, from education to law enforcement, the economy, and social concerns, further presenting his commitment to uphold traditional Kentucky values against what he perceives as radical ideological shifts.

Attorney General Daniel Cameron:

Hello West Kentucky! Makenze and I are so glad to be back in Fancy Farm, and how about my running mate, Robbie Mills! This man is an absolute warrior for Kentucky values! Governor, it’s good to see you here. But I know you feel kind of out of place here at a Catholic picnic. I know you feel more at home spending time with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. This governor meets with anti-Christian hate groups more than he meets with the General Assembly. Am I right, Jason? They say a picture is worth a thousand words and there it is! But when it comes to that photo, three words will do the job. Andy, you’re fired!

Now one thing I have learned about Andy Beshear, there is a TV Andy and then there is a Frankfort Andy. TV Andy lies about his record on jobs, crime, and teachers. TV Andy wants you to believe he has never heard of Joe Biden. But when the cameras are not rolling and he thinks you are not watching, that’s when Frankfort, the real Andy Beshear rears his head. He vetoes tax cuts, he fights for the Biden agenda. He demands that boys play in girls sports. He protects transparency surgeries for kids. I have been watching Frankfort Andy up close for nearly four years. And I have just one question. Governor, are you auditioning for a job with Bud Light’s marketing team? This governor lies more than a Hunter Biden tax return.

But here is the truth. His record is one of failure and flies in the face of true Kentucky values. Andy Beshear locked the schools and threw open the jails. Sent the state police after Christians on Easter Sunday. He closed down Main Street and bent over backward for Wall Street. There are fewer people working today than when Andy Beshear took office and that’s a fact. But, folks, it doesn’t have to be that way. We can recover for our children what Andy Beshear took from them. We can restore law and order. We can build a future that’s based on true Kentucky values instead of the Beshear-Biden radical ideology.

Governor, I know you guys are obsessed with pronouns these days, but come November, yours are going to be has and been.

Andy Beshear and Joe Biden are liberals that have rules for you but not for themselves. The governor has the audacity to lecture rural Kentuckians on right and wrong when he and Joe Biden can’t tell the difference between a man and a woman. They mock our faith, our families, and our values and they try to cancel anyone who disagrees. Well, the folks of Fancy Farm have one response, Governor. Try that in a small town.

We need a governor who will stand up to the woke mob, not cheer them on. When the mob came to my front lawn to threaten me, I refused to back down. I’ll protect our children from gender ideology in the classroom and keep boys out of girls sports. I will support our teachers and make sure they have the resources they need. I will make sure our schools are about reading, writing, and math, and they are not incubators for liberal and progressive ideas. I’ll back the blue and I will hold Joe Biden accountable for his war on Kentucky coal.

This governor, he has failed to protect your rights and freedoms. And as Attorney General, I have taken him to court and won. But the ultimate judgment will come from we, the people. We the people say the evidence is overwhelming and the verdict must be guilty as charged! My friends, by the grace of God, we are on the precipice of history. But we must cast aside the politicians of the past who scramble to appease the woke radicals of the present.

Let’s commit ourselves once again to upholding the dignity of work, to the family as the foundation of society, to respecting the rule of law and the principles of our Founding Fathers, and to once again be guided by the better angels of our nature. With humility and abundant gratitude, I ask you to join us this November as we make history. Thank you and may God continue to bless Kentucky! Thank you all!

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Watch KET’s full coverage of 2023 Fancy Farm here.

Top photo: Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and Attorney General Daniel Cameron shake hands before the 2023 Fancy Farm political speeches. (KET screenshot)