Five Things to Know Today
Matt Jones is not running
Ending months of speculation and discussion, Matt Jones of KY Sports Radio announced on Friday that he is not going to run for the U.S. Senate in 2020. (Forward Kentucky)
Beshear announces transition teams
Governor-elect Andy Beshear on Friday announced his transition team, made up of sub-teams for each major area of state government. The total team includes more than 150 people from across the state. It was introduced at a press conference by Beshear and Lt. Governor-elect Jacqueline Coleman. We have the entire list, broken out by sub-team, and there are some familiar names on there. (Forward Kentucky)
Poli-sci professor Voss weighs in on issues facing Beshear
Dr. Voss of UK talked with Berry Craig and outlined significant issues facing Andy Beshear: pensions, the drug crisis, health care, and redistricting. (Forward Kentucky)
Hampton hints she may run for office
Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton, in Bardstown on Tuesday to receive the first Ron Paul Liberty Award from the Republican Party of Nelson County, said she doesn’t know what’s next for her when she leaves office at the end of next month, but she wouldn’t rule out running for something else. “Everything is on the table,” she said in an interview with The Kentucky Standard.
Then she repeated those words. Twice. (KY Standard)
Recanvass – ‘Our numbers are the same. Our calculators are different.’
Want to see how a recanvass works? Nick Lacy went to the Boyle County recanvass, and captured the process in a series of photos. (Forward Kentucky)
Did you miss any of these?
Featured Content on Forward Kentucky
([new] indicates new since last Forward Five; 🔥 indicates lots of reads)
News
[new] 🔥U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden calls Braidy’s dealings with then-sanctioned Russian firm ‘troubling’ – An exchange of letters between Sen. Ron Wyden and CEO Craig Bouchard sheds new light on the interactions between Bouchard and Russian company Rusal. (read)
[new] Teachers to be grand marshals of inauguration parade – Andy Beshear, the state’s governor-elect, announced that Kentucky teachers will serve as the grand marshals for his inauguration parade next month. (read)
[new] Bevin concedes, wishes Beshear well – Gov. Matt Bevin said Thursday that he will not contest the results of Thursday’s recanvass of votes in the gubernatorial election. (read)
[new] 🔥State Republican Party files requests with state clerks for data on governor’s race – The Republican Party of Kentucky is requesting all county clerk’s offices across the state provide a large amount of data on the Nov. 5 election. (read)
[new] 🔥Billboard warns ‘Moscow Mitch’ McConnell: Impeach Trump or ‘lose your job’ – A new billboard in Washington, D.C. warns Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to support the impeachment of President Donald Trump or “lose your job.” (read)
🔥Kentucky plans to fight judge’s order to release records on Braidy industries investors – A court order issued this week says the Bevin administration must release documents showing investors in Braidy Industries, but the legal battle isn’t over. (read)
Commentary
🔥The crazy has come out about the election – There’s a conspiracy theory going around on the far Right about the Kentucky governor election, and it hit our Twitter account. Here’s the story. (read)
🔥Matt Bevin lost the Kentucky governor’s race because he’s a jerk. Good riddance! – Let’s make one thing crystal clear: Matt Bevin didn’t lose because of his policies, the way he governed, or scandal. He lost for one simple reason. (read)
Media
[new podcast] Election fallout and U.S. Senate updates – Robert and Jazmin explain all the fallout from the 2019 election, including the Repubs in the legislature, as well as updates to the Senate 2020 race. (listen)
Rep. Charles Booker’s launch event (video) – Here is the video from today’s launch event for Rep. Charles Booker’s exploratory committee. Good crowd, good speeches, and good stuff from Booker. Enjoy! (watch)
Posts with Most Social Media Shares in Past Fourteen Days
( 🔥indicates post with surge of recent shares)
- ‘Absurd’ and ‘ridiculous’: What officials, experts say about Bevin’s voter fraud claims (2,000 shares)
- Presser: Beshear announces transition team, names “day-one priorities” (1,000 shares)
- Alison Lundergan Grimes: Bevin should ‘honor’ election result and help Beshear transition (952 shares)
The Forward 5 is published Monday to Friday by Forward Kentucky, an independent media organization focused on progressive news and issues in Kentucky, and is re-posted with permission. You can sign up for the email version of the newsletter on their website.
