Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jack Conway now has a primary challenger.
Retired Lexington engineer Geoff Young kicked off his campaign Tuesday at the state capitol.
He tells WUKY he had planned to support the Democratic Attorney General in the 2015 governor’s race – until he added Kentucky to the list of states that have joined a lawsuit against the EPA’s proposed greenhouse gas regulations.
"I realized immediately that Attorney General Conway's position in that lawsuit was without merit," Young explains. "I knew we could make a transition. I knew it would save us money in the long run."
While Conway has said he’s standing up for Kentucky coal and trying to protect the state’s low electricity rates, Young argues the move is wrongheaded and is pledging to keep environmental concerns on the front-burner during the campaign. He also wants to end the death penalty and what he calls “counterproductive” abortion restrictions that actually increase abortion.
To help in that cause, he’s enlisted Cherokee Schill as his running mate.
Young describes Schill, a bicyclist who has found herself at odds with law enforcement after repeatedly riding in the travel lane of U.S. 27, as "a fighter" who is able to "cut through the deception that is widespread in our political process."
A mother of two, Schill has said biking the busy route is the most reliable and cost-effective way she’s found to get to work.
Until Tuesday, Attorney General Jack Conway and his running mate, State Rep. Sannie Overly, were the only Democrats officially in the gubernatorial race.
