During her announcement Monday morning at the Kentucky History Center in Frankfort, Coleman vowed that education, including pre-K for all and affordable healthcare, would be top priorities of her administration if elected.
“The future of Kentucky’s economy is in our classrooms today,” Coleman said. “Our schools cannot shoulder it alone. This work requires commitment, consistency, and shared responsibility.”
She added that, “We can invest in our kids on the front end, or we are literally going to pay for it on the back end, and I will not stop until pre-K is a reality for every Kentucky family.”
Coleman highlighted her own health battle while in office, which lead to a double mastectomy.
“I was one of the lucky ones, because having health insurance and access to a hospital meant that I could be proactive and even aggressive with my healthcare decisions," Coleman said, adding that every Kentuckian deserves "not just access, but autonomy.”
The lieutenant governor pointed to economic successes under the Beshear administration, saying she believes she's the candidate best positioned to continue that momentum, eliminate barriers, and create more opportunities for Kentuckians.
“I happen to believe the next governor of the commonwealth, whoever she may be, will need to focus on economic and workforce development and complement that progress with a newfound concentration on people development,” the newly-minted candidate said.
Coleman has faced controversy during her tenure. As the head of the cabinet overseeing the Office of Unemployment Insurance during the COVID-19 pandemic, WDRB News reported in 2021 that she helped close associates, such as her hairdresser, secure unemployment benefits, while many Kentuckians waited months for benefits.
Republican Party of Kentucky spokesperson Adam Hope released a statement after Coleman's announcement and referenced the controversy. He called Coleman “ineffective, inefficient, and incompetent."
The statement went on to say, “With this record of failure, Jacqueline Coleman doesn’t deserve a promotion; she deserves a pink slip."
Coleman is the first candidate to announce plans to succeed Gov. Beshear. If elected, she would become only the second woman to govern the commonwealth. Martha Layne Collins held the office from 1983-1987 and was credited as one of the key figures in the effort to woo Toyota Manufacturing to Georgetown.
Also on the Democratic side, Beshear senior advisor Rocky Adkins is responding to questions about his political future. In a statement, he said he's focused on his current role.
"You can't keep a Kentucky boy out of the fight when the future of our state is on the line," Adkins said, saying he's thinking carefully about "what comes next."
Next year's gubernatorial primary is a little more than a year away.
