Coleman's Lexington kickoff event was hosted on Thursday, April 23 in West Sixth Brewery.
She is currently the only candidate to publicly announce a bid to be Kentucky’s next governor.
Prior to being elected Lieutenant governor alongside Andy Beshear in 2018, Coleman was a high school basketball coach, civics teacher and assistant principal.
“I think if there was ever a time to build an economy, it’s a great time for a teacher to be in the governor’s office,” Coleman said.
Although Coleman has worked alongside Andy Beshear since 2018 as his Lieutenant governor, she said they were very different people who work together for the same goals.
“We come from different places, we have different careers, all of those things that help us bring unique perspectives to the table but also learn from each other,” Coleman said. “I’ve seen a lot of progress go on in our administration, especially with economic development, and that’s what I want to make sure that we continue.”
Over 80 people came out to support her campaign, including Kentucky State AFL-CIO President Dustin Reidstedler.
Kentucky State AFL-CIO is an organization representing over 60 unions across the commonwealth. Although Kentucky State AFL-CIO has not officially endorsed a candidate for the 2027 gubernatorial race, Reidstedler said that Coleman has consistently stood with the organization during her time as lieutenant governor.
“As lieutenant governor, Jacqueline Coleman has been 100% with us on every issue. She has walked picket lines, you don’t see that a lot out of state officials,” Reidstedler said. “
Kentucky high school senior Parker Williams attended the event to support Coleman. Though Williams can’t vote just yet, he believes that Coleman’s past experience as an educator will help her make important decisions about Kentucky public schools.
“Just having her run, as a teacher, as a coach, is really important to me,” Williams said. “So while I can't vote, I can do something and I can fight for representatives who are going to support those things that are important to me, such as public school funding.”
Next year's gubernatorial primary is a little more than a year away.