The primary election is May 21, and there are several candidates seeking their party's nomination. The Pure Politics team has contacted each candidate with a primary opponent to find out who they are, and what they stand for. 

Robert Goforth is a Republican running for Governor.

Goforth is a seventh generation Kentuckian from Laurel and Pulaski Counties. He says he grew up poor with mostly a single mother, and was forced to drop out of school at 16 to work. He was able to get his GED at 17 after becoming a father, he then joined the Army where he served as combat engineer. When he came back to Pulaski County, he worked in a factory building compressors before breaking his back, which is what led him to pursue his dream of becoming a pharmacist. He attended the University of Kentucky and obtained his Doctor of Pharmacy degree which eventually led him to open four pharmacies and begin a drug prevention program in schools.

“We’ve probably taught about 100,000 students all across Kentucky medication safety and drug prevention education,” he said. “And that’s what led me to run for the legislature, I thought if I can make a difference in their lives other than this, how can I be most effective? I need a seat at the table when it comes to determining their curriculum and things that they need to learn in school so I ran for state representative last year in a special election.”

He was elected to the Kentucky General Assembly in February 2018, and then re-elected in November 2018.

“I won those elections overwhelmingly because the people saw I was there to do the right thing, he said. “People saw that it’s above politics, party lines; it’s about doing the right thing for the people. I’m a conservative Republican; my social conservative values are probably some of the strongest in the legislature.”  

He decided to run against incumbent Governor Matt Bevin because he says the people of Kentucky deserve a choice.

“I know that we have an incumbent in my own party, but I don’t think we should decide for the people just because someone is already in office,” he said. “I think the people should be able to decide if they want to head in a different direction than what we are headed in.”

Goforth says despite being arrogant, Bevin also has bad policy.

“He says he’s pro-life, yet he contributed and made a maximum campaign contribution to an A rated, 100% rated endorsed by Planned Parenthood candidate for U.S. Congress last year,” he said. “I just don’t think you can pick and choose, you’re either pro-life or you’re not.”

That’s not the only thing Goforth takes issue with.

“He says he’s a fiscal conservative, yet he hires his old Army buddy for a job that paid $160,000 a year, and then within months he gives him a $215,000 a year raise,” he said. “If you are a fiscal conservative you know you can’t go around doubling and tripling people’s salaries that work for you.”

Pensions are another thing he believes Bevin has handled wrongly.

“Since this governor has been in office and his pension board has been controlling the investments they’ve paid out $400 million in management fees for that fund, for the worst funded and worst managed pension system in Kentucky,” he said.

Goforth says as he’s been traveling the state people are telling him they want a change.

“If everyone shows up to vote that tells me they are supportive of me and they want a change, we will win by a landslide, there will be no question,” he said. “But we just have to make sure people are ready, they are hungry, they want to make a change in Kentucky, and I think they do.”

Goforth says the biggest part of the primary is making sure that people go out and vote.

“It’s probably going to be one of the most important decisions that you make for a long time, our children will be very affected by the choice that you make on May 21^st,” he said. “I don’t think that our current governor is re-electable, his polls numbers suggest such, it says that in Eastern Kentucky, he’s polling around 20%, statewide low 20’s still.”

Goforth is running against current Governor Matt Bevin, Ike Lawrence, and William Woods in the primary.