By Jerry Seale, Kevin Erpenbeck and Ben Johnson
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecommunications
With seven weeks to the election, all eyes were initially on
Democrat Jack Conway and Republican Matt Bevin during the gubernatorial debate
in Louisville Tuesday night -- but independent candidate Drew Curtis may have
stolen the show.
In a debate that covered a wide range of issues, Curtis got
off to a quick start separating himself from the other bickering candidates
with jokes and a sharp focus on how he would fix the state’s problems.
Conway criticized Bevin for his stance on Medicaid that he
says would kick half-a-million people off Medicaid, the federal-state program
to provide health care for the poor.
Bevin, who backed off that stand in late July, said Tuesday
night that he would apply for a federal waiver that would let Kentucky
customize Medicaid to save money.
Curtis said he is in favor of keeping the Medicaid expansion
as it is, citing a state study that it will pay for itself by adding
health-care jobs.
When Conway chided businessman Bevin for not releasing his
tax returns -- insinuating Bevin has something to hide, Bevin called his claims
a “smoke screen.” He said voters should “pay attention to what really happens,
not what comes out of Conway’s mouth.”
When Conway claimed Bevin said Kentucky should “let the road
funds go to zero and audit it for the last 10 years,” Bevin hotly denied it.
“So much of what comes out of your
mouth, Jack, is absolutely made up,” Bevin replied. “I’ve never once called for
letting anything go to zero and auditing it. You literally just make lies up on
the fly.”
The
Conway campaign did not respond to requests for documentation of the claim.
Another
contentious exchange was over the jailing of Rowan County Kim Davis for
ignoring a federal court order to issue marriage licenses after the Supreme
Court legalized same-sex marriage.
Bevin said that trampled Davis’s freedom of religion, and
Gov. Steve Beshear could have avoided the controversy with an executive order.
Conway, who is the state’s attorney general and has said Beshear
does not have the power, said he sympathized with Davis but she needed to
follow federal court orders.
Once
again Curtis, standing between the other two men at Bellarmine University
lecterns, drew laughter with his response.
“I think you all are both wrong,” he said. “It is the job of
the executive to back up even the laws they don’t like.”
The three also differed significantly on how to deal with
the economy, particularly in Eastern Kentucky.
“We need a governor
who can take a look forward and anticipate problems before they actually
occur,” Curtis said. “I don’t think we currently have that, no offense to these
guys here. I don’t think it’s been done in American politics before. That is
the thing I’m looking to change.”
Bevin said the problem isn’t just in Eastern Kentucky, but
the whole state. “If there’s a hole in the boat, all our feet are going to
get wet.” he said.
Conway endorsed the Shaping Our Appalachian Region
initiative of Beshear and 5th District U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers.
On education funding, Conway said it would be a top
priority, but Curtis said he couldn’t address that issue until the state’s
pension problems are fixed and its finances are in better shape. He predicted
twice that a recession is coming.
Bevin did not address elementary and secondary education,
but said higher education needed to be better stewards of state funds and do
more to prepare people for jobs.
That
answer was a theme for many of Bevin’s answers in the debate.
The
candidates had different opinions on how to shore state pension plans, which
are the second most underfunded in the nation.
Conway
said the problem is starting to take care of itself and will take some time for
the full effects to be seen. To the contrary, Bevin said, the state is only
“digging deeper and deeper into the hole,” and that major change will be
needed.
Curtis
has proposed his own plan, which would involve a line of credit, which could be
tapped into when needed and paid back when times were better. Bevin criticized
this plan, and said officials in Frankfort should not be trusted with such a
system.
Conway
was asked how he would fund the early-childhood education plan he proposed this
month. He cited his record in office, saying he has returned over $300 million
to the treasury, as assurance that he can find the money. Bevin and Curtis were
skeptical.
Conway also pointed to his work against drug abuse and said
he would put a plan in place to bring more treatment and drug education to Kentucky.
Curtis endorsed a statewide needle exchange program but
Conway only backed the current local option, and Bevin did not provide a clear
answer to the question.
The candidates found a rare moment of agreement on expunging
the records and restoring voting rights for non-violent drug offenders who have
served their time.
