Then-Gov. Matt Bevin had spoken with Kelly Craft, who was serving as United States ambassador to Canada, about the possibility of joining his 2019 reelection ticket, according to a source familiar with the conversation.
Craft did not respond to requests for comment at the time. The source said she was one of several people Bevin was considering as a potential replacement for then-Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton. Representatives for the governor also did not provide a response before publication.
Craft had been appointed ambassador to Canada in 2017. She and members of her family had also been prominent contributors to Republican candidates in Kentucky.
At the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce’s annual dinner in Frankfort, Bevin reiterated that he intended to seek reelection. He said he planned to file before the January 29 candidate deadline. The comments followed public questions about whether he would enter the race.
Earlier that week, state Rep. Robert Goforth announced a Republican primary campaign for governor and sharply criticized Bevin’s leadership. Read the related archive report on Goforth’s announcement.
U.S. Rep. James Comer, who had narrowly lost the 2015 Republican gubernatorial primary to Bevin, had said he might consider a campaign if Bevin chose not to run. Comer also raised questions about Bevin’s relationship with legislators in his own party.
On the day of the chamber dinner, Comer publicly suggested that Republicans consider Craft for statewide office. Bevin and Craft were seated beside one another at the event later that evening.
Craft and her family had supported Comer during the 2015 primary. At the chamber gathering, Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers also mentioned Craft as someone who might pursue public office in the future.
Correction retained from the archive: The original report was updated to correct Jenean Hampton’s given name and clarify that Craft was one of several individuals under consideration as a running mate.
