Rocky Adkins, a former Democratic leader in the Kentucky House and senior advisor to Gov. Andy Beshear from Eastern Kentucky, is officially running for governor.
His campaign issued a press release Tuesday morning and released a video on social media. It opens with boxers fighting in a ring and then moves to Adkins speaking over shots of Kentuckians waking up to go to work and take care of their families.
“We’ve always been fighters,” Adkins says in the video before vowing to be a fighter for the commonwealth.
Beshear, who was elected in 2019 and 2023, is term-limited from running for governor again. Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, also a Democrat, announced her run for governor in April. Her campaign recently reported it raised $303,000.
“The governor of Kentucky is the last line of defense for the people of this commonwealth,” Adkins said in a press release. “That protection is only as strong as the person behind the desk. Right now, Kentucky needs a governor with the experience, backbone and record to take on these fights and win.”
Adkins, 66, an Elliott County native, represented the 99th House District, in Eastern Kentucky from 1987 to 2019. Beshear appointed Adkins as his senior adviser in 2019 after they had faced off in the primary earlier that year.
Adkins has been in the headlines recently after leaving Beshear’s administration and because the governor appointed him to the Kentucky State Fair Board last week, which recently switched the president and CEO after the governor gained control of the board following a recent Kentucky Supreme Court opinion.
Adkins kicked off his campaign with his family and a large crowd of supporters at The Burl in Lexington.
Eastern Kentuckians Chuck and Shari Hughes were among those in attendance. The couple said they liked how Adkins worked with Beshear on disaster relief and his ties to the region.
“From Pikeville to Paducah — everybody likes him, knows him and knows what he stands for,” Chuck Hughes said.
Jim Gray, former Lexington mayor and Beshear’s former transportation secretary, introduced Adkins.
“Rocky Adkins is going to be the next governor of Kentucky,” Gray said to applause and cheers.
Adkins then addressed the crowd, focusing on his record supporting public school teachers and union workers.
“Make no mistake, we can’t risk losing this office next November to somebody who will just roll over, who will salute Washington and just step aside, leaving nothing between your family and whatever they decide to do to us next,” Adkins said.
Speaking to reporters afterwards, Adkins said this campaign will be different from his 2019 run.
“I think the people of Kentucky know me better now than they did in 2019,” he said, adding that he regularly travels around the state in Beshear’s stead. Adkins said that his campaign already has “better organization” in Louisville, an urban Democratic stronghold.
Adkins has a campaign event scheduled in Louisville Wednesday.
“You’ll see people there that are for this campaign and for me that are going to be working hard to help me get the votes I need in Louisville, Lexington, Northern Kentucky, and I think what makes me effective, especially if I get through a primary in the general election, I have the ability to pull voters from rural areas as well in a general election,” Adkins said.
As for who may be his running mate, Adkins said his campaign has had meetings to discuss possibilities, but no one committed to the role as of Tuesday. A 2020 law no longer requires gubernatorial candidates to select running mates ahead of primaries.
The primary election will be held in May 2027. Rumored Republican candidates include U.S. Rep. James Comer and Secretary of State Michael Adams.
In response to Adkins’ announcement, Adams said on X: “Welcome, Rocky. You’re right about one thing: it’s smart for a party to nominate its strongest candidate for governor.”
Adam Hope, the spokesperson for Republican Party of Kentucky, said in a statement that Adkins has become Beshear’s “errand boy” since 2019.
“The Democratic Party Rocky Adkins belonged to no longer exists. His campaign will be the final chapter in the myth of the so-called moderate Kentucky Democrat,” Hope said. “He’s already flip-flopping on the very issues he once championed because he knows today’s Democratic primary demands it. He can’t pretend to stand for Kentucky’s working families while bowing to a liberal fringe that actively despises them and voters will see right through his political charade at the ballot box next May.”
This article is republished under a Creative Commons license from Kentucky Lantern, which is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com. Follow Kentucky Lantern on Facebook and Twitter.
McKenna Horsley covers state politics for the Kentucky Lantern. She previously worked for newspapers in Huntington, West Virginia, and Frankfort, Kentucky. She is from northeastern Kentucky.
