LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The campaign trail intersected with the State Fairgrounds on Wednesday, as the Jefferson County Republican Party held one of its biggest fundraisers of the year: Lincoln Day Dinner.
It garnered a who's-who of Kentucky Republicans, from local government officials to representation out of Washington D.C.
The annual event serves not only as a fundraiser, but an opportunity to earmark help for Republican campaigns.
The Republican candidate for Governor and current Attorney General, Daniel Cameron, doubled down during his dinner speech, sticking largely to the issues he's campaigned on for months.
"We will protect our kids from transgender surgeries, we are going to protect women's sports, and we are going to get our income tax rate down to zero as quickly as we possibly can," he said.
Cameron also again took aim at his opponent, Democratic incumbent Gov. Andy Beshear, for policy decisions made during the pandemic in 2020.
"While he was locking down our schools, he was unlocking our jails," he said.
With regards to school closures, Beshear has previously said his stewardship of the state during the pandemic outbreak saved lives and that he followed guidance from former President Donald Trump's administration.
Former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines also made an appearance, and rallied the GOP audience around an issue which garnered her national attention in 2021: banning transgender athletes from participating in women's sports.
The issue served as a rallying cry for Democrats too.
"Our state legislature has done a number on women, on gays on transgender people. And this isn't the way we're supposed to be as human beings," Brenda Erickson, chair of the Jefferson County Democratic Party's Legislative District 29, said.
Just one floor down from the GOP dinner, Kentucky's Democrats were doing what they could to help their party this election.
"We're not here to badmouth the other candidate," Erikson said. "We're here to promote our candidate."
Erickson has volunteered with the Democratic Party at the state fair for more than a decade, but said her work feels more crucial now than ever before.
"It's insane what's going on right now," she said. "And we have to fight back and say no more."
Beshear will hit the fairgrounds Thursday morning for the Kentucky State Fair's annual classic state ham breakfast.
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