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Kentucky Republicans will head to the polls Tuesday to select a nominee for the race against Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, who is competing for re-election in November in the deep-red state.
About a dozen Republican candidates are running in the primary, but only six have funded their own TV ads, according to AdImpact, an ad tracking firm.
Former U.N. Ambassador Kelly Craft has spent the most — over $6 million — while state Attorney General Daniel Cameron has spent over $1 million and Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles has spent almost $900,000. Craft and Cameron both have had support from super PACs, too.
The primary winner will represent the GOP in the most competitive state election of the year in the fall. Here are the five ads that defined this primary:
1. Comparing Cameron to Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg
The week after a Manhattan grand jury voted to indict former President Donald Trump, Commonwealth PAC, a group backing Craft's gubernatorial bid, ran an ad comparing Cameron to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the Democrat leading the prosecution against Trump.
The ad features a clip of Cameron supporting bail reform, edited next to a clip of Bragg also supporting bail reform.
"Cameron agrees with the George Soros-backed D.A. who prosecuted Trump. That’s not conservative," a narrator says in the commercial.
2. A group backing Cameron fires back
Earlier this month, Bluegrass Freedom Action, a group supporting Cameron ran its own attack ad against Craft, calling her "ultra-rich" and accusing her of launching "desperate and false attacks" against Cameron.
The ad also features a clip from Trump, who endorsed Cameron last year.
"Daniel has my complete and total endorsement," Trump says in the clip.
3. Craft hits 'woke bureaucrats' in schools
In an ad run by her campaign, Craft claimed that Kentucky schools are under attack by "woke bureaucrats parachuting in to hijack our children's future."
The ad features a clip of "woke bureaucrats" singing "now I know my CRTs," to the tune of the alphabet song and forcing children to state their pronouns.
4. Suing President Joe Biden and Beshear
One of Cameron's TV ads features him directly addressing viewers, speaking about his record of suing the Biden administration and the Beshear administration.
"Since Joe Biden has been president, I've taken him to court 23 times," Cameron says at the beginning of the ad, following a campaign theme used by other Republican state attorneys general during past Democratic presidencies.
"When Biden and Beshear step over the line and violate the constitution, I fight back and win," he continues.
5. Campaigning against negative ads
In an ad funded by Quarles, he doesn't mention Craft or Cameron by name, but takes aim at candidates and outside groups who run negative ads.
"My mama used to say, 'Watch how a politician runs their campaign and it will tell you a lot about who they are.' Negative ads, not showing up to debates and not even traveling across the commonwealth to ask for your vote. That’s not me," Quarles says in the ad.
