Taking direct aim at the leadership style of Gov. Matt Bevin, state Rep. Robert Goforth announced Tuesday morning that he will seek the Republican nomination for governor in the spring.

At a news conference in London, Kentucky, where he was joined by his running mate Mike Hogan, the Lawrence county attorney, Goforth blasted Bevin's often combative leadership style and urged Kentuckians to support a ticket made up of "conservatives of the heart."

"I believe Kentucky deserves a governor who is one of us. We need a governor who listens more than he lectures. We need a governor who leads more than he lambasts," Goforth said. "Our commonwealth needs a chief executive who is a conservative molded not by New England and Wall Street, but by Kentucky and Main Street."

Goforth, 42, of East Bernstadt in Laurel County, is a pharmacist and farmer who served as a U.S. Army combat engineer from 1994-96, according to his biography posted on the Legislative Research Commission website.

See also:What's on tap in the Kentucky legislature? Pensions, taxes and anger

He was first elected to represent the House's 89th District (Jackson County and parts of Laurel and Madison counties) in a special election last February, and he was re-elected in November.

Hogan, his running mate, unsuccessfully ran for the Republican nomination for attorney general in 2015.

Later Tuesday Goforth officially filed papers with the Kentucky secretary of state to appear on the May Republican primary ballot for governor. Bevin has said he will run for re-election, but so far he has not decided on a running mate and has not filed any paperwork to do so.

U.S. Rep. James Comer, R-Kentucky, who lost to Bevin in the 2015 Republican primary, has also voiced interest in entering the race if the governor does not seek re-election.

Bevin's communications office did not respond to an email Tuesday seeking a response to Goforth's announcement.

Related:Gov. Matt Bevin dares would-be challengers to 'get in' 2019 race

Democrats who have announced they are running for governor include: House Minority Leader Rocky Adkins, of Sandy Hook; Attorney General Andy Beshear; and former state Auditor Adam Edelen.

The deadline for filing for governor is Jan. 29.

Opinion polls, which Bevin has dismissed as inaccurate, show his popularity plunged last year after he criticized teachers and other protesters of his proposals to reform Kentucky's public retirement plans, which are saddled with more than $43 billion in unfunded liabilities.

Goforth, who voted against the pension bill known as Senate Bill 151 that passed last year, said at his announcement Tuesday, "Our people are tired of being talked down to and maligned by someone who thinks he is better than us, that he alone has all the answers to the problems that we face."

The Kentucky Supreme Court struck down SB 151 for the rapid process used to pass it, not for the structural changes it would have brought about. Last month, Bevin suddenly called a special legislative session to revisit the pension issue, but his fellow Republicans who control the legislature adjourned when it became apparent that quick passage of a pension bill was impossible.

Read more:A dozen issues to watch in this year's Kentucky General Assembly

The issue is expected to be taken up during the regular legislative session that began at noon Tuesday.

Goforth contrasted his Bluegrass State upbringing with that of Bevin, who grew up in New England. "I have lived a life that is uniquely Kentucky," he said.

He said he had to drop out of high school to help his family, but later earned his GED and served in the Army, went to college and became a pharmacist.

He acknowledged that as a first-year state lawmaker, he faces a daunting task in challenging an incumbent governor of his own political party. But, he said, "I have been fighting and defying odds my entire life."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.