Courier Journal Editorial Board

Democrats face a critical decision Tuesday as they head to the polls to choose a gubernatorial candidate who will run against a Republican – most likely Matt Bevin, the incumbent.

It’s a pivotal moment for the Democratic Party, looking to elect someone who can navigate the challenges of a Republican-controlled legislature and chart an ambitious course for our commonwealth, which remains on the lower rungs of so many economic, educational and personal health ladders.

Tuesday’s primary is also the first step in Democrats’ efforts to regain the top office in Frankfort, which has been besieged by four years of turbulence and conflict, combativeness and secrecy involving Bevin, his administration and even members of his own party.

The Courier Journal’s newly resurrected and reconfigured editorial board has spent the past few weeks meeting with the four Democrats on Tuesday’s primary ballot. We have interviewed them, reviewed their platforms, monitored their performance in debates and have worked to find deeper insights.

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At the conclusion of that process, our editorial board supports Adam Edelen. We believe the former state auditor offers fresh ideas, a proven blend of private sector and public government experience and a sharply focused vision for our commonwealth.

Edelen’s experience as a business leader and innovator fuels his well-rounded understanding of Kentucky’s need for public-private partnerships that truly work. Kentucky will never realize its full potential and be able to solve its significant financial woes until a thoughtful, strategic and diversified economic development strategy takes shape. Edelen’s track record in this critical area sets him apart from his competitors.

After our editorial board’s deliberations, we viewed the Democratic primary as a three-person race: Edelen, the former auditor; Rocky Adkins, the longtime Democratic leader in the House of Representatives; and Andy Beshear, the state attorney general. We quickly dismissed Geoff Young, a frequent name on Democratic ballots who is more of a fly-in-the-ointment naysayer than a legitimate political contender.

Read candidate bios:Rocky Adkins | Andy Beshear | Adam Edelen | Geoff Young

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Adkins and Beshear offered positives.

Adkins has more than 30 years of experience in Kentucky politics. He understands better than any other candidate how state government works and how to reach across party lines and bring people together. We were impressed by his pledge for bipartisanship and a commitment to leverage relationships with rival Republicans.

Beshear is a talented lawyer and an aggressive attorney general who has doggedly pursued opioid manufacturers like none other. He has shown repeatedly he’s not afraid to clash with Bevin on pertinent issues, taking him on toe-to-toe on everything from college budget cuts to pensions - and winning. Beshear is an articulate candidate with answers to Kentucky’s biggest issues, and should he win Tuesday, he will be a formidable foe for Bevin.

But Edelen, more than the other Democratic candidates, is laser-focused on constructing a modern, diversified economy. He realizes that a rebuilt state economy holds the key to solving other longstanding challenges in our commonwealth.

His vision calls for Kentucky to commit to renewable and sustainable solar, hydro and wind energies, knowing they will attract new investments and jobs that are currently passing us by. Yes, coal remains an important part of our state economy. And, yes, coal miners still matter in our commonwealth. Edelen – unlike failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton – is not looking to put coal miners out of work.

It’s quite the opposite, in fact. In Eastern Kentucky, for example, he’s developing a large-scale solar project in the heart of coal country that will provide jobs for as many as 400 out-of-work miners. It’s this type of project that can help boost Kentucky’s economy.

Edelen also has pledged to redo KentuckyWired, which he describes as a “badly flawed” project. It was supposed to bring high-speed internet to parts of Kentucky where there is no broadband access, but it has not delivered and is more than $100 million over budget and way behind schedule. Edelen says it’s another example of how we have failed to prepare for the new economy.

He’s right.

During this time of great technological change, we need a progressive leader like Edelen, who understands the trajectory of Kentucky’s future and knows how to get things done in Frankfort.

As state auditor (from 2012 to 2015), Edelen discovered the backlog of more than 3,000 rape kits that had not been tested and worked with Democrats and Republicans to secure funding to eliminate it. He pushed hard to ensure that special taxing districts were accountable to voters, championing legislation that brought more transparency to the districts’ finances.

Edelen also cracked down on wasteful spending and mismanagement by public officials, including former state Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer and the Bluegrass Area Development District.

He was the first statewide official to call for the resignation of former state Rep. John Arnold, a Sturgis Democrat, after Arnold was accused by legislative staff members of sexually harassing them, and he was the first state auditor to offer a permanent desk in his office to the Federal Bureau of Investigation to open state government to more oversight by federal law enforcement officials.

Edelen also audited dozens of public school districts, including Jefferson County Public Schools, and identified millions of dollars in waste and abuse.

He knows how to fight corruption, and he has the fortitude to do it.

He considered a run for governor in 2014 but decided it wasn’t the right time. Then, he lost his reelection bid in 2015.

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In a 1994 Courier Journal editorial, we called Edelen bright and ambitious and told readers to “look for him to be back in a few more years.”

Well, he’s back.

And we like where he stands on the most important issues facing Kentucky.

On the pension crisis, Edelen acknowledges that it could “take 20 years to dig out of this,” and while he supports expanded gaming to raise revenue, he doesn’t see gaming as the solution, which Beshear believes. Edelen says the best way to shore up our retirement systems is through comprehensive tax reform, specifically closing loopholes that regular Kentuckians will never benefit from. For example, we don’t tax vaping at the same rate that we tax cigarettes. And while residents pay a sales tax when employing a plumber or electrician, corporations do not when they hire a lobbyist or a lawyer or an accountant. There are billions of dollars that Kentucky could recover if it closed some of its loopholes, he says.

On health care, Edelen will protect coverage of those who receive health insurance from the Affordable Care Act, and he will strengthen Medicaid.

On Kentucky’s opioid epidemic, Edelen will push for more treatment beds and for community-based addiction treatment, as well as expanded drug court for low-level and first-time offenders. He also supports medical marijuana for people suffering from various diseases. And he wants to decriminalize marijuana, ending incarceration for people possessing less than half an ounce for personal use, but allowing citations with fines up to $100. The savings from decriminalization, which he estimates at $15 million, would be reinvested into addiction treatment programs.

On education, Edelen supports universal pre-kindergarten, cutting class sizes, helping teachers and targeting funding for schools that have the most need. He won the endorsement of the Jefferson County Teachers Association even though each Democratic candidate has an agenda that supports public education and rejects charter schools. Teachers association President Brent McKim said Edelen’s ticket, which includes running mate Gill Holland, a businessman who has helped revitalize Louisville neighborhoods, has a better combination of an “exciting vision for Kentucky and the ability to finance and run” a successful fall campaign.

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The vast majority of Edelen’s campaign has been financed by Holland, who has loaned it $2.5 million — about 73% of the $3.4 million in total receipts the campaign has reported, according to recent filing with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance. Holland’s mother-in-law, Louisville philanthropist Christy Brown, has donated $1 million to a super PAC supporting Edelen called Kentuckians for a Better Future. Her contributions to the PAC total 85% of the $1.18 million the super PAC raised through May 6.

Under federal law, the super PAC can’t coordinate its messaging with Edelen’s campaign, but the PAC clearly has ties to Edelen, given Brown’s donations. We’d like to see Edelen expand his base of support well beyond Holland and Brown.

That said, it’s not the money that makes Edelen a viable candidate. It’s his progressive ideas, his vision and his passion to move Kentucky forward.

In Tuesday’s competitive Democratic primary, we strongly endorse Adam Edelen, believing he deserves the opportunity to appear on November’s gubernatorial ballot.

If you're interested in meeting with and bringing a community issue to our editorial board, contact Editor Rick Green at rgreen@courierjournal.com or Community Impact Director Veda Morgan at vmorgan@courierjournal.com.