Beshear will not attend Aug. 3 Fancy Farm Picnic, annual West Kentucky political tradition

Organizers of the annual church fundraiser held in Graves County said in a Friday afternoon email that the governor had said he is not attending the August event and “no reason was given.”

Fancy Farm organizers added that Republican State Auditor Allison Ball will not attend due to a conflict with a wedding that weekend.

Both Beshear and Ball attended the political speaking event last year. Over the course of 140 years, the Fancy Farm Picnic has become a Kentucky politics highlight, as candidates for office make a pitch to enthusiastic voters — Republicans on the right and Democrats on the left — who are ready to cheer for their favored politicians while loudly booing their opponents.

Beshear’s decline to participate comes as he gains national attention. A two-term Democrat in red-state Kentucky, the governor is being eyed as a possible running mate for Vice President Kamala Harris should President Joe Biden drop out of the race, according to recent media reports.

Over the last couple of weeks, Beshear has still signaled support for the president, but was among Democratic governors who attended a White House meeting called after Biden’s poor debate performance against Republican former President Donald Trump.

Ahead of the meeting, Beshear said in a televised CNN interview that the governors wanted to hear more about how the president is doing and seek clarification on his health.

Before last year, Beshear had not participated in the picnic since 2019 when he was challenging Republican Gov. Matt Bevin. He did not attend in 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic, nor in 2022, initially because of a trip to Israel which was later canceled after devastating floods hit Eastern Kentucky. Political speeches were canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic.

As for other Kentucky politicos that could head to West Kentucky, responses from U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, Republican U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, Democratic Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman and Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams are still “pending,” organizers say.

Those attending include both candidates in the 1st Congressional District — incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. James Comer and Democratic challenger Erin Marshall — as well as Chase Oliver, a Libertarian candidate for president. The picnic organizers are still in talks with surrogates from presidential campaigns about a possible appearance.

Lisa Payne Jones and Jason Shea Fleming, candidates for the Kentucky Court of Appeals, will both attend.

State-wide officers who will be in attendance are Attorney General Russell Coleman, Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell and Treasurer Mark Metcalf. All are Republicans.

A proposed constitutional amendment to allow the General Assembly to fund nonpublic schools will also be discussed. Republican Caucus Chair Rep. Suzanne Miles, of Owensboro, and Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Cherlynn Stevenson, of Lexington, are set to speak on Amendment 2. Miles was the primary sponsor of the legislation for the amendment and Stevenson has been critical of it.

Others set to speak include Mayfield Republican Rep. Richard Heath, Murray Republican Sen. Jason Howell and Kim Holloway, a GOP representative-elect who primaried Heath earlier this year.

The Fancy Farm Picnic is set for Saturday, Aug. 3, and political speakers will begin at 2 p.m local time. Father Jim Sichko, of Lexington, will be this year’s emcee.

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