This year’s gubernatorial race in Kentucky is getting closer to the finish line. The final head-to-head forum featuring incumbent Governor Andy Beshear and challenger Attorney General Daniel Cameron is Tuesday. Transylvania Political Scientist Don Dugi said the voter benefit of this type of question-and-answer session varies.
“My read on that is sometimes. But, it’s usually if one or another of the candidates makes an egregious error. I tend to pay more attention to debates at the national level but even there anymore they’ve become more about spectacle than anything else.”
Dugi said a candidate-to-candidate comparison on issues in a media publication may also not be a foolproof method in making a decision. The veteran Transy professor said that can depend on the way questions are organized and what’s given priority.
Dugi said the current gubernatorial race is similar to past contests in some ways and different in another.
“They’re always fairly contentious in Kentucky, but this one is far more expensive than any I’ve ever seen before. Obviously, you’ve got a lot of outside money coming in support of the challenger that you rarely would have seen before.”
Dugi noted it’s not just campaigns where large amounts of money are spent. He added it’s also usually the case in government expenditures.
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