With the Republican gubernatorial primary decided, nominee Matt Bevin is working to present a united front as he embarks on his General Election campaign against Democratic nominee Jack Conway.
Flanked by Republican nominees for Secretary of State, Treasurer, and other constitutional office at a press conference Friday morning, Bevin promised to present Kentucky voters with a stark choice in November.
"The difference between what we will be espousing on the Republican side and what will be coming from the Democrat side will be night and day," he told reporters.
The press conference came just hours after state Agriculture Commissioner James Comer officially conceded the historically close race. Most of the questions Bevin fielded during the press event dealt with Kentucky’s Republican heavy-hitters and whether the candidate expects their full support given his 2014 attempt to unseat Sen. Mitch McConnell.
"There really are not nearly the wounds that you all would imagine there to be, that people have long talked about," Bevin said. "Have people said stuff? Sure. Guess what. In the world of campaigns , people say a lot of things."
But Democrats have been quick to seize on any perception of unease in the GOP ranks. Friday, the party launched BevinSelfPortrait.com, a website dedicated to cataloging past critical statements about the tea party favorite from fellow Republicans, including comments from the McConnell campaign labeling him a “pathological liar.”
Asked about the site, Bevin shrugged it off.
"If that's the best they have, giddy up," he added.
Meanwhile, Conway issued a statement saying he looks forward to “a spirited race with my opponent and a conversation with voters over the next five months about the issues that matter most to Kentucky families.”
