Campaign for American Principles, the political action committee of American Principles Project, just released a brutal ad in Kentucky’s gubernatorial race that should be a strategy employed by Republicans who find themselves running against Democrats that have embraced the transgender agenda.
Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin, a Republican, is facing a tough race for re-election against the state’s democratic attorney general, Andy Beshear, who supports sexual orientation and gender identity accommodation laws that allow biological men who identify as transgender into women’s restrooms, locker rooms, shelters, and even sports, a consequence of SOGI laws that have been particularly hurtful to women.
The ad blasting Beshear’s support is part of a $250,000 digital campaign in this race that will target 400,000 democratic and independent voters.
This race is the most competitive statewide races this year.
Here’s the ad:
Here’s the transcript for the ad:
All female athletes want is a fair shot in competition—at a scholarship, at a title, at victory.
What if that shot was taken away by a competitor that claims they’re a girl but was born a boy?
Andy Beshear supports legislation that would destroy girls’ sports.
He calls it ‘equality.’ Maybe. But is it fair?Vote against Andy Beshear. He’s too extreme for Kentucky.
This type of messaging is something that the Republican Party has sought to avoid, but it is a message that could garner more bipartisan appeal, especially in states like Kentucky, than typical economic and fiscal messaging Republicans usually focus on.
While what is happening in women’s sports is bad, it does not stop there.
Terry Schilling, executive director for Campaign for American Principles points out that women’s sports are just the tip of the iceberg as far as impact of SOGI laws are concerned.
“Beshear and his fellow Democrats’ push for ‘equality’ would have a devastating impact on a huge number of Americans. Already, they are threatening to shut down many faith-based adoption agencies and women’s shelters, suing Catholic doctors for refusing to violate their consciences, and even pushing to remove children from their parents over just the slightest resistance to transgender ideology,” he said.
“For too long, Democrats like Beshear have been allowed to advocate for such policies without any pushback from the media or even most conservatives. But no longer. We aim to present the ugly reality of Beshear’s platform to the voters of Kentucky, enabling them to make a truly informed choice this November,” Schilling added.
It will be interesting to see if this type of messaging will show up in 2020 races should it prove successful in Kentucky.
There is not much public polling in the race. The last poll in June from Gravis showed Bevin leading Beshear by six points. In December, Beshear was up by eight in a Mason-Dixon poll.
Disclosure: I work with American Principles Project.