Matt Bevin, who last year launched a failed primary challenge against U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, has entered the Republican gubernatorial primary.
Bevin, a Louisville businessman identified with the tea party movement, formally filed the needed paperwork on Tuesday with a little more than an hour to spare before the filing deadline. His running mate is Jenean Hampton, a Bowling Green Republican also identified with the tea party.
Last year, Hampton unsuccessfully challenged longtime Democratic state Rep. Jody Richards.
In last year’s bid for the Republican Senate Nomination, Bevin’s campaign spent $5.3 million; he loaned $1.6 million to the effort, The Washington Post reported.
Bevin won 35 percent of the 2014 primary vote.
Bevin made the Republican race a little more crowded in advance of the May 19 primary election. He joins Agriculture Commissioner James Comer, Louisville businessman Hal Heiner and former Supreme Court Justice Will T. Scott.
On the Democratic side, Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway will face off against retired engineer Geoff Young.
A few other late filings came in this week, most notably in the race for Secretary of State. Alison Lundergan Grimes announced Monday she would run to be re-elected to her position. She will face Charles Lovett of Louisville in the Democratic primary. Republican Stephen Knipper will race against Michael Pitzer for the GOP nomination.
Here’s the full list of candidates for the Kentucky statewide primary elections:
Governor/ Lieutenant Governor
Jack Conway/ Sannie Overly (D)
Geoff Young/ Cherokee Schill (D)
Matt Bevin/Jenean Hampton (R)
James Comer/ Chris McDaniel (R)
Will T. Scott/ Rodney Coffey (R)
Hal Heiner/ KC Crosbie (R)
Attorney General
Andy Beshear (D)
Michael T. Hogan (R)
Whitney H. Westerfield (R)
State Treasurer
Neville Blakemore (D)
Jim Glenn (D)
Daniel Grossberg (D)
Richard Henderson (D)
Rick Nelson (D)
Allison Ball (R)
Kenneth Imes (R)
Jon Larson (R)
Secretary of State
Alison Lundergan Grimes (D)
Charles Lovett (D)
Stephen Knipper (R)
Michael Pitzeer (R)
State Auditor
Adam Edelen (D)
Mike Harmon (R)
Commissioner of Agriculture
Jean-Marie Lawson Spann (D)
Richard Heath (R)
Ryan Quarles (R)
Justice of the Supreme Court
John Lewis
Janet Stumbo
Sam Wright
