One of the most exciting things about becoming an adult is freedom, but most importantly, the freedom of choice.

Since the majority of seniors have become adults this past year, it is important to remember that it is the civic duty of every American to vote in elections. However, this can be a very confusing process if you are not keeping up with the issues or the politicians that are running.

The purpose of a primary election is to narrow down the vote to two candidates (normally one Democrat and one Republican). From there, the election for the final position will be held in November.

On May 21st, Kentucky is having their gubernatorial (state governor) primary election along with their lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, agriculture commissioner, auditor, and treasurer.

However, the most popular and most important race this year will be the Governor’s race due to the unpopularity of the current sitting governor, Matt Bevin with a current approval rating sitting around 34%.

Here are the profiles of those who will be running in the gubernatorial primary:

Democrats:

• Rocky Adkins: a Democratic member of the Kentucky House of Representatives, representing the 99th District of the Kentucky House since 1987. He is running on the platform of affordable healthcare, decreasing cuts on education, investing in energy research, and creating more jobs in the state. His running mate is Jefferson County Board of Education member Stephanie Horne (D). His website is: https://www.rockyforky.com/

  

• Andy Beshear: Beshear, the son of Kentucky’s last Democratic governor, Steve Beshear, highlights the opioid epidemic, wage stagnation, and public education as critical policy areas, and he was named assistant high school principal Jacqueline Coleman (D) as his running mate. His website is: https://andybeshear.com/

  

• Adam Edelen: Edelen is a new face in Kentucky politics. As governor, he wants to build a modern Kentucky and bring thousands of jobs to the state through renewable energy. He is running on the campaign of taking no PAC money or money from special interest groups. His running mate is a film producer and developer Gill Holland (D). His website is: https://adamedelen.com/

  

• Geoff Young: Young has run for Governors in previous years and is running on the platform of stopping corruption in partisan politics, union building, abolishing the death penalty, and using renewable resources to make Kentucky more energy efficient. His running mate is Joshua French (D). His website is: https://www.young4ky.com/

  

Republican:

• Matt Bevin: Bevin is Kentucky’s current governor. He is running on the platform of pension reform, shrinking the size of government, education reform, healthcare reform, and labor law reform. His running mate is State Senator Ralph Alvarado (R). His website is: https://www.mattbevin.com/

  

• Robert Goforth: Goforth is currently a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives representing District 89. He is running on the platform of pension reform, education reform, increasing job opportunities in the state, and worker compensation. His running mate is Lawrence County attorney Mike Hogan (R). His website is: https://goforthforky.com/

  

• Ike Lawrence: Lawrence was the Mayor of Lexington, but is currently not holding any offices. He is running on the platform on healthcare, tax reform, pension reform, and tuition for all Kentucky college students. His running mate is James Anthony Rose (R). His website is: https://www.ilikeikeforgovernor.com/

  

• William Woods: Woods was previously a 2012 Republican candidate for District 66 of the Kentucky House of Representatives. He is running on the platform of education reform, combating the drug epidemic, pension reform, and casino gambling. His running mate is Justin Miller (R). His website is: https://mykentuckyfirst.org/ 

  

The Kentucky governor position is one of the most prestigious positions in the state. It is important that students educate themselves, use their voices, and vote for the candidate that represents their ideals best.