Well I know one thing for sure today. Kentucky politics just became a lot less entertaining. Gatewood Galbraith has passed away. He just completed another run for governor as an independent, and was found Wednesday morning in his Lexington home. No cause of death has been revealed but Gatewood was not well for these past few years. But, he kept fighting the good fight. He got nine percent of the vote in the recent Governor’s race as a third party candidate. Oh by the way–he also got the endorsement of the United Mine Workers. No Independent has ever done that in any state. He was only 64 years old, but it was a life well lived.
By my count Gatewood ran for statewide office no fewer than eight times. Four governor’s races, twice for congress, once for Ag Commissioner, and once for Attorney General. I can confidently say he expected to win every one of those races. Gatewood got a lot of press for being the “Cannabis Candidate”, but he was a whole lot more than a stoner running for office. The man had coherent ideas and the gift of gab–which made him a reporters dream. Anytime I needed a sound bite or quote–Gatewood was on my radar.
Yes Gatewood advocated for legalization, but he was also an education candidate. His platform that proposed a 5000 dollar grant for each Kentucky student wanting to go to college had real merit and originality–even if it wasn’t actually feasible right away.
Don’t be shocked or surprised at any outpouring of positive stories or shows of grief about Gatewood’s passing. He was a real Kentuckian, a real character, and a really nice guy. I’ll miss him.
