Kentucky Democratic Party's 'Won't be bullied by Bevin' tour lands in Louisville

The Kentucky Democratic Party is continuing its effort to brand Gov. Matt Bevin as a bully.

The statewide "Won't Be Bullied By Bevin" tour stopped in Louisville Wednesday afternoon. 

A group of about 10 Louisville teachers and workers surrounded Jacqueline Coleman, a school administrator running for lieutenant governor, as they told short personal stories about why they aren't voting for Bevin. 

Emilie Blanton, a teacher at Southern High School, said Bevin excluded public school teachers from education discussions.

When Education Secretary Betsy DeVos spoke at an education roundtable last spring in Lexington, no public school teachers had a seat at the table, Blanton recounted. When asked at the event why that was, Bevin said the people there care about kids. 

"You can't do this job and not care about children," Blanton said. "We're always here for our children, and that's why we fight for our children first." 

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Bevin's opponent, Attorney General Andy Beshear, is the Democratic gubernatorial candidate. As a voting bloc, teachers are in Beshear's corner after a term of feeling slighted by Bevin. 

They perceive a slew of negative comments and name calling from Bevin as bullying, alongside legislation they deem to be harmful to public education. 

Beshear, one teacher said at Wednesday's event, instead backed educators every time. He challenged the "sewer bill" that was really a pension bill in court, and he picked "one of us" in Coleman as his running mate. 

Teachers, especially those involved in activism movements such as KY 120 United, have been knocking on doors and sharing personal stories to neighbors in support of Beshear.

Coleman told The Courier Journal earlier this month that teachers are some of the campaign's most committed volunteers. 

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Over the course of October, the Democrats' tour has visited Henderson, Pikeville, Bowling Green, Paducah and Lexington.

State Sen. Dan Seum, R-Fairdale, also held a similarly titled but unrelated "Bullied by Bevin" picnic in late September. 

Maddie Shepard, a Jefferson County teacher, said Bevin has "shown us who he is." 

"It's time to listen," she said. "On Nov. 5, it is time to say we're finished with the insults, we're finished with the name calling, and on Nov. 5, we will vote you out." 

Reach Olivia Krauth at okrauth@courierjournal.com or 502-582-4471, and on Twitter at @oliviakrauth. Support strong local journalism by subscribing: courier-journal.com/subscribe.