FANCY FARM, Ky. — In between barbeque stands, bingo tents and carnival games, this past Saturday, the two men at the center of Kentucky governor's race took to roasting each other over the flames in a time-honored Bluegrass State political tradition.
Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear and Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron shared a stage for the first time on Aug. 5, trying to elicit laughter with their jabs and jokes, and be heard above the jeers of roaring opposition. This is the nation's premier odd-year contest, a test of whether candidate approval and popularity can still overcome strong partisan headwinds.
The small Western Kentucky town of Fancy Farm (population 403) multiplies many times over in size for the annual gathering, where the political zingers fly as fast as workers chop up pork. St. Jerome's Catholic Church hosted the 143rd annual picnic, where speakers try to keep it mostly clean on the church grounds. The politicking and speeches tradition dates back to the early 1900s.
In their brief speeches, which were booed by the opposite side and cheered
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