With under two weeks left in the governor's race.

We're going to check in on all things happening in this race with our good friend, Rylan Barton, managing editor of Kentucky Public Radio.

Good to see you.

Good to see you, too, Renee.

It's governor's race all the time, isn't it?

I mean, that's where we are.

And the candidates have been out and they finish what their fifth or sixth debate on Tuesday.

And let's just start there and park there for a moment about the takeaways from these debates.

Did viewers, voters learn anything new?

What did you take away from how these things went?

I mean, there weren't a lot of new policy platforms or policy differences that came out in the debates.

I think we got like a little bit one more of an understanding of it where they're not willing to go.

So one of example, one example with this is abortion.

This has become I mean, it's been a big topic for a long time, but especially in the race in the last two, in the last few weeks.

But Daniel Cameron really came to this point of not ever saying whether he would personally support any exceptions to the state's abortion ban, but saying he would if the legislature passed a law like you asked this question repeatedly on Monday, and he repeatedly said, listen, I'm the pro-life candidate.

He wouldn't specifically answer that one part.

But just coming back to that policy, you know, saying that if the legislature did, he would, you know, anyway on and similarly for Governor Beshear, when he was out during the WUKY debate on on Tuesday night, you know what exactly his limit on on when he would allow or ban abortion, when he would support that, he wouldn't really go into specifics about that.

You know, returning to attacking Cameron for not supporting those exceptions.

Beshear did say last week in an interview with the Herald-Leader that, you know, his his version of a limit on abortion would be similar to what Roe v Wade allowed Roe v Wade allowed for, which was allowing abortion up to the point of fetal viability, which is somewhere in the 24 to 26 week of pregnancy.

But he has really been unwilling to give a number on that.

And I think a lot of politicians have as well.

You know, other than that, there's just a lot of accusing each other of not answering questions While the candidates also weren't answering questions themselves.

That was a big theme of these last couple of debates.

Yeah, I would love for us to talk to folks.

Maybe we'll do this some time and to see what they thought of these debates.

You know, how they used to do those in the presidential debates where they gauge your emotions as you're watching.

So it would be interesting to see how it's interpreted by just the average Kentucky voter or viewer.

Yeah, And one thing watching these debates that I've really been thinking a lot about is just how I mean, how differently how different these two candidates talk about reality of the reality that Kentucky is in right now.

Some say just on the school issue, that Daniel Cameron is really talking a lot about how kids are being indoctrinated by leftist ideology.

And it's a painting, very dark picture of what's going on in Kentucky schools.

Whereas, you know, Andy Beshear is giving a bit more of a Pollyanna version of what's going on in Kentucky schools right now.

And I think that a lot of people would admit there's there's plenty of problems going on in Kentucky's schools as well.

Neither of these are an actual, you know, honest representation of what's going on right now.

But this is what political rhetoric has gotten to.

This is what reads in commercials.

This is what reads and debates.

You're kind of striving for things to be noticed.

And I don't know, I wonder to what extent can voters in Kentucky or otherwise engage with this kind of talk?

Yeah.

Or if they think there are too many debates.

Right.

And they're tired of that and the commercials.

So the other thing that the candidates artfully try to dodge are questions about Trump, whether, you know, they believe that he is connected and responsible for the January 6th.

Insurrection or even Beshear even having someone who is a Republican saying, well, I voted for Trump and I like how he puts Americans first.

But I also like Andy because he puts Kentuckians first.

They are trying to tether themselves to Trump in odd ways and then distance themselves at the same time.

Yes, certainly neither of them are providing a full throated condemnation of the former president.

And especially, I think the question that you were asking on Monday was specifically tied to the the January six insurrection.

And Daniel Cameron would not answer that question and has repeatedly refused to answer that.

He you know, he will just say that he's the Trump endorsed candidate and kind of reverted to the broad instead of answering the specific question.

Similarly with Andy Beshear, as you just mentioned, he has this ad that was playing for a while with a, you know, a Trump voter saying that he's going to vote for vote for for Beshear, and he is not.

You know, and what Andy like how Andy will end up talking about that is that, hey, I am somebody who am above party.

I fought against Democratic President Joe Biden and been long along with him hand in hand on some policies.

So both of them are kind of trying to have the best of both worlds while well not and especially just trying to not distance as a potential part of the electorate.

Right.

And so that gets to the final point about undecideds, which we think there's about 10%, according to some of these polls.

One, do we believe that's accurate or right?

And do these debates give any kind of convincing argument for someone to go cast their ballot for one of these two men?

I don't know if anything if there's anything that those debates provide for those undecided voters is just seeing how the other candidates present themselves, how they talk to each other.

And we'll see how they decide that.

But, yeah, throughout this entire race, there's been a very large chunk of undecided voters.

There is also a very large chunk of independent and third party voters that it's about 10% of the Kentucky electorate now.

And Dany Beshear won the 2018 race baiting just about 5000 votes.

And I think everybody's predicting it's going to be another close race.

And if it's going to be close, that that 10% of undecideds is going to be really critical to see which way they go.

Do they all all go in one direction or are there are there, you know, more nuances within that 10% and will get split in different ways?

We just don't know at this point.

But I think that that just points even more to we need to wait and wait and see what that ultimate poll on November seven says.

That's right.

That there are so many polls that have been conducting showing whether or not the support for Beshear is soft or firm, depending on undecideds or even Republicans and vice versa with Cameron.

But the ultimate poll, as you said, that matters is November 7th.

And you can early vote, we should say, starting November the second through the fourth, folks.

So it's a week from Thursday.

So I know a lot of people take advantage of that.

It's a good one.

So thank you.

You're a good one.

To Raelyn, it's always good to see you.

Easy, Renee.

Nice to see you.