Gatewood Galbraith
Gatewood Galbraith was an independent candidate for Governor of Kentucky in the 2011 elections, along with running mate Dea Riley. He lost to incumbent Democrat Steve Beshear.
Galbraith, a trial attorney, had previously run for the office several times.[1]
Biography
A Kentucky native who grew up in Carlisle, Galbraith joined the Marine Corps after high school, though was discharged for medical reasons. He held odd jobs for several years and became active in politics in the late 1960s. He returned to Lexington in 1971 and enrolled at the University of Kentucky. From there, he went on to law school.
Galbraith unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for Agricultural Commission in 1983, the same party's nod for governor in 1991 and 1995, and ran for the office as a Reform candidate in 1999.
In the 2000 and 2002 cycles, he ran for Congress. After losing both times, he ran for attorney general of Kentucky as an independent in 2003. In the 2007 elections, he again joined the Democratic Party and ran for governor once more.
Galbraith wrote an autobiography, The Last Free Man in America. Galbraith was divorced and had three daughters. He died on January 4, 2012, at the age of 64.[2][3]
Education
- University of Kentucky Law School, J.D., 1977
- University of Kentucky, BA, 1974
- Lafayette High School 1965
Issues
On his campaign site, Galbraith stated "My view is that government’s role should be to uplift, enlighten, educate and ennoble the citizen, not oppress them with taxation and intrusive laws."[2]
Galbraith's issue page listed positions of several policy areas at the state and federal level:
- Economic development, with a focus on job creation
- "Recommitting" money to education through a plan called the "Commonwealth Incentive," which includes vouchers for higher education and focus on vocational and training programs alongside college
- Addressing "Mountain Top Removal," a coal mining method used in the economically blighted Eastern Kentucky region; Galbraith believes the value coal exports create are disproportionate to the economic return the area sees
- An expanded energy plan in line with that advocated by T. Bone Pickens
- Introducing casinos to compete with expanded states who do have legalized gambling
- The "Kentucky Bio-Industrial Development" plan, which would grow hemp as a cash crop in Kentucky
- Increased transparency
Federally, the Galbraith campaign took specific stances on numerous issues. He supported substantial healthcare reform but not "socialized medicine," fiscal conservatism on taxes, state sovereignty, Second Amendment rights, and clean energy without passing "Cap and Trade" legislation.
Elections
2011
General
| Governor and Lt. Governor of Kentucky, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Steve Beshear and Jerry E. Abramson |
55.7% | 464,245 | |
| Republican | David Williams and Richie Farmer | 35.3% | 294,034 | |
| Independent | Gatewood Galbraith and Dea Riley | 9% | 74,860 | |
| Total Votes | 833,139 | |||
| Election results via Kentucky Secretary of State | ||||
Primary
Galbraith ran unopposed in the May Primary election.
Recent news
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See also
- Kentucky gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2011
- Gubernatorial elections, 2011
- Governor of Kentucky
- Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky
- Steve Beshear
Footnotes
