(WHAS11) -- Gatewood Galbraith on Thursday submitted the signed voter petitions required to secure a spot as an independent candidate on the fall ballot in the Kentucky governor's race.
Accompanied by running mate Dea Riley and a media gaggle, Galbraith handed over a box that he said contained 7,396 signatures, exceeding the 5,000 needed to get on the ballot.
Galbraith joins Democratic incumbent Steve Beshear and Republican David Williams in the race. It is Galbraith's fifth run for office.
"A perennial candidate?" Galbraith answered a familiar question, "Kentucky's got perennial problems. If the people who had beaten me the first time had solved the problems, I wouldn't have had to run again."
The Lexington attorney says Beshear and Williams, the Kentucky Senate President, have had their chance.
"Let's face it folks, Mr. Williams and Mr. Beshear have had many years to fix this thing," Galbraith said, "They're saying they're going to get in office and fix these things. Hell, they've been in office. Why haven't they fixed it up til now?"
Galbraith and Riley said it will take an independent to reestablish trust and integrity in the political process and a true overhaul of tax and economic policy.
"It's corruption that keeps this state poor," Galbraith said, slamming corporate tax incentives handed out by the state. Galbraith said Williams agrees with him on a fairer tax structure.
His running mate is 43 year old marketing executive Dea Riley.
"The only reason I am running is politics is a process that I'm enduring in order to accomplish that economic agenda," Riley said, "There's only one guy that got it right and that was Gatewood Galbraith."
Galbraith said the use of personal services contracts has soared under Beshear, expenditures which Galbraith said rewards political contributers and exports Kentucky tax dollars rather than investing in Kentucky talent. He is also opposed to Beshear's budget cutting decision to furlough state workers for several days.
And, Galbraith was especially critical of Beshear's decision to attend the Kentucky Oaks rather than join President Obama at Fort Campbell after the killing of Osama Bin Laden.
"He refused to do so because he was afraid he might get his picture taken with President Obama," Galbraith suggested, "That was a very cowardly act on the part of the governor. President Obama is the commander in chief."
Beeshear has said that he needed to meet with business leaders at Churchill Downs.
"That was a cowardly, cowardly act on his part, political cowardice and I think it evidences the kind of cowardice that has made him an ineffective leader because he can't make up his mind and make the decisions that need to be made on behalf of the people of Kentucky."
It's those kinds of attacks that concern Democrats that Galbraith could be a spoiler. He garnered more than 15 percent of the vote as a Reform Party candidate in the 1999 governor's race.
Galbraith's stance against mountaintop removal coal mining has won favor among liberal environmentalists who presumably lean Democrat, yet he said that he is not anti-coal.
"We've got to find a balance between all the competing interest groups in this state," he said.
Galbraith said he has a wider appeal.
"I think we may take more votes from the Republicans than we do from the Democrats," Galbraith said, "Because I'm a conservative. I'm the most conservative candidate in this race."
Williams faced a stronger than expected challenge from Tea Party Republican Phil Moffett in the GOP primary. And Galbraith says he is the Tea party candidate this time.
"They've got no place else to turn," he said.
Galbraith put his chances at winning as "50/50." He said he has contacts in at least 100 counties and is counting on news coverage of his campaign rather than matching the television budgets of his opponents. He said he will campaign in every congressional district.
Answering reporters' questions outside the Secretary of State's office, Galbraith did not emphasize but also did not shirk his well known advocacy of medical marijuana. He said he favors licensure and regulation of pot use.
"Thirty years ago they said, 'Galbraith, you're thirty years ahead of your time.' Here we are," he explained, "Sixteen states and the District of Columbia, the AMA, and oncology doctors they all agree with me."
Galbraith acknowledged that - in the past - the issue prevented some voters from taking him seriously.
"There is no doubt about it," he said, "but there's not enough of those people anymore. There are multitudes of enough people who already agree with me on that and all the rest of the issues. If they just go to the polls, it would be a landslide."
Galbraith said he offers a fresh alternative and an unconventional approach to statehouse politics.
"That's the deal. I will give everybody the credit for everything that goes right and I'll take the blame for everything that goes wrong. You can't hardly beat that deal."
