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Bevin and Beshear clash at first gubernatorial debate

Verbal jabs fly, but only one real dust-up as Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin and Attorney General Andy Beshear take part in first debate.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) -- They're getting down to crunch time and sparring their way to election day. Both the Bevin and Beshear camps are declaring victory following their first debate of the campaign season. Thursday’s debate came with a month and two days before Kentuckians head to the polls.

It was a mid-day debate which was broadcast by WPSD.

The men only directly addressed each other once but threw verbal jabs on topics from education to medical marijuana and use of the state plane.

The first question focused on updates needed to Paducah’s airport and Andy Beshear gave the first answer: “I flew out of that airport about two weeks ago and, unlike the governor, I flew commercial."

The response was a clear jab at accusations that Governor Matt Bevin has not been transparent in his use of the state airplane. Governor Bevin responded to the same question saying he knows the airport board and has been working with them.

“I sat down with them in ways that previous governors, including the one immediately before me with a name similar with the fella to my left, never took the time to do,” Governor Bevin said.

The hour in front of the Paducah Chamber of Commerce saw verbal jabs like that but only one real dust-up as the moderator and a panel of journalists kept the conversation rolling, past barbs and without follow-up questions. The one time they did directly address each other was over opioids and the controversial Purdue Pharma settlement. General Beshear's law firm represented the drug maker. Governor Bevin suggested that Andy Beshear financially benefited from the deal.

The topic of expanded revenue came into the spotlight in which both men have widely differing opinions.

"It's time for casino gaming, it's time to treat fantasy sports for what they are, it's time for sports betting and we need to prepare for online poker, which is coming,” said Mr. Beshear. “But we need to do more than that, we need to move forward with medicinal marijuana."

Governor Bevin called gaming "fool’s gold" and said, "Incidentally, I'm also for medical marijuana. But let me make this very clear to you, the idea that we would tax that as a way to make money is cruel and absolutely inappropriate."

General Beshear also drove home his take on education saying something he's said many times on the campaign trail, that Governor Bevin has been a bully when it comes to teachers and their pension.

The governor reiterated a line he first used last week in a forum with the Kentucky League of Cities, telling attendees that, if re-elected, he'll fight for them the way he fights for his wife and nine kids.

Both men will face off four more times before November 5th.

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