Farewell to a Genuine Kentucky Original

All the fun has gone out of Kentucky politics; Gatewood Galbraith has died.

Linda Blackford at the Herald:

Gatewood Galbraith, an iconic Kentucky political figure and perennial candidate who won many hearts but never enough votes, died early Wednesday, just two months after running his fifth campaign for governor. He was 64. Mr. Galbraith died at home in his sleep after developing pneumonia that was complicated by chronic emphysema.

Although widely popular for his wit and unconventional stances, Mr. Galbraith's political life was led outside of Democratic and Republican party machinery, which meant he nearly always trailed in fund-raising totals. In addition to his five unsuccessful runs for governor, Mr. Galbraith also made failed bids for agriculture commissioner, U.S. representative and attorney general.

Between campaigns, Mr. Galbraith worked independently as a criminal defense attorney, and he often quipped that "losing statewide elections doesn't pay worth a damn."

Known universally by his first name, Gatewood was a recognizable figure around Lexington and the state, partly because of his imposing height and signature fedora, and partly because of his outspoken proposals to legalize marijuana and outlaw mountaintop-removal coal mining. For a brief time Wednesday morning, news of his death was one of the top trending topics nationally on Twitter."

He's the most colorful individual I've known in Kentucky politics in my life," said Terry McBrayer, a lawyer, lobbyist and longtime friend of Mr. Galbraith who ate breakfast with him frequently at Hanna's on Lime. "He didn't have a harmful bone in his body. He was a genuinely good person."

Gatewood was always a safety valve for disenchanted Democrats in Kentucky, whose shorthand for disgust with the available candidates - for any office - was "I'm voting for Gatewood."

This year, for the first time, I opposed Gatewood's candidacy, and did so vehemently. Not because he posed any threat to Steve Beshear's re-election, but because Gatewood's principled libertarianism had slid into the same freakazoid swamp in which Ron and Rand Paul slither: Forced Breeding, Even If It Kills Her.

It was a downright shame, because until Gatewood went the Full Freakazoid, he always stood for common sense and the common people. He was the only politician of statewide stature to oppose mountaintop removal mining - a far more unconventional and politically dangerous position than his support for legalizing marijuana.

But for most of his career, Gatewood kept the usual political suspects honest, by calling attention to the bread-and-butter issues they ignored.

You were dead wrong on abortion, Gatewood, but even - maybe especially - we liberals will miss you.