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Richie Farmer
Richie Farmer (b. August 25, 1969) was the Republican Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture from January 2004 to January 2012. He was ineligible for re-election after his term expired in 2012, and ran for lieutenant governor in 2011 on the Republican ticket with state Senator David Williams. The pair lost to incumbent Democrat Steve Beshear and his running mate, former Louisville mayor Jerry E. Abramson.
Biography
Farmer was born in Clay County, Kentucky. He became well known in the state for his role on the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team, named "Mr. Basketball" in the state for 1988.
He has worked as an investment advisor and served as Vice-President of the Southern Association, State Departments of Agriculture. Farmer has been involved with the American Cancer Society, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Club, Children's Miracle Network, and Kicks for Kids.[1]
Education
- Graduated, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, 1992
- B.S., Agricultural Economics/Agribusiness Management, University of Kentucky
Political career
Agriculture Commissioner (2004-2012)
Farmer was first elected to the statewide post of Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture in November of 2003 and assumed office the following January. After serving two terms in the office, Farmer was barred by term limits from seeking re-election in 2011. He was succeeded by fellow Republican James Comer Jr. in January of 2012.
Noteworthy events
Ethics convictions
On March 18, 2013, the Kentucky Executive Branch Ethics Commission charged Farmer with 42 counts of ethics violations and a reported $210,000 in potential fines; until Farmer's conviction, the record number of charges dealt to an individual member of the executive branch was 16. Farmer was charged along with seven others, one being his sister, who was a Kentucky Registry of Election Finance employee. The remaining six were his colleagues from the agriculture department.[2] The state's investigation into Farmer stemmed from a report issued by Kentucky Auditor Adam Edelen in Spring 2012 that said that Farmer was fomenting a "toxic culture of entitlement" within the department during his two terms as commissioner. Edelen's report, and the subsequent charges by the Ethics Commission, accused Farmer of a number of practices labeled as misuse of office. They include "improperly accepting gifts, including 12 hunting rifles, 35 case knives, wristwatches, cigars, candy and booze bought for a lavish 2008 agriculture commissioners’ convention in Lexington." At the time of his conviction, abounding speculation about an ongoing investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Attorney General's office--led by state AG Jack Conway--into Farmer's alleged misconduct could not be confirmed.[3]
As the official watchdog of the Kentucky state government, Edelen commented on the efforts by the ethics commission to expose the agriculture department's unethical activities under Farmer's leadership, saying, "The message is clear: No one is above the law."
Farmer said, "There's so much of those allegations that are so far-fetched it's ridiculous. If people knew the real truth, it's like, 'Are you kidding me?'"[4]
On April 22, 2013, a federal grand jury indicted Farmer for alleged misuse of property and over $450,000 in funds during his time as head of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.[5] Farmer was sentenced to 27 months in jail and fined $120,000.[4]
Elections
2011
Farmer ran for Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky in 2011 on a ticket with David Williams, but the pair lost to incumbent Steve Beshear and his running mate, former Louisville mayor Jerry E. Abramson.
| 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 | ||||
2007
Farmer won re-election in the November 2007 election, defeating Democratic candidate David Lynn Williams.[6]
| Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture (2007) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Richie Farmer (R)
|
644,036 | 64.0% | ||
| David Lynn Williams (D) | 362,339 | 36.0% | ||
2003
Farmer won election as Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture in the November 2003 election, defeating Democratic candidate Alice Woods Baesler.[7]
| Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture (2003) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Richie Farmer (R)
|
578,008 | 55.2% | ||
| Alice Woods Baesler (D) | 468,696 | 44.8% | ||
Campaign finance summary
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Recent News
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Richie Farmer Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
Elections
External links
- Kentucky Department of Agriculture - Commissioner Richie Farmer
- Williams/Farmer 2011 campaign website
- Williams/Farmer 2011 on Facebook
- Williams/Farmer 2011 on Twitter
- Williams/Farmer 2011 on YouTube
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions: 2009, 2007, 2005, 2003
Footnotes
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Richie Farmer," accessed May 7, 2011
- ↑ Kentucky.com, "Richie Farmer charged with 42 counts of violating Kentucky ethics laws," March 18, 2013
- ↑ "Richie Farmer could be fined $210,000 over 42 ethics violations," March 18, 2013
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 WYMT, "Richie Farmer reports to federal prison," March 25, 2014
- ↑ Kentucky.com, "Grand jury indicts former Kentucky Agriculture Secretary Richie Farmer," April 22, 2013
- ↑ Kentucky State Board of Elections, "November 2007 General Election Results," accessed March 19, 2011
- ↑ Kentucky State Board of Elections, "November 2003 General Election Results," accessed March 19, 2011
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by ' |
Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture 2004–2012 |
Succeeded by James Comer Jr. (R) |
| ||||||||||||||
