Matt Teaford, 24, the Republican challenger to Dennis Keene, democrat incumbent 67th District House of Representative, has officially withdrawn from the race.
The state Board of Elections reports that Teaford withdrew on September 24.
Teaford, who identifies himself as co-founder of CityNova, confirmed that “I certainly did” withdraw.
The withdrawal leaves Keene without an opponent on the ballot in November.
Here is the written statement Teaford provided to the Tribune today:
Today, I decided to officially withdraw from my candidacy for House of Representatives in Kentucky.
This wasn’t an easy decision for me for a number of reasons, but I certainly think it deserves an explanation.
Kentucky is a state that deserves the best, and while I know within myself that I would have been the right choice for the people of my district, these are volatile times in politics. Without even focusing on the circus act that’s taking place on the national stage, there are a lot of things to be considered, especially in my home state; one that I know and love.
Having a true Libertarian ideology was never going to fly in a state filled with extremes. On one side you have religious demagogues; quick to throw around the bible with hatred, but yet many turn around and exchange dirty money and lie to the faces of their constituents. A whole world of smiling faces pandering for your votes, yet discounting opinions when it counts. There’s a reason why Kentucky is consistently rated as one of the most corrupt states in the country, and the people of my great Commonwealth keep eating the spoonfuls of corruption the government has been feeding them like it’s morning breakfast.
On the other side, you have a party claiming to care about the well-being of the poor and downtrodden, and yet we have one of the highest rates of child poverty in the entire nation. Instead of standing up for their constituents who have trusted them to be solid leaders, they’re quick to turn their eyes on infrastructure projects. But one begs to ask: What’s it matter if you have nice roads when your only major export is crippling depression of your citizens and vices that help others lose their livelihoods? No one is focusing on innovation nor compassion, they’re only focusing on what’s going to win them another election.
Along with this, Kentucky’s archaic, backwards system of Election Finance is a joke. It should not be difficult to file reports online. We’re dealing with a system that doesn’t seem like it’s been updated since 1980, which is pretty up to par with the rest of the standards our politicians and political system have provided for our state. I only hope that time will allow them to see the errors in their ways.
With all that being said, I want to thank all of those who have dedicated time to helping me out in any capacity. This is far from the end of my political career. I will be back in 4-6 years with more passion than ever before for setting our country on a path toward a brighter future. Until then, never stop asking questions and always feel free to reach out to me if any of you feel like running for office may be in the cards for you, and I’ll be more than happy to help out.
Here is the story that appeared in the NKyTribune on September 20, in which Teaford told the Trib he would be appearing at the Registry of Election Finance meeting on September 29:
Where is Matt Teaford, Republican candidate for Kentucky’s 67th District House of Representatives? Where does he live and why hasn’t he filed any required fundraising reports with the State Board of Elections?
Those are the questions behind a suit filed in Campbell Circuit Court by attorneys Anna Stewart Whites of Frankfort and Paul L. Whalen of Fort Thomas on behalf of Newport resident Sam A. Gassert against Teaford, the Campbell County Board of Elections, the Secretary of State, and the State Board of Elections.
Teaford, 24, is challenging incumbent Dennis Keene for the 67th district seat.
When contacted by the NKyTribune, Teaford, 24, called the “allegations and accusations” all “falsehoods.” He insists that he is living in Northern Kentucky and has a drivers license (with his address on it) to prove that. He says he is keeping his campaign promises to keep money out of politics.
Matt Teaford
The suit says that Teaford should be disqualified as a candidate based on his residency, that he resides in Ohio and not at the address on the papers he filed to be certified as a candidate for the office.
The suit also says Teaford has not taken the “required steps necessary to maintain his candidacy,” including filing reports required by the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance.
The Registry of Election Finance issued a notification on September 12 that the case will be heard on Thursday, September 29, its next regular meeting.
See the Registry’s notification here.
Teaford says he will be there. He says he will fight to keep money out of politics.
The Registry’s response noted that some notices to the candidate have been returned “unclaimed,” and that the Registry has received no reports on or behalf of Teaford for the primary election cycle.
The Registry reported that their records reflect that Teaford was contacted by telephone in April and that he told the Registry he would file delinquent reports but that he did not.
Subsequent mail notifications were also sent, the Registry says, and efforts to reach Teaford by phone to two different phone numbers listed on his paperwork received “not accepting calls” responses.
The NKyTribune’s attempts to call the numbers of record also resulted in the same responses: “The caller is not not accepting calls at this time.” The NKyTribune subsequently reached him via email.
The Registry says no reports or responses have been received to date and that Teaford “appears to be evading the Registry’s attempts to service notice” in this case.
Teaford said he has communicated with the Registry by email and “clearly communicated” that he hasn’t raised any money.
He also said his home address has not changed and “has no idea where the confusion lies.”
“I haven’t raised a single dollar for my campaign since day one — further following up on my promise to keep money out of politics,” he says. “I considered asking a few people but I have not taken donations and don’t plan on doing so. I assure to keep this promise.
“People are blowing this out of proportion.”
The Registry’s General Counsel Emily Dennis writes in the notification that “if the Registry concludes there is probable cause to believe that the campaign finance law has been violated knowingly, it shall refer the violation to the Attorney General” for further investigation and potential prosecution.
“I haven’t campaigned at all since earlier this year,” Teaford said. “But I have raised no money and am not at fault nor hiding anything.”
The last post to Teaford’s candidate Facebook page was April 27. His personal Facebook page has a group photo published on Sept 15 and says he is start-up co-founder of City Nova and that he lives in Highland Heights.
“With the influence of outside money into campaigns, it is more important than ever to achieve transparency in campaign finance reporting,” said Keene, who is running for re-election to the 67th District seat. “As candidates, we are required by law to accurately file and provide the required information on donations and expenditures for each and every reporting period.”
