State Representative Richard Heath of Mayfield has announced that not only will he run for re-election in 2022, he’ll also seek the Republican nomination for Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner in 2023.
Heath has chaired the House Ag. Committee for the last five years and says in a statement to the media that he is “asking the people of Kentucky to let me put these experiences to work as the state’s next Agriculture Commissioner.”
Heath grew up on a farm in Graves County, managed a local co-op store and owns a barn-building business.
He says, “I know what farming looks like from the seat of a tractor, the back of a tobacco setter, and the inside of a hog barn. These life experiences have prepared me to serve the people of Kentucky as Commissioner of Agriculture and I’m ready to get to work for our Commonwealth.”
The Mayfield Republican has served in the state House since 2012 and says he wants to be the Commissioner of Agriculture and that he isn’t using the office as a stepping stone to get to something else.
Incumbent Ag. Commissioner Ryan Quarles cannot seek re-election due to term limits and is a likely candidate for the Republican nomination for governor in 2023.