Kentucky governor debuting his first TV ad of the campaign

Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin plays up his close ties with President Donald Trump and boasts about the state’s economy in his first TV ad of his reelection campaign.

The Republican governor’s campaign team said Friday the ad will air during the Kentucky Derby.

Bevin narrates the commercial and talks about his humble roots. He says after decades of “backward policies,” Kentucky is “finally working our way up, too.”

The ad shows scenes of Bevin with Trump, who won Kentucky by a landslide in 2016 and remains popular in the state. Bevin portrays himself and Trump as politicians who aren’t “afraid of change.”

Bevin’s approval ratings slumped after his failed attempt to make changes to the state’s struggling public pension systems.

He has three opponents for the May 21 primary, including state Rep. Robert Goforth.