LOUISVILLE — Usually a governor’s race is about the candidate at the top of the ticket, the ones actually running for governor.

But as David Williams kicked off a statewide bus tour here Thursday in his quest for the Republican nomination for governor, it was his running mate, Commissioner of Agriculture and former University of Kentucky basketball star Richie Farmer, who got the most attention – from well wishers, from reporters, even from Williams when he addressed a crowd of about 40 at Jefferson County Republican headquarters.

“You know, Richie, when we started, I thought you were shooting three-pointers and I was taking charges,” Williams began his remarks. “But you’re taking charges yourself, and I’m going to tell you Richie, while they’re talking about you, they’re leaving me alone.”

Farmer, who joined Williams on the tour, has come under fire of late with press accounts that he spent state money on a hotel suite during the state high school basketball tournament, a hotel room for several nights during the state fair, travel to agriculture conferences, and new vehicles for his department while other agencies are using fleet vehicles longer. He also declined at first to participate in a voluntary furlough program to cut state personnel costs. He later reversed that position. Farmer is also being sued for divorce.

He was surrounded by reporters after the event as Williams stood nearby, watching and listening. Farmer didn’t flinch. He said his department has spent less than half what his predecessor spent on travel; said, “There’s a lot of misinformation” about the vehicle purchases, claiming the department’s fleet “is the most efficiently run in state government,” and the vehicle was not purchased specifically for his use. He said trips to the state fair and state tournament are justified because of the promotional benefit for Kentucky products.

“That wasn’t something we felt was a bad decision,” Farmer said of his spending on the hotel suite for the state tournament.

Earlier Farmer said he’s excited to run with Williams who “would be a better governor and more suited to run the state of Kentucky” than anybody else.

“Not only that, but he’s my friend – and I love him,” Farmer said.

Williams told a crowd which included Jefferson County state Sen. Dan Seum, Rep. Ron Crimm and Republican Metro Council members that for Kentucky to be competitive, it must change “the tax system, the pension plan, the business environment and rural and urban people are going to have to work together to make Kentucky all she can be.”

He also said he’d change the education system and lobbed barbs at the Jefferson County Teachers Association which Thursday endorsed one of Williams’ primary opponents, Jefferson County Clerk Bobbie Holsclaw. He said JCTA dominates the Jefferson County Board of Education and has “led this school system to the brink of disaster.”

Williams and Seum introduced legislation in the past General Assembly which would allow parents to enroll their children in neighborhood schools, a response to parental outrage in Jefferson County to early school year bus problems when children were left riding busses for hours after school. He promised to continue to push such legislation if elected governor.

And he said he’d be happy to compare Farmer’s record with that of incumbent Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear’s 2011 running mate, former Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson. Republicans have responded to criticism of Farmer by pointing to unfavorable audits and press accounts of spending and personnel controversies in Abramson’s final term as mayor.

“Contrary to what some people say, Jefferson County is going to be Williams-Farmer territory in the primary and this fall we’re going to fight for every vote,” Williams said. Both Holsclaw and the third Republican primary candidate, Phil Moffett, reside in Jefferson County as does Abramson.

Williams repeated an oft-used line about Beshear: “This governor has no agenda, he has no accomplishment and it’s time for him to go.”

Williams then dubbed his statewide bus tour as “the lead, follow or get out of the way tour.”

Ronnie Ellis writes for CNHI News Service and is based in Frankfort, Ky. He may be contacted by email at rellis@cnhi.com. Follow CNHI News Service stories on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cnhifrankfort.