Richie Farmer

Richie Farmer.
Richie Farmer (born August 25, 1969) is a former collegiate basketball player and Republican Party politician from the U.S. state of Kentucky. He led Clay County High School to the 1987 state high school boys' basketball championship, scoring a championship game record 51 points and being named 1988's Kentucky Mr. Basketball. He played collegiately for the Kentucky Wildcats. In his senior year, the team reached the Elite Eight of the 1992 NCAA Tournament, losing to Duke in one of the most memorable college basketball games ever. He served as Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner from 2004 to 2012, winning two terms by large margins. Kentucky Senate President David L. Williams made Farmer his running mate in the 2011 gubernatorial election, but their ticket was defeated. After leaving office as commissioner, Farmer was investigated for corruption and was eventually sentenced to 27 months in federal prison. He was released from a halfway house in 2016.