logo
Former KY rep Cherlynn Stevenson to run as Democrat to replace Barr in Congress

Former KY rep Cherlynn Stevenson to run as Democrat to replace Barr in Congress

Yahoo13-05-2025

Former Lexington state representative Cherlynn Stevenson is running to flip the 6th Congressional District from red to blue in 2026, she announced Tuesday.
Stevenson said that she believes the seat is within reach for Democrats despite GOP Rep. Andy Barr's recent landslide victories.
'I know how to win in a red seat,' Stevenson said in an interview with the Herald-Leader about the race.
So, how is it done? Stevenson said she'll focus on aggressive in-person campaigning and hammering home the 'meat and potatoes' issues of prices, education and health care.
A predicted backlash to the policies of President Donald Trump, whose undulating tariff strategy has stirred uncertainty and even discontent on Wall Street, is central to her argument. The available polling on Trump's approval rating has been declining steadily.
'I think people are really scared by the chaos that they're seeing in Washington right now,' she said.
'You know, we see tariffs that are hurting our local economies and threatening a lot of jobs. We see people that are worried that the Social Security benefits aren't going to be there, that Medicaid and Medicare are in danger. You know, a carton of eggs cost more, and people's nest eggs have gone down.'
Stevenson added: 'I think that the environment is going to be right for somebody who's out there not trying to talk about the things that divide us, but about the real issues that Kentucky families and working families are facing right now.'
But while Stevenson, 48, won her seat three times, she lost on the fourth effort to Rep. Vanessa Grossl, R-Georgetown, last year.
Grossl flipped the seat — which stretches across much of suburban and rural Fayette County as well a slice of Scott County — winning by about half a percentage point two years after Stevenson won reelection by an even slimmer margin.
Republican Party of Kentucky Communications Director Andy Westberry pointed the loss out in a statement on Stevenson's candidacy.
'Cherlynn Stevenson must be a glutton for punishment. After getting rejected by voters in her own backyard, she's now aiming higher—only to fall harder. Her entry into this race isn't a serious campaign; it's a one-way ticket to political career-ending humiliation.
'Let's be clear: the 6th District is Trump Country —rock-solid Republican ground where liberal pipe dreams go to die,' Westberry wrote.
Indeed, Trump won the district by about 15 percentage points. Ever since a close three-point victory over Democrat Amy McGrath in 2018, Barr has won his last three elections by an average of 24 percentage points.
But Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, albeit with a different off-year electorate, won the district by about 20.
And Stevenson's pledge to focus on the 'real issues' over the divisive ones sounds a lot like Beshear's classic pitch to voters, both in Kentucky and more recently on the national stage.
So where does Beshear stand on Stevenson's run? She said she spoke to the governor before making her announcement, and he was 'encouraging,'
'He was encouraging. We talked about the fact that I have been able to win in difficult districts. You know, he has endorsed me in every other race that I've ever been in, and I look forward to earning his endorsement this time,' Stevenson said.
She did not say whether she believed his endorsement would come during the primary for the seat.
A handful of other Kentucky Democrats have been mentioned as possibilities for the seat, especially since the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee listed the Central Kentucky-based district as one of their 35 Republican-held 'Districts in Play' for the 2026 cycle.
Federal prosecutor Zach Dembo and former Lexington councilman David Kloiber are two names to watch; former secretary of state Allison Lundergan Grimes is also mentioned as a potential candidate.
Fayette County makes up about 44% of the district.
The other counties in the 6th Congressional District, in order of population, are Madison, Scott, Jessamine, Montgomery, Woodford, Mercer, Bourbon, Garrard, Fleming, Estill, Powell and Nicholas. Aside from Fayette, the other counties in the district generally lean Republican.
When asked about her elevator pitch to voters, Stevenson gave a glimpse of how she feels her background – moving to the Lexington area from Eastern Kentucky, as many residents have – might help her.
'I was raised in Eastern Kentucky by a mom who was a teacher and a daddy who worked in coal and I know the values of hard work, and I know you know the struggles that everyday Kentuckians face, that I am not someone who Is there to represent a political party, but I am there to represent the people and take their hopes, their dreams and their worst fears to Washington and to fight for them,' Stevenson said.
Stevenson was raised in Knott County but has lived in Lexington for several years. She first ran for office and flipped the 88th House District in 2018. She won a close race in 2020, then won again by just 37 votes in a tight race to Republican Jim Coleman.
In Frankfort, Stevenson rose the ranks quickly to become House Democratic caucus chair four years into her time there. She was widely seen as a strong candidate for floor leader, the highest position in the caucus, before her loss.
Stevenson was the subject of a short-lived controversy last year due to an ethics complaint filed against her. The complaint centered around her co-purchasing a Frankfort condo with a lobbyist. It was swiftly dismissed by the Legislative Ethics Commission.
Stevenson's political calling card has been education. She pushed back strongly against 2024's pro-school choice amendment, which would have allowed the state legislature to fund charter and non-public K-12 schooling.
Stevenson represented the 'anti' side on the amendment question at Fancy Farm, the state's biggest political speaking event, in 2024.
The amendment ended up losing by a whopping 30 percentage points.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump's DOGE efficiency agency says it slashes $25B in federal spending as rehiring begins
Trump's DOGE efficiency agency says it slashes $25B in federal spending as rehiring begins

Fox News

time30 minutes ago

  • Fox News

Trump's DOGE efficiency agency says it slashes $25B in federal spending as rehiring begins

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced on Wednesday it has decreased its annual non-defense federal obligations by an additional ~1.9% since last month. As of June 8th, annual non-defense federal obligations are down 22.4%, or ~$25B, as compared to 2024, DOGE announced on X. The cut marks an additional ~1.9% reduction from last month's figures, which were announced on May 8. "Cash outlays will follow as obligations come due," DOGE wrote in the post. "Our initiative to reduce wasteful spend, consistent with the DOGE Cost Efficiency Executive Order, continues to bear fruit." On May 14, DOGE announced the current year's non-defense federal obligations were down 20.5% as compared to 2024. The announcement came minutes before Fox News Digital was first to report the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is rehiring more than 450 previously fired employees belonging to multiple divisions within the agency's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The rehired CDC employees came from the National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention; the National Center for Environmental Health; the Immediate Office of the Director, and the Global Health Center, according to an HHS official familiar with the matter. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told CBS News in April some personnel who were cut shouldn't have been. "We're reinstating them, and that was always the plan," Kennedy said. "Part of the—at DOGE, we talked about this from the beginning, is we're going to do 80% cuts, but 20% of those are going to have to be reinstated, because we'll make mistakes." In addition to the HHS rehires, the Internal Revenue Service, Food and Drug Administration, State Department, and Department of Housing and Urban Development started rehiring employees let go during DOGE cuts, the Washington Post reported. Another roadblock this week was a ruling from U.S. District Judge Denise Cote of the Southern District of New York, who ruled to restrict the agency's access to federal databases. The Trump administration previously said DOGE could not work effectively with the limitations, noting DOGE needed to access Social Security information to root out fraud.

Marines deployed near LA have not completed training on use of force, nonlethal weapons
Marines deployed near LA have not completed training on use of force, nonlethal weapons

The Hill

time33 minutes ago

  • The Hill

Marines deployed near LA have not completed training on use of force, nonlethal weapons

The 700 Marines mobilized to the Los Angeles area on Monday have not yet completed pre-mission training as of Wednesday morning, with no clear picture yet as to whether they will be deployed on the ground, a U.S. Northern Command official confirmed to The Hill. The Marines 'are still conducting pre-mission training and they have not been employed by Task Force 51, the DoD command element in Los Angeles,' a Northcom spokesperson said in a statement. 'I do not have an estimate of when they will be employed.' The training includes standing rules for the use of force and the use of nonlethal weapons. The spokesperson added that no other active-duty Marines have been deployed to other locations and cities at this time. Like the 4,000 California National Guard troops deployed to Los Angeles to quell largely peaceful protests against the Trump administration's immigration raids, 'these Marines will protect federal functions, personnel, and property, which includes accompanying federal personnel on missions,' they added. The new statement stands in contrast to a Northcom statement from yesterday, which said the Marines had already been trained in de-escalation, crowd control and standing rules for the use of force. The same day, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith said the Marines had received 'in excess of two hours' of the training, and that they would have shields and batons as their equipment. U.S. Army Major General Scott Sherman also told reporters that the Marines are still undergoing 'civil disturbance training and the standing rules of force training.' He also revealed that Guard troops will be able to temporarily detain individuals until law enforcement agents step in to arrest them. 'They are strictly there to detain, to wait for law enforcement to come and handle those demonstrators,' Sherman said. Criticism is growing among Democrats as to the legality of President Trump's decision to deploy U.S. service members to Los Angeles, calling the decision a wildly out-of-proportion response to the situation. 'You are deploying the American military to police the American people; you are sending the National Guard into California without the governor's request, sending the Marines not after foreign threats, but after American protesters,' Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) told Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during an Appropriations subcommittee hearing Wednesday. 'Threatening to use our own troops on our own citizens at such scale is unprecedented, it is unconstitutional, and it is downright un-American,' she continued. Trump, meanwhile, has doubled down on his decision to deploy troops, insisting it is constitutionally legal while calling out California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) for not ensuring federal agents were protected. 'The INCOMPETENT Governor of California was unable to provide protection in a timely manner when our Ice Officers, GREAT Patriots they are, were attacked by an out of control mob of agitators, troublemakers, and/or insurrectionists,' Trump wrote on Truth Social early Wednesday. Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth has repeatedly defended the decision to deploy Marines to Los Angeles, including in testimony to Congress.

Permitless concealed carry in North Carolina faces uphill battle after some GOP pushback
Permitless concealed carry in North Carolina faces uphill battle after some GOP pushback

Hamilton Spectator

time34 minutes ago

  • Hamilton Spectator

Permitless concealed carry in North Carolina faces uphill battle after some GOP pushback

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A bill to let adults carry concealed handguns without a permit cleared the North Carolina legislature on Wednesday, however the path to joining the majority of U.S. states with similar laws remains uncertain. The GOP-backed legislation faces a likely veto from Democratic Gov. Josh Stein, as well as pushback from a handful of Republicans who voted against the legislation in the state House. House Speaker Destin Hall acknowledged those concerns after Wednesday's vote. 'I would imagine that — math being math — that it's probably a low percentage relative to other bills,' Hall told reporters. If the bill becomes law, North Carolina would become the 30th state in the country to legalize permitless carrying of a concealed handgun, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. North Carolina would also be one of the last states in the Southeast to implement that legislation. The legislation allows for eligible people with valid identification over the age of 18 to carry a concealed handgun. More than half of states with permitless concealed carry set their age limit at 21 and older, while the rest have the legal carrying age at 18, according to the NCSL. Currently, a person must be 21 and older to obtain a concealed handgun permit in North Carolina. To qualify, an applicant must pass a firearms safety training course and not 'suffer from a physical or mental infirmity that prevents the safe handling of a handgun,' according to state law. Approving permitless concealed carry has been a goal of gun-rights activists in North Carolina for years, with House Republicans historically supportive of the idea. Some see it as the next step after Republican lawmakers successfully eliminated the permit system that required sheriffs to conduct character evaluations and criminal history checks for pistol applicants in 2023. Conservative advocates for the bill say it would strengthen Second Amendment rights for North Carolinians. Republican lawmakers also disputed that the bill would make the state more dangerous, as 'law-abiding citizens' would be the only people that would benefit from the permit elimination, not criminals, Republican Rep. Brian Echevarria said. 'Rights to keep and bear arms are constitutionally inseparable,' Echevarria said. 'If a person cannot own a firearm, they cannot bear a firearm.' The bill's passage tees up one of the first opportunities for a likely veto from Stein if he stays aligned with his fellow Democrats in the legislature. Stein has a more powerful veto stamp than his predecessor Roy Cooper , after Republicans lost their House supermajority last year that allowed them to override vetoes and enact their legislative agenda with relative ease. Now, House Republicans would need to count on a Democrat to join in their override efforts. Reaching that goal seems especially daunting, considering all of the present House Democrats — and two Republicans — voted against the bill. The governor's office didn't respond to a request for comment on the legislation, but House Deputy Democratic Leader Cynthia Ball said in a committee Tuesday that Stein was opposed to it. Several Democratic legislators said it would make communities unsafe by loosening who can carry a concealed handgun without training. Democrats also raised issue with the age limit set in the bill, saying it would put guns in the hands of young people who aren't yet mature enough to have one. 'Do you not remember when you were 18? We are prone and so susceptible to peer pressure, we are hotheaded, we are emotional,' Democratic Rep. Tracy Clark said on the House floor after retelling her personal experience of losing two friends in college to gun violence. Those seeking a permit for their concealed handgun — such as for the purpose of traveling with a firearm to a state that requires a permit — would still be able to do so. The bill also heightens the felony punishment for those who assault law enforcement officers or first responders with a firearm. A separate bill that makes gun safety courses available at North Carolina community colleges for people 18 and up passed in a near-unanimous House vote directly after the concealed carry permit repeal legislation was approved. ___ Associated Press writer Gary D. Robertson in Raleigh contributed to this report. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store