Former Democratic legislative leader seeks U.S. House seat
Cherlynn Stevenson speaks during the Mike Miller Memorial Marshall County Bean Dinner, part of the Fancy Farm political festivities, Aug. 2, 2024. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Austin Anthony)
Cherlynn Stevenson, the former Kentucky House Democratic caucus chair, announced Tuesday that she plans to seek election to the state's open U.S. House seat in 2026.
Stevenson, of Lexington, is the first Democratic candidate to say she's vying to succeed Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Barr in Kentucky's 6th Congressional District. Barr, who has represented the central Kentucky district since 2013, announced last month that he is running for the U.S. Senate seat opened by Sen. MItch McConnell's announced retirement.
Stevenson won a seat in the Kentucky legislature in 2018 and won a close reelection bid against a Republican challenger in 2022 despite the GOP-controlled General Assembly having heavily redistricting the constituency after the 2020 U.S. Census. Then, she narrowly lost her 2024 bid for the statehouse seat to freshman Republican Rep. Vanessa Grossl, of Georgetown. The House Democratic Caucus elected Stevenson as its chair in 2022. Throughout her time in the legislature, Democrats held a minority in the House and Senate.
Stevenson will hold a campaign kick-off Tuesday morning at Bluegrass Distillery in Midway. In a media advisory to reporters, Stevenson's campaign highlighted her upbringing in Knott County in Southeastern Kentucky. She has lived in Lexington for about 25 years. The campaign said Stevenson 'has devoted her life to the well-being and service of those in her immediate Central Kentucky community, her Eastern Kentucky heritage, and throughout the entire Commonwealth of Kentucky.'
So far, one Republican has announced plans to run for Barr's seat — Kentucky Rep. Ryan Dotson, of Winchester. Dotson's campaign kickoff is set for June 3 in his hometown. Of potential Republicans who may enter the race, he's seen as one of the farthest to the political right and is making culture war issues a part of his campaign messaging, stressing his commitment to banning transgender women and girls from using women's restrooms.
Though Barr has held the U.S. House seat for over a decade, Democrats see the district as one they could flip heading in the midterm elections. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has said it considers the district is in play heading into midterm elections in 2026.
Kentucky is positioned to receive a lot of national attention during the midterm elections. Gov. Andy Beshear, who has not ruled out a 2028 bid for president, will serve as the chair of the Democratic Governors Association in 2026. That positions Beshear to rally support and money behind his party's candidates across the nation in key elections.
Some see the 6th Congressional District as a purple district. It includes Lexington, the state's second largest city and one of Kentucky's last remaining Democratic strongholds. However, Republicans regularly fare better in elections in the more rural and suburban parts of the district, such as Georgetown and Richmond. Barr easily won reelection in recent cycles with nearly two-thirds of the vote over little known and underfunded Democratic challengers.
The Republican Party of Kentucky views the 6th Congressional District as a safe seat for the party. Spokesman Andy Westberry said in a statement that Stevenson's '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 said. 'If the DCCC thinks Cherlynn Stevenson is their ticket to a majority, they're more delusional than we thought. This district will send another conservative fighter to Washington, and Democrats will be left wondering why they even bothered.'
Candidates may formally file their election paperwork with the Kentucky Secretary of State's office in November, which is a year before the 2026 general election.
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