Wilson to follow Turpen as Pulaski GOP chair
'It's always been (true that) candidates want to come to Pulaski County because they know that Pulaski County is Republican and they know that they're going to show out. We want to keep that and we want to further build on that as well.' Alex Wilson New Pulaski GOP Chair
'It's always been (true that) candidates want to come to Pulaski County because they know that Pulaski County is Republican and they know that they're going to show out. We want to keep that and we want to further build on that as well.' Alex Wilson New Pulaski GOP Chair
For the second time this year, political party leadership in Pulaski County is changing hands.
Bill Turpen, who has served as chairman of the Pulaski County Republican Party for almost a decade, is ceding the job to new blood — Alex Wilson, co-owner of Ridgenet Network Group.
Wilson was chosen as the new party chair on Saturday, along with several other positions within the local GOP organization.
'I'm really excited about it,' said Wilson, who had previously served as vice-chair. 'It's something I've kind of had my eye on for a while. Working alongside Bill for the past several years, it's something I knew that, when the time came, I wanted to put my name in for it. So now that that time has come and I got the election, it's all surreal but nice. I'm ready to hit the ground running and get started.'
Wilson, 29, is a native of the Science Hill area and an alum of Pulaski County High School and Western Kentucky University. In addition to his work with IT business Ridgenet, he's been a volunteer firefighter with the Science Hill and Dabney Fire Departments, and also serves on the Pulaski County Schools Business/Marketing Advisory Council.
Wilson has a number of things he'd like to accomplish within the local GOP — 'Some of it can be done in a quicker manner, some will take some time,' he said. Wilson would like to hold more regular monthly membership meetings, something that had been done in the recent past, to 'help boost membership and communication channels for our members.'
While Pulaski is 'a predominant Republican county' in terms of party allegiance, noted Wilson, actually getting people involved with the organizational aspects of the party is something 'people are more lax' about locally.
'We're not providing an avenue for people to be active members, so that's something I want us to focus on,' said Wilson. 'I want us to have monthly meetings and an increase in events, not just stuff around election times. By doing that, I think we'll be able to increase our participation and really ensure that we don't lose our grasp on the party dominance here in the county.
'That's going to help us attract candidates that are running statewide elections,' he added. 'It's always been (true that) candidates want to come to Pulaski County because they know that Pulaski County is Republican and they know that they're going to show out. We want to keep that and we want to further build on that as well.'
In addition to Wilson, the rest of the Pulaski County Republican committee was filled out Saturday, with Callie Garner Thompson as youth chair, Maydell Greer as secretary, Debra Ruckel as treasurer, and former chair Cloyd Bumgardner returning as the new vice chair to Wilson.
Turpen, known locally as a building contractor as well as an educator in Pulaski County Schools, replaced Bumgardner as GOP chair in 2017. When asked why he would step away from chairmanship now, Turpen simply replied with a laugh, 'Why not?'
Following up on that, Turpen said, 'I've had it long enough; I've had it eight years. ... I've had a great team to work with.'
One of the things he did was expand the party's executive board from three seats to 12. 'That's just helped to involve more people,' said Turpen. '... We've all worked together.'
Turpen was also proud to have helped spearhead a number of local events with 'exciting' speakers, particularly during the last race for state constitutional offices, including the governor's office — the only one of those offices not held by a Republican in Kentucky.
During his time as chair, Pulaski has remained a stronghold for the Republican Party at the ballot box. Last November, Donald Trump, the GOP candidate for U.S. President, got 82.09 percent of the vote in Pulaski — almost exactly the same figure as he did in 2016, just before Turpen took over, meaning big-picture local Republican voting has held steady in Turpen's time. The party has also maintained control of the Kentucky State Legislature, having won control of both houses in 2016 as well, and Pulaski has continued to vote for Republicans to go to Frankfort — all five state representatives representing parts of this county and the area's state senator are Republicans.
'I think this legislature has done an outstanding job in representing the feelings of Kentucky,' said Turpen. 'A lot of times, they don't get the credit they deserve, but I want to make a real good plug for them. They have done a great job with the legislation, and things that relate to our values, that relate to taxes, and Kentucky family life in general.'
The Turpen-to-Wilson transition takes place on the heels of the local Democratic Party also experiencing a change in leadership. In February, Dr. Rodney Casada stepped away from his longtime party chairmanship, to be replaced by Lee Ann Drake.
Turpen expressed a respect for Casada and the job he's done, and feels like Casada is mutual in that. 'We're on opposite sides, but ... we've had a very good relationship.'
Additionally, Turpen thanked Congressman Hal Rogers of Somerset and his wife Cynthia for being 'so supportive of the Republican Party in Pulaski County — if we've asked them to host events ... or to be a part of (them), they've always been so willing to help.' Likewise, 'all of the elected Republicans (in Washington) have been.'
As for Wilson, 'I think he's going to take us in a little different direction. He's going to be able to draw a lot more young people in. He's got more useful ideas, and I'm very excited for him.'
Wilson called it 'bittersweet' to see 'mentor' Turpen step away from the chairmanship, and intends to continue to draw on Turpen for his perspectives and experience.
'I told him, 'Bill, if I do this, I hope you know you're not going to fully be out. I will be calling you,'' said Wilson. 'I'm blessed to have that avenue, and he does want to be an active part in the organization, so that's going to be great and very helpful for me and our team moving forward. We've got a really good team.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNBC
12 minutes ago
- CNBC
PBS, NPR funding on the line as House nears final vote on $9.4 billion in DOGE-backed cuts
The House on Wednesday moved a step closer to approving President Donald Trump's $9.4 billion spending cut package, which would codify some cuts originally proposed by the Department of Government Efficiency. The package would grant permission to the White House not to spend billions of dollars that had already been approved by Congress. The money would be clawed back from specific agencies like the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which distributes federally appropriated grants to National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Although the Wednesday procedural vote passed largely along party lines, a final vote expected Thursday could see some resistance from House Republicans who are uneasy about the popular programs that are being targeted, like PBS and National Public Radio. Given House Speaker Mike Johnson's narrow Republican majority, he can only afford to lose a handful of votes and still push the package over the finish line on a party-line vote. Johnson said earlier this week that he was "working on" getting enough Republicans on board to pass the DOGE package, CNN reported. Wednesday's vote also finalized changes to Republicans' "big, beautiful bill" that were required by the Senate before the measure was allowed to pass with a simple majority, rather than the typical 60-vote Senate threshold. Budget measures like the "big, beautiful bill" can be considered under a special set of rules known as reconciliation. The Senate's parliamentarian, who acts as a sort of referee in disputes over Senate rules, had flagged some provisions in the package earlier that she said were incompatible with the chamber's reconciliation rules.
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Thune on protests: LA ‘needed some outside help'
WASHINGTON, DC (KELO) — Senate Majority Leader John Thune is defending President Trump's decision to federalize the National Guard and send in Marines to put a stop to clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement in Los Angeles. Cheyenne River Reservation authorities investigating 2 deaths The South Dakota Republican fielded reporters' questions on a range of topics Wednesday on Capitol Hill, including the ongoing protests over immigration raids. The City of Los Angeles reported fewer clashes overnight as a curfew went into effect. Yet tensions remain high as members of the military are on standby in case of more violence. Thune says the military presence was needed because local officials in California didn't have a handle on the situation. Thune called public safety a 'political imperative' while discussing the protests taking place this week in Los Angeles. 'Because one of the most fundamental questions most people, or most voters ask is my family safe? Is my neighborhood safe? Is my community safe? And when you can't answer that in the affirmative, then you've got a problem and I think that's what they ran into in Los Angeles which is why they needed some outside help,' Thune said. But House Democrats say Los Angeles didn't need outside help from the military to keep the violence in check. 'And state and local law enforcement officials are prepared to do that. At the same time, we respect the right and should embrace the right for any American to peacefully protest,' (D) House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said. Thune wouldn't directly answer one reporter's question about President Trump's pardons of January 6th rioters. Manu Raju: 'Do you see any inconsistency when a president criticizes and condemns the violent LA protests but then pardons the violent January 6th protestors?' 'I think the issue that's in front of us right now is the chaos in Los Angeles. And clearly, the local officials there, for whatever reason, didn't seem up to the task,' Thune said. Critics say President Trump's deployment of troops to Los Angeles will only provoke more violence. But Thune and other Republicans on Capitol Hill say it was a move that needed to be made. 'At the end of the day, it's about preventing chaos and preserving law and order,' Thune said. A federal judge will hold a hearing Thursday on California Governor Gavin Newsom's request to stop President Trump from using troops in Los Angeles. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Republicans press Pentagon chief over Trump's plan to end Russia's war against Ukraine, Politico reports
At a Senate budget hearing on June 11, Republican senators fiercely criticized U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the Trump administration's effort to end the Ukraine war through negotiations involving Russia. The session revealed deep divisions within the GOP on U.S. foreign policy, as lawmakers clashed over the administration's strategic direction, Politico reports. Leading the pushback was Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, one of three Republicans who voted against Hegseth's confirmation, who warned, "America's reputation is on the line." McConnell, now chair of the panel overseeing defense funding, issued some of his strongest public criticism yet, questioning whether the United States would continue defending democratic allies against authoritarian threats. He contrasted his stance — rooted in a Reagan-era commitment to global leadership — with Hegseth's "America First" approach favored by many Trump supporters. "We don't want a headline at the end of this conflict that says Russia wins and America loses," McConnell said. When asked who the aggressor in the three-year-old war is, Hegseth responded, "Russia is the aggressor." But he avoided directly stating which side the U.S. wants to see win, instead emphasizing that President Trump is committed to achieving peace. Hegseth shifted blame to the Biden and Obama administrations, arguing that slow responses during their terms allowed Putin to seize Crimea and invade Ukraine. "Vladimir Putin knows that President Trump is strong," he said, suggesting a negotiated peace would bolster America's global position. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a prominent Trump ally, questioned whether Putin would stop his territorial ambitions if he gained ground in Ukraine. Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine said he did not believe Putin would stop. Hegseth, however, responded, "It remains to be seen." Graham rebuked that answer, saying, "This is the '30s all over. It doesn't remain to be seen." Democrats also raised concerns. Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware criticized the administration for omitting Ukraine aid in its 2026 budget request and warned against compromising too much for the sake of peace. 'We cannot abandon Ukraine,' he said. Hegseth defended the administration's strategy, calling a negotiated settlement a show of strength. "The alternative of endless war that is largely funded by the United States and fought by Ukrainians… does not make sense strategically," he said. Read also: America's weak strongman We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
