Kentucky Senator who served as Democrat for 27 years defects to Republican Party in stunning move
State Senator Robin Webb, who was first elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1998, revealed she will join the ranks of GOP lawmakers who control the flow of legislation in the state.
The defection leaves Kentucky Democrats even more isolated in rural America.
Webb was one of the last rural Democrats in Kentucky's legislature, and her defection means her former party will be instead tethered to urban and suburban districts in a state with large stretches of rural territory controlled by the GOP.
Webb felt increasingly disconnected from the Democratic Party and could no longer stomach its 'lurch to the left.'
'It has become untenable and counterproductive to the best interests of my constituents for me to remain a Democrat,' Webb said.
'I will continue to be a fearless advocate for rural Kentucky and for the residents of eastern Kentucky who have been so good to me and my family.'
The departure of Webb, who represents a four-county district, is more than symbolic: it underscores the near-total GOP takeover of Kentucky's rural political map.
Democrats, already reduced to urban and suburban strongholds, now find themselves with virtually no foothold in the state's sprawling countryside.
Kentucky Democratic Party Chair Colmon Elridge said that Webb chose to align with a political party attempting to fund tax breaks for the wealthy 'off the backs of vulnerable' people.
It was a barbed reference to the multitrillion-dollar tax breaks package passed recently by US House Republicans.
To make up for some of the lost tax revenue, Republicans focused on changes to Medicaid and the food stamps program.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates 8.6 million fewer people would have health care coverage and 3 million fewer people a month would have SNAP food stamps benefits with the proposed changes.
'If those are her priorities, then we agree: she isn't a Democrat,' Elridge said.
Webb stressed that her core values have not changed.
'The only difference today is the letter next to my name,' she said.
Webb has compiled a personal and professional resume deeply ingrained in Kentucky culture. She's a hunter, a horse enthusiast, and a former coal miner who changed career paths to become an attorney.
Webb first joined the Kentucky House in 1999, when Democrats controlled the chamber.
She spent a decade as a state representative before joining the GOP-led Senate in 2009.
Republicans seized total control of the legislature in the 2016 election, when they rode Donald Trump's coattails to win the Kentucky House.
Republicans padded their legislative numbers in subsequent elections, giving them their overwhelming majorities.
Republicans attained that dominance by winning in rural districts previously held by Democrats, but Webb's district had remained a blue dot on the map until Friday.
Her party switch leaves Democrats mostly devoid of a rural presence in the legislature. One exception is Democratic state Rep. Ashley Tackett Laferty, who represents an Appalachian district.
The state's two-term governor, Democrat Andy Beshear, won a number of rural counties and shrank GOP margins in others in his 2023 reelection.
His popularity was built on the state's robust economic growth during his tenure and his handling of disasters, from tornadoes and floods to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kentucky Democrats are trying to spark a rural comeback with a grassroots strategy, evidenced by the state party's ongoing 'listening tour' with stops in culturally conservative towns across the state.
State Republican Party Chairman Robert Benvenuti said Webb's party switch reflects a broader political trend. In 2022, the GOP overtook the Democratic Party in statewide voter registration.
'Like countless other Kentuckians, she has recognized that the policies and objectives of today´s Democratic Party are simply not what they once were, and do not align with the vast majority of Kentuckians,' he said.
Lawmakers will begin their 2026 session in early January, but Beshear has said he will likely call lawmakers back for a special session sometime this year to take up storm-relief funding.
Parts of southeastern Kentucky were devastated by deadly tornadoes earlier this month, while other parts of the Bluegrass State were inundated by flooding in April.
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