Latest news with #KentuckyDemocrats
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kentucky Democrats hear they should focus on everyday issues
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, left, and Kentucky Democratic Party Chair Colmon Elridge talk to reporters in Owensboro where the party is gathered this weekend for its annual convention. (Kentucky Lantern photo by McKenna Horsley) OWENSBORO — Kentucky Democrats brought a national leader to their statewide dinner Friday evening — but the party wants to focus on 'everyday issues.' At a sold-out event in the Ohio River town of Owensboro, the Democrats' keynote speaker was Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin. But first Gov. Andy Beshear spoke, laying out a case against Republican President Donald Trump and his 'big beautiful bill.' 'The best way to push back against Trump is to show that when Democrats win, we stay focused on the issues that matter most to our people,' the governor told the crowd. 'And then do something the Republican Party has shown it can't — we govern well.' Democrats from across the commonwealth were receptive to the message, cheering the governor on and giving him standing ovations. The party's Forward Together Dinner, which sold 475 tickets, preceded the Kentucky Democratic Party state convention when party faithful decide who will lead the executive committees for the next year. Friday's dinner was the largest Kentucky Democratic Party dinner since 2012. The enthusiasm follows setbacks for Democrats in recent years; the party has lost ground in the state legislature and statewide offices. A couple weeks ahead of the convention, Sen. Robin Webb, a longtime Democrat from Eastern Kentucky, joined the Republican Party. She said the party's dismissiveness of rural issues led her to make that decision. Much of the Democratic speakers' comments throughout the night focused on the party's need to re-focus on small town America. Beshear told reporters ahead of his remarks that political parties need to compete everywhere. Kentucky has no elections in 2025, but a slew of races next year — including U.S. Senate, congressional seats and legislative seats. 'I want to see as many candidates as possible, but I'm also always going to be honest with candidates that sign up to run,' he said. He then recalled sitting with his father, former Gov. Steve Beshear, after election losses and said he knows what that disappointment 'feels like.' 'So as long as people have reasonable expectations and know what they are getting into, know that oftentimes flipping a seat can take one, two or three elections, I want to be as encouraging as I can, but I'm a human being, and I always want to make sure we're talking about how tough races can be,' Beshear said. 'But, yes, I want to see Democratic candidates in as many races as possible.' Beshear will be the chair of the Democratic Governors Association next year, putting him in a place to rally Democratic support for midterm elections nationally. He's also being eyed as a possible contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential primary. For this year, he said he is optimistic about Democrats' chances in the New Jersey and Virginia governor races. He added that 'we're going to have some really exciting possibilities next year in places that people aren't expecting right now.' Martin told Kentucky Democrats that the Democratic National Committee (DNC) under his leadership is focusing on getting 'the DNC out of D.C.' He led the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and has a history as a labor and union organizer. 'When we organize everywhere, we can win anywhere,' Martin told the crowd. 'That means we don't give up on red states. That means we don't give up on rural counties. We take our message everywhere.' He expanded on that strategy with reporters afterwards. He said he doesn't believe that 'red states' or 'blue states' stay that way over time. 'This new DNC has to invest everywhere so we can build not just to win this moment but to win the future,' Martin said. Kentucky Democratic Party Chairman Colmon Elridge told reporters state parties are excited about more dollar investments from the party's national committee and that may help Democrats build back their grassroots campaigns. 'I feel really great about our potential for 2026. I believe we're going to contest a heck of a lot of races that we did not contest in the last election,' Elridge said. 'And of course our goal in '26 and beyond is to contest every race.' Cherlynn Stevenson, the former chair of the state House Democratic Caucus, said ahead of the dinner that Democrats need to focus on 'everyday issues,' including how Kentuckians are impacted by federal policies under the Trump administration. One big policy Democrats at all levels have been pushing back against is Trump's budget reconciliation bill that includes cuts to Medicaid. She is seeking election in the 6th Congressional District, held by Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Barr who is now running for U.S. Senate. 'If our people aren't fed, and they're not healthy, then our children can't learn and our workers can't produce when they go to work everyday,' Stevenson said. 'So, we've got to get back to the meat and potatoes of what it means to take care of everyday Kentuckians and not kowtow to billionaires and succumb to the chaos that's coming down from Washington.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Fox News
30-05-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Kentucky Senate Democrat switches parties to GOP in major blow to Dem Gov Andy Beshear
Kentucky state Democratic Sen. Robin Webb, who represents Kentucky's rural 18th Senate district, is switching her party affiliation to Republican after she says the Democrat Party "left me." "First and foremost, I'm a mother, a rancher and a lawyer with deep personal and professional roots in Kentucky's coal country," Webb explained. "As the Democratic Party continues its lurch to the left and its hyperfocus on policies that hurt workforce and economic development in my region, I no longer feel it represents my values." "It has become untenable and counterproductive to the best interests of my constituents for me to remain a Democrat." Webb was originally elected to the Kentucky State House after defeating Republican Ramona Gee in 1998. This comes as a major blow to Kentucky Democrats, who have historically held a stronghold in rural regions of the state largely due to union workers and the coal industry. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear told a local Louisville news outlet that he "would consider" a run as the Democratic nominee for president in 2028, and the newly elected Democratic governor and potential presidential candidate now faces an additional challenge to mobilize his state's party ahead of the 2026 midterms. "Like countless other Kentuckians, [Webb] 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," Republican Party of Kentucky Chairman Robert Benvenuti added. "I always respected that [Webb] approached issues in a very thoughtful and commonsense manner, and that she never failed to keenly focus on what was best for her constituents," Benvenuti added. "It is my pleasure to welcome Sen. Robin Webb to the Republican Party." Despite Beshear serving in the governor's office, the attorney general's office, secretary of state and both chambers of the state legislature have a Republican majority. "While it's cliché, it's true: I didn't leave the party — the party left me," Webb said. Fox News Digital reached out to Governor Andy Beshear's office but did not receive a response. Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News Digital covering breaking news. Story tips can be sent to and on X @MizellPreston
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kentucky auditor accuses Democrats of trying to intimidate her with open records requests
Republican Auditor candidate Allison Ball waves to the crowd during the 143rd Fancy Farm Picnic on Saturday, Aug. 5, 2023. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Austin Anthony) Republican State Auditor Allison Ball is calling five open records requests from a Kentucky Democratic Party official 'an attempt to intimidate me' from investigating how the state's Office of Medical Cannabis processed license applications. Ball, who has previously clashed with the Beshear administration over her office's investigations, issued a statement Monday saying after she announced the investigation into OMC earlier this month Kentucky Democrats 'sent five Open Records Act requests to my office in what can only be described as an attempt to intimidate me from continuing the investigation.' However, the Kentucky Democratic Party denied that the requests were related to Ball's investigation. Ball said a Finance and Administration Cabinet official sent similar open records requests after her office announced investigations into the Cabinet for Health and Family Services in recent months. 'It is a shame that parties would seek to weaponize the Open Records Act, an important transparency tool, as a political weapon,' Ball said. 'Because I believe in the importance of transparency, I have responded to the KDP's requests in full, just as I did to the Finance Cabinet requests. 'Kentucky should rest assured that these intimidation tactics will not work. I will continue to carry out the job that Kentuckians elected me to do.' Under the Kentucky Open Records Act, members of the public may request records from public agencies within the state. Kentucky Democratic Party spokesperson Nat Turner said in a statement to the Kentucky Lantern that Ball 'is trying to manufacture partisan drama, and what she is alleging is not true.' 'The requests in question were not related to her audit; they were for records related to grievances, personal appeals, travel records and her use of taxpayer money to attend a religious leadership conference,' Turner said. 'Transparency is important and Auditor Ball has a responsibility to be accountable to Kentuckians.' Joy Markland, a spokesperson for Ball, shared copies of the requests made by the Democrats and responses of the auditor's office. The records match the requests Turner described. In a search for the records, the auditor's office found no records of grievances from staff members filed this year and provided records related to travel, personal appeals and contracts entered by the office. Amye Bensenhaver, a retired Kentucky assistant attorney general and co-founder and co-director of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition, said 'all is fair in love and open records.' The state law is 'intended to be almost blind to who is asking and why they're asking,' with some limitations on requests made for commercial reasons, she added. Ball's accusation against the state Democratic party is also 'weaponizing the law,' Bensenhaver said. 'Ultimately, you could be a thin-skinned public official who shows resistance or expresses outrage when your office is expected to produce records, but it tends to undermine your credibility when you're seeking records from another public agency,' Bensenhaver said. Some political staffers look for information to use in campaign messaging through open record requests. Ahead of the 2023 governor's race, the office of then Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron ruled Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear's administration violated the Kentucky Open Records Act when denying part of a request from the Republican Party of Kentucky. Cameron later became the Republican nominee and was defeated by Beshear that fall.
