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San Francisco Chronicle
4 days ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Rural Kentucky lawmaker announces switch to the GOP in the latest setback for Democrats
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A longtime state lawmaker announced Friday that she is switching parties, joining Republican supermajorities in the latest setback for Democrats trying to rebuild support across rural Kentucky. State Sen. Robin Webb, who represents a four-county swath of northeastern Kentucky, revealed she will join the ranks of GOP lawmakers who control the flow of legislation in the state. Webb was one of the last rural Democrats in Kentucky's legislature, and her defection leaves her ex-party more tethered to urban and suburban districts in a state with large stretches of rural territory controlled by the GOP. Webb said in a news release that she felt increasingly disconnected from the Democratic Party as it continued to '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." Kentucky Democratic Party Chair Colmon Elridge said in a release 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 U.S. 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 less 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. "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 in May, while other parts of the Bluegrass State were inundated by flooding in April.
4 days ago
- Politics
Rural Democratic lawmaker announces switch to the GOP in the latest setback for Kentucky Democrats
FRANKFORT, Ky. -- A longtime state lawmaker announced Friday that she is switching parties, joining Republican supermajorities in the latest setback for Democrats trying to rebuild support across rural Kentucky. State Sen. Robin Webb, who represents a four-county swath of northeastern Kentucky, revealed she will join the ranks of GOP lawmakers who control the flow of legislation in the state. Webb was one of the last rural Democrats in Kentucky's legislature, and her defection leaves her ex-party more tethered to urban and suburban districts in a state with large stretches of rural territory controlled by the GOP. Webb said in a prepared release that the state's Democratic Party has continued to 'lurch 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." Webb has compiled a resume deeply ingrained in Kentucky culture. She has ties to the coal industry and is a well-known gun enthusiast 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 for the first time in nearly a century. 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 in his first term 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. 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 in May, while other parts of the Bluegrass State were inundated by flooding in April.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Rural Democratic lawmaker announces switch to the GOP in the latest setback for Kentucky Democrats
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A longtime state lawmaker announced Friday that she is switching parties, joining Republican supermajorities in the latest setback for Democrats trying to rebuild support across rural Kentucky. State Sen. Robin Webb, who represents a four-county swath of northeastern Kentucky, revealed she will join the ranks of GOP lawmakers who control the flow of legislation in the state. Webb was one of the last rural Democrats in Kentucky's legislature, and her defection leaves her ex-party more tethered to urban and suburban districts in a state with large stretches of rural territory controlled by the GOP. Webb said in a prepared release that the state's Democratic Party has continued to 'lurch 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." Webb has compiled a resume deeply ingrained in Kentucky culture. She has ties to the coal industry and is a well-known gun enthusiast 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 for the first time in nearly a century. 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 in his first term 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. 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 in May, while other parts of the Bluegrass State were inundated by flooding in April.
Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Rural Democratic lawmaker announces switch to the GOP in the latest setback for Kentucky Democrats
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A longtime state lawmaker announced Friday that she is switching parties, joining Republican supermajorities in the latest setback for Democrats trying to rebuild support across rural Kentucky. State Sen. Robin Webb, who represents a four-county swath of northeastern Kentucky, revealed she will join the ranks of GOP lawmakers who control the flow of legislation in the state. Webb was one of the last rural Democrats in Kentucky's legislature, and her defection leaves her ex-party more tethered to urban and suburban districts in a state with large stretches of rural territory controlled by the GOP. Webb said in a prepared release that the state's Democratic Party has continued to 'lurch 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.' Webb has compiled a resume deeply ingrained in Kentucky culture. She has ties to the coal industry and is a well-known gun enthusiast 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 for the first time in nearly a century. 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 in his first term 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. 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 in May, while other parts of the Bluegrass State were inundated by flooding in April.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
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. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
