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Sen. David Yates launches campaign for Jefferson County clerk
Democratic state Sen. David Yates launched his 2026 campaign for Jefferson County clerk at the Roots 101 African American Museum on June 9.
Yates, who has represented District 37 since 2021 and currently serves as the state Senate minority whip, said he is running for the position because it presents an "opportunity to better serve my people and get them real, genuine results and propel Jefferson County to be a leader for the nation."
County clerks are responsible for overseeing elections and maintaining official records, among other responsibilities. The current Jefferson County clerk is Republican Bobbie Holsclaw, who first stepped into the local office in 1998.
In announcing his campaign, Yates said, "We want to make sure that we have the very best processes in place, best practices, so that we're not only leading for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, but for the nation."
Prior to serving in the Kentucky Senate, Yates held a seat on the Louisville Metro Council from 2010 through 2020. He is also a practicing attorney and maintains a law office in downtown Louisville.
Former Metro Council president and current Deputy Mayor David James spoke in support of Yates' campaign, calling him an "extremely compassionate person."
"David has led the Metro Council through a lot of hard times and times where he had to really work with others across the aisle, many times, in order to get things accomplished," James said.
Democrats currently hold a super minority in the state Senate, with six of the body's 38 seats.
When asked if it's been difficult to get legislation passed as a member of the minority party and whether that influenced his decision to run for county clerk, Yates said the office presents an opportunity to "have a very large and big impact on my hometown."
"I know that being part of a super minority is tough sometimes, but if you look at the record, I actually did get several bills passed, bipartisan bills and amendments to things over and over again, and I felt like I was being successful in leadership there," Yates said.
Yates isn't the only Democrat in the race.
Rosalind 'Roz' Welch, vice-chair of the Louisville Democratic Party, also recently announced her candidacy. A Louisville native, who lived in Lexington for several years before returning home, Welch said her background in guest services and customer relations, along with her ties to the local political scene, would give her the 'expertise' needed to succeed as county clerk.
Her priorities, she said, include improving communication with Jefferson County residents so they understand services provided by the county clerk, ensuring personal information is secure and opening a clerk's office closer to the Watterson Expressway corridor.
'The work that is happening in the clerk's office is monumental, and we need somebody in there that not only understands the work but understands the people and understands the guest-facing part of this work so that we can get the job done,' she said.
Reporter Lucas Aulbach contributed to this report. Reach reporter Hannah Pinski at hpinski@ or follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @hannahpinski.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky state Sen. David Yates to run for Jefferson County clerk
