Former Miss America Heather French Henry running for Kentucky secretary of state
Former Miss America Heather French Henry wants to be Kentucky’s next secretary of state.
Henry, a Maysville native who has been rumored for years to be a possible political candidate, will officially file for the constitutional office Friday at 10 a.m. in the secretary of state’s office in the Capitol. Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes cannot run again because of term limits.
A spokesman for Henry, Bob Silverthorn, confirmed Friday’s filing.
Henry, 44, notified the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance Tuesday that she intends to begin raising money to run this year for secretary of state as a Democrat, said John Steffen, the registry’s executive director.
Henry has worked for the state Department of Veterans Affairs since July 1, 2014. She now is deputy commissioner of the department, and is known as a strong advocate for veterans. Her father was a wounded veteran of the Vietnam War.
Department of Veterans spokeswoman Lisa Ault said Henry’s last day at the department will be Friday.
Henry won the 2000 Miss America pageant. During her reign, she spoke often of raising awareness of homeless veterans.
Henry married former Kentucky Lt. Gov. Steve Henry on Oct. 27, 2000, in Louisville. They have two daughters.
Raised in Augusta in Bracken County, Henry graduated from the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning. She has worked as a fashion designer.
So far, four people have filed to run for secretary of state this year. They are Democrat Jason Griffith of Whitesburg, and Republicans Michael G. Adams of Jefferson County, Andrew English of Crestwood and Carl “Trump” Nett of Louisville. The filing deadline is 4 p.m. Jan. 29.
The secretary of state files and maintains legislation passed by the Kentucky General Assembly and executive orders of the governor, maintains business records and heads the State Board of Elections. The job pays $124,113 a year.
This story was originally published January 23, 2019 at 3:12 PM.