Crusading conservative Stan Lee withdraws from bid for reelection to KY legislature
Conservative stalwart and longtime state Rep. Stan Lee, R-Lexington, withdrew from the 2020 election Friday, signaling the end of his tenure in Frankfort after nearly 20 years.
Lee’s withdrawal a week after the filing deadline comes as a surprise. In an email to the Herald-Leader, Lee said that over his 10 terms in office, he had “put politics and serving in the General Assembly ahead of everything, including at times, my family, my church, and my own health.”
“As a result, I had to make the difficult decision to not seek re-election this year,” Lee wrote. “It has been a great honor and privilege to serve the people of Fayette County. Their continued support over the years allowed me to fight for what I believed in, especially the Right to Life and Religious Liberty issues.”
Lee asked for forgiveness from any of his constituents who were disappointed in his decision to step aside and said he hoped he was able to make Kentucky a better place to live.
Lee narrowly won his 2018 reelection bid by just 539 votes against Lexington attorney Josh Hicks, who is now running for U.S. Congress against Rep. Andy Barr, R-Lexington.
“The caucus is deeply grateful for Stan’s 20 years of service to the commonwealth,” said Jason Nemes, who was the House Republican caucus’ recruitment chair. “He’s put in a bunch of time and effort and blood and sweat and he’s put the interests of his constituents above himself and we wish him the best as he returns to his private life.”
Republican Killian Timoney had filed to challenge Lee in a primary and now will be the Republican nominee in the district, which covers much of southern Fayette County. Timoney is the director of plant operations at Fayette County Public Schools.
In a Facebook post on January 14, Timoney said he taught and coached at Paul Laurence Dunbar School.
“I feel like every step in my life path has been in preparation for this endeavor,” Timoney said.
There are three Democrats vying for a chance to win the seat: Sean Pickard, Corey Nichols and Shirley Flynn Mitchell.
Lee, an attorney, often fought to restrict abortion rights in the legislature. He was Minority Whip from 2006 to 2008 and Minority Caucus Chair in 2015 and 2016.
Herald-Leader reporter Jack Brammer contributed reporting.
This story was originally published January 17, 2020 at 2:49 PM.
