Backroom competition emerges in House Democratic seat left vacant after Swann’s passing
The race to replace the late representative Lamin Swann is going to be contested — both behind closed doors among Democrats and in a general election this year.
Emma Curtis officially launched her bid to become the Democratic nominee for House District 93 in South Lexington, left vacant by Swann after he suffered a stroke and died in May, but other Democrats are also vying for the seat.
Adrielle Camuel, an adminstrative assistant at Fayette County Public Schools, confirmed to the Herald-Leader that she is seeking the Democratic nomination in that district. Chris Couch, a former candidate for Lexington’s House District 75, told the Herald-Leader that he has applied as well.
Unlike Curtis, Camuel and Couch have yet to file statements of spending intent for the seat or raise money to pursue the seat.
Curtis, a 26 year-old activist who was one of the leading protesters against the GOP-led Senate Bill 150, would be Kentucky’s first transgender state legislator if selected by her party and eventually elected.
She also has the backing of Swann’s mother, Pam Dixon, and Swann’s campaign team. In a joint statement shared by Curtis’ campaign, the group urged the Democratic nominating committee to support Curtis.
“(We) know without any doubt whatsoever that (Swann) would want his work in life and in office to go forth with people that are not only genuine, good, passionate, loyal, trustworthy, honest, compassionate, fearless, strong, highly intelligent, and brave—but also people who believe in TOTAL equality for ALL people in Kentucky and beyond,” the group wrote in a statement. “One of those people is Emma.”
Meanwhile, area Republicans have settled on Kyle Whalen, a construction entrepreneur who ran and lost by about eight percentage points against Swann. Whalen officially filed to run again earlier this month. In 2022, Whalen ran on a platform focusing on limited government and raising Kentucky’s workforce participation rate, among other things.
A release from the Curtis campaign also touted the endorsements of three different Louisville Democratic representatives in Lisa Willner, Nima Kulkarni and Daniel Grossberg.
The Democratic nominating committee is set to interview all candidates for the seat on Thursday and will make a selection that night.
Curtis’ campaign also went on the offense against its potential Democratic opponent.
The nominating committee is comprised of members of each Democratic Precinct Committee in the district, and, according to Curtis campaign spokesperson Rebecca Blankenship, Camuel is a member of that committee. Blankenship called on Camuel to recuse from the vote.
“The Democratic Party is constantly accused of corruption and of unfairly opposing minority candidates. When members of the Party engage in blatant self-dealing, these accusations are given credence. Our opponent, who is a member of the nominating committee, must recuse herself from the voting on a nominee to preserve the integrity of the elections process,” Blankenship said.
Camuel was unavailable for a full interview about her candidacy on Wednesday.
Couch was arrested on a fourth degree domestic violence charge during his 2022 campaign for House District 75, but that charge was later dropped down to misdemeanor harassment.
“I have no worries that the case, which is well behind me now, will influence the voters of the 93rd. So many people struggle with mental health issues, so I hope my experience can shed some light on the topic and help end the stigma around getting the help you need — especially before it’s too late,” Couch said.
Couch said he would focus a potential campaign on a litany of issues like school safety as well as healthcare and higher education affordability. He also mentioned bread-and-butter progressive priorities like raising the state’s minimum wage, protecting LGBTQ rights and expanding access to abortion.
“Young people should be free to pursue higher education without being haunted by student loan debt for the rest of their lives, and everyone should have the freedom of bodily autonomy, in whatever way that manifests... I’d like to see more funding for public education and public health. Kentucky is facing a shortage in both of those spheres, and we’ve got to do something to stop the bleed and attract new talent,” Couch said.
House District 93 is a rare Democratic stronghold on a state House map that most recently produced an 80-20 majority for the GOP. In 2020, the district swung for Democratic President Joe Biden by 17 points over former GOP president Donald Trump, according to election website CNAlysis.
