Who’s running, who’s not: With KY gov race over, ’24 candidates start their announcements
With the much-discussed Kentucky governor’s race between Gov. Andy Beshear and Attorney General Daniel Cameron now in the rear-view mirror, candidates hoping to win office in 2024 are beginning to make their moves.
Dozens of candidates have filed with the Secretary of State’s office to run for the Kentucky House of Representatives and state Senate.
The filing deadline for 2024 races in Jan. 5, 2024.
Additional candidates have announced their intentions to run or filed with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance, but not yet filed official paperwork with Secretary of State Michael Adams’ office.
In 2024, odd-numbered senate districts are up for election, which means 19 of the chamber’s 38 seats are up for grabs, and the other 19 aren’t on the ballot again until 2026.
State senators serve four-year terms, and state representatives serve two-year terms.
Republicans enter the 2024 General Assembly with veto-proof majorities. The GOP holds 80 of 100 seats in the House, and 31 of 38 seats in the Senate.
Kentucky Senate races
Two Republican senators — District 3’s Whitney Westerfield of Fruit Hill and District 11’s John Schickel of Union — have announced they will not be seeking re-election next year.
Westerfield announced his decision at the close of the 2023 General Assembly, while Schickel shared his news in November.
“I have always thought citizen legislators should not make a career out of their service because I strongly believe in the founding principles of a government of the people and by the people,” Schickel said in the written announcement. “For that reason, I will not seek re-election in the coming year.”
No candidate has yet filed for Schickel’s Northern Kentucky seat. In Westerfield’s West Kentucky district, Hopkinsville attorney Craig Richardson has filed to run as a Republican.
Additionally, Louisville Democrat Denise Harper Angel announced she will not run for re-election in District 35, a seat she’s held since 2005. In a statement, Harper Angel said it’s “time for a new chapter, focusing on my personal life and creating cherished memories with my family.”
Another notable announcement: District 33’s Minority Floor Leader Gerald Neal, D-Louisville, is seeking another term, though he has not yet filed with the Secretary of State’s office. Neal has served in the Kentucky Senate since 1989.
“We will continue to protect public education, make even larger investments in healthcare, grow our economy and do the deep, generational work to make the American Dream real for each and every one of us,” Neal said in a statement Tuesday.
Additionally, District 13’s Minority Caucus Chair Reggie Thomas, D-Lexington, has filed for re-election.
As of Dec. 4, five incumbents have filed for re-election: Thomas, District 5’s Stephen Meredith, R-Leitchfield; District 15’s Rick Girdler, R-Somerset; District 21’s Brandon Storm, R-London; and District 29’s Johnnie Turner, R-Harlan.
Turner has picked up a primary challenger in Prestonsburg Mayor Les Stapleton.
Kentucky House of Representatives races
In the House, 31 incumbents have formally filed for re-election as of Dec. 5.
House District 88 — which includes part of Fayette and Scott counties — has picked up a Republican candidate in Vanessa Grossl, who currently works for a software company and runs a small business, Grossl Aviation, with her husband.
That seat is currently held by Rep. Cherlynn Stevenson, D-Lexington, the minority caucus chair. Stevenson narrowly held on to her seat in 2022 after beating Republican challenger Jim Coleman by just 37 votes. The margin of victory was so close it triggered an automatic recount under state law.
Three representatives have announced they’re not seeking another term: District 98’s Danny Bentley, R-Russell; District 41’s Josie Raymond, D-Louisville; and District 29’s Kevin Bratcher, R-Louisville.
Bentley said in a news release his retirement is to spend more time with his family and tackle “new challenges for our region.”
Bratcher and Raymond, however, have both announced they intend to run for seats on Louisville’s Metro Council.
Bratcher will seek the District 22 seat held by Councilman Robin Engel, who is not seeking re-election, and Raymond is running for the District 10 spot being vacated by Councilman Pat Mulvihill, who is not seeking another term.
Raymond said in an announcement that after “years on the defense, I’m ready to play offense.”
“Help is not coming immediately from the state when it comes to crucial Louisville issues like gun violence and housing-first solutions to homelessness,” she said. “My hometown must continue to lead to become the thriving, inclusive city we all know it can be.”
A familiar name has already filed to run for Raymond’s House seat: former state representative Mary Lou Marzian. After the latest round of redistricting, Raymond and Marzian were drawn into the same district, and Marzian bowed out rather than “play (the GOP’s) sadistic and misogynist game of pitting Democratic women against each other.”
This story will be periodically updated as additional candidates file.
This story was originally published November 17, 2023 at 12:00 PM.
