Judge nixes Democrat in ‘purple’ Lexington district from ballot for filing error
A Democratic candidate running in one of Kentucky’s most contested state House seats has been disqualified from the ballot by a judge due to a paperwork error.
Alisha Chaffin, candidate for the 88th House District currently held by Rep. Vanessa Grossl, R-Georgetown, was disqualified as the Democratic nominee for the seat after a judge sided with two voters who challenged her filing paperwork.
Scott Circuit Court Judge Jeremy Mattox ruled that Chaffin must be disqualified from the ballot because one of the two required co-signers of her filing papers was not a Democrat at the time they signed. That voter was instead registered as “Other,” and not technically a registered Democrat.
Mattox wrote that the legal requirement was “plain and unambiguous.”
“The requirement is clear: a notification and declaration ‘shall be signed by the candidate and by not less than two registered voters of the same party from the district or jurisdiction from which the candidate seeks nomination,’” Mattox wrote.
This might sound familiar to Kentucky Democrats.
In 2024, Rep. Nima Kulkarni, D-Louisville, came across the same issue. However, in that race no Republican filed for office and Kulkarni beat her primary opponent, so Secretary of State Michael Adams declared a vacancy. Then, each party was allowed to nominate someone; Kulkarni was nominated and won the November election unopposed.
Chaffin’s attorney, Anna Whites, argued that the voter who was registered “Other” believed she was a Democrat at the time of her signing and later corrected her registration. She also argued that since Chaffin was unopposed in the primary race, the same strict rules that were applied to Kulkarni should not apply in this case.
Mattox ultimately disagreed.
“Respondent Chaffin tries to distinguish Kulkarni by pointing out that it featured a race with multiple candidates, and so it ‘wasn’t a surety [Kulkarni] would win.’ She argues that an unopposed primary candidate should be treated differently than an opposed one. The Court rejects this distinction. Although Respondent Chaffin filed near the deadline (about a month before), it was quite possible for a second candidate to file as well,” Mattox wrote.
Whites told the Herald-Leader that Chaffin plans to appeal Mattox’s ruling to a higher court, continuing their argument that Chaffin’s situation is fundamentally different than Kulkarni’s.
The disqualification is a major win for Grossl and loss for Democrats, who hold only 20 seats in the 100-member House. House District 88 is seen as one of relatively few competitive state House districts — most in the state have safely trended towards Republicans in recent cycles, and most Democratic districts are in deep blue areas of Louisville or Lexington.
Grossl gained her seat in 2024, when she beat former state Rep. Cherlynn Stevenson, now a Democratic candidate for U.S. Congress. Stevenson had withstood several tough general election challenges before falling to Grossl.
Chaffin was seen as a solid candidate for Democrats. Her professional resume includes management of the family office of Charles and Merryl Zegar. Charles Zegar is a billionaire philanthropist and cofounder of Bloomberg L.P.
Grossl has set herself apart from her Republican peers with her moderation on certain issues like abortion rights.
She recently spoke at an abortion rights rally hosted by Planned Parenthood, which roiled social conservative groups like the Family Foundation.
