Shepherd holds strong against GOP-backed effort to unseat longtime Franklin Circuit Judge
A local judge race became a proxy war for partisan forces, and the candidate backed by many Republicans lost soundly.
Franklin Circuit Chief Judge Phillip Shepherd coasted to another eight years on the bench, beating challenger Joe Bilby by 26 percentage points, 11,079 to 6,616 according to results posted by the Frankfort Plant Board.
The Franklin Circuit Judge seat is one of the most important judicial positions in the state given that it often reviews litigation involving legislation and other state government matters.
An out-of-state conservative PAC poured hundreds of thousands of dollars to try and unseat Shepherd. Those groups backed Bilby, a top attorney for Republican Commissioner of Agriculture who identified himself as a “constitutional conservative,” and in-state donors have also spent even more in support of Shepherd. In recent years, Republicans like former governor Matt Bevin have launched attacks against Shepherd over rulings related
The race got nasty, with attacks on both candidates flooding the airwaves in the lead-up to election day. One conservative super PAC hammered Shepherd particularly hard on the perceived mishandling of a child sex offender case. A video ad to that effect was mass texted to Franklin County voters as many as four times. A chunk of local politicians, including the commonwealth’s attorney, forcefully came to Shepherd’s defense.
Shepherd provided a brief statement on the win, expressing gratitude.
“I’m grateful for the outpouring of support in my community and look forward to the opportunity to continue to serve,” Shepherd said.
Bilby congratulated Shepherd on a “hard-fought victory.”
This story was originally published November 8, 2022 at 8:54 PM.
