Rep. Stevenson hangs on by 35 votes in razor-thin House District win over Coleman
Rep. Cherlynn Stevenson, D-Lexington, survived again.
The Lexington Democrat held on by the skin of her teeth, just 35 votes, in a tightly-contested race against GOP challenger Jim Coleman. The final vote tally ended at 8,214 to 8,179.
Stevenson is declaring victory with the tight margin reported by Fayette and Scott County clerks. She also indicated that Coleman will ask for a recanvass.
“I’m thankful for the hard work of my volunteers and thankful for the trust the voters have in me. We know there will be a recanvass however both clerks took a long time to put out numbers and we feel confident in those numbers,” Stevenson said in a statement.
The campaign added that Republican House members have already called her to congratulate her.
Coleman has yet to respond to a request for comment.
The race between Stevenson and Coleman got heated near the end, with the Kentucky Democratic Party sending out mail pieces that claimed Coleman wanted more restrictions on abortion than he told the Herald-Leader he wanted, and the Republican Party of Kentucky attacking Stevenson over increased crime. Signs calling Stevenson a “liar,” without any ‘paid for’ signage attached, also started to pop up in the district, which Coleman said he knew nothing about.
Stevenson’s camp also sent out a mailer featuring Coleman’s donation to Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as another Democrat in Maryland. Coleman met Harris in college. Both tried to present themselves as moderates for their respective parties, running in a very politically ‘purple’ district that former GOP president Donald Trump won by five percentage points and Democrat Gov. Andy Beshear won by 15.
Coleman centered his pitch on inflation and crime, whereas Stevenson anchored her message on economic development and abortion. Stevenson, in particular, boasted an energetic ground game.
This story was originally published November 9, 2022 at 4:14 PM.
