Cherlynn Stevenson: I’m the KY-6 Democrat who already flipped a district blue
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Democrat Cherlynn Stevenson is running in the May 19 primary for Kentucky’s 6th District.
- Stevenson identifies as the “mountain Democrat,” originally from Hindman in Knott County.
- She says her working-class roots and experience in past campaigns gives her an edge.
Former state Rep. Cherlynn Stevenson has carved out her lane in the crowded May 19 Democratic primary for Central Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District.
Stevenson says she’s the “mountain Democrat” — born and raised in the tiny Knott County seat of Hindman, 130 miles southeast of Lexington, and a graduate of that region’s Morehead State University.
And in her state legislative races, she says, she proved she can flip a legislative district from red to blue.
She says she can talk to working-class voters in the 6th District, which includes a large rural swath around metro Lexington, because she’s one of them. She worries about the same things they do. For example, she and her husband nearly went broke from medical bills not that many years ago during a gap in insurance coverage.
And her Eastern Kentucky drawl rings true to folks.
“We go to places like Powell County and Estill County, and they say, ‘I love that! You sound like us. All the rest of them sound like NBC correspondents,’” Stevenson said.
“My mom was a teacher. My dad was a coal miner,” she added. “I am the only person in this race that hasn’t been able to write themselves a big ol’ check or been given fundraisers by a billionaire.”
Not that she’s a political amateur or financially embarrassed.
Stevenson spent six years in the Kentucky legislature representing Lexington’s 88th House District, including a stint as House minority caucus chairwoman. She has political allies in Frankfort and around the state, including Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, now running for governor in 2027, and former Gov. Paul Patton.
And she had raised more campaign cash as of March 31 — $571,010 — than any Democrat in her current race, other than former federal prosecutor Zach Dembo, who collected $835,542.
But that doesn’t undermine her role as the underdog, she says.
“This election is not going to be about red versus blue,” she said. “It’s going to be about billionaires versus you, and I think that that’s a message that transcends party lines.”
Stevenson on the issues:
- Affordability: “What I am hearing the most (is) the cost of groceries, the cost of gas and the cost of utilities, and as it relates to that, wages — how wages have stayed stagnant while everything from housing to hamburger has gotten more expensive.” Congress must repeal President Donald Trump’s tariffs on imported goods to lower costs, she says.
- Healthcare: Trump’s 2025 tax bill will cut an estimated $1 trillion in spending from Medicaid, the federal health insurance program for the poor and disabled. More than one-fourth of the people living in the 6th District use Medicaid. In coming years, Stevenson says, families will lose their health coverage and hospitals, clinics and nursing homes will close unless Congress reverses those cuts.
- Stand up to corruption: “I believe that a lot of things that have been happening under this administration need to be investigated,” she said. “Congress right now is just rolling over for them. Congress is a co-equal branch of government, and they are not acting like it. So I look forward to being part of a group of people that are ready to stand up and hold this administration accountable for the wrongs they are doing. They are more interested in bending over backwards to enrich themselves, their donors and their billionaire friends than in serving the American people.”
- Education: Stevenson says she wants the U.S. Department of Education — gutted by Trump — to be rebuilt, to help local schools with their mission. In the state legislature, she championed Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s effort to establish pre-K for 4-year-olds in Kentucky, but the Republican super-majorities dismissed it. She would like to see universal pre-K organized on the national level.
- Women’s rights: “I would love to restore a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions. I would love to see us codify Roe (vs. Wade),” the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion, struck down in 2022. “I want equal pay for equal work for women. I want working families to be able to have better tomorrows than they have todays.”
Who is supporting Stevenson’s bid?
Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, former Gov. Paul Patton, former state Auditor Crit Luallen, EMILYs List (PAC that helps elect Democratic women in favor of abortion access), Moms Demand Action (gun control organization), Kentucky State AFL-CIO, Teamsters Local 651
Why Stevenson says she’s the best Democrat to flip the 6th District blue:
Given that most of her opponents never have won elected office, Stevenson cites her several successful campaigns to represent the 88th Kentucky House District, which covers northern Fayette County and a wedge of suburban Scott County. She lost in 2024 to Republican Vanessa Grossl by 125 votes out of 23,319 cast.
“I’m the only candidate in this race that has experience flipping a district from red to blue,” she said. “In 2018, I flipped the 88th District, which had never been held by a Democrat or a woman, and I did it by 48 votes. Then I was very highly targeted in redistricting, and I was able to hold on by 37 votes.”
“So I know how to win tough elections against Republicans. When you look at the old 88th (House District), it is very, very similar to the 6th (Congressional District). I have been building a coalition since 2018 for all of my races. I believe that we absolutely have the best infrastructure to move forward in the fall.”
Name: Cherlynn Stevenson
Age: 49
City of residence: Lexington
Previous politics/government experience: Kentucky state representative, 2019-24
Professional background: Event producing, fundraising for nonprofit community organizations
Learn more: Elect Cherlynn Stevenson for Congress. Also find her on Facebook, Bluesky and Instagram.
