Louisville Democrats unseat Rep. Daniel Grossberg after misconduct controversies
Louisville Democrats unseated state Rep. Daniel Grossberg on Tuesday after nearly two years of scrutiny for allegations of ethical misconduct and inappropriate behavior toward women.
In the Democratic primary for House District 30, voters favored Mitra Subedi, a high school teacher in the Jefferson County Public Schools. Subedi ran for the seat in 2024 and lost to Grossberg by just 50 votes.
As an immigrant born in Bhutan who later settled in a Nepali refugee camp, Subedi said he ran because he wanted to give back to the country that has been “so good” to him and his family. He was endorsed by former state Rep. Tom Burch, D-Louisville, who held the 30th District seat for nearly half a century.
Subedi got 45% of the primary vote. Coming in second behind Subedi was Cassie Lyles, a civics teacher at Fairdale High School, with 32%.
Grossberg came in third place, garnering 23% of the primary electorate.
There is no Republican candidate in the district for the Nov. 3 general election.
The Herald-Leader has published many stories over the past two years based on interviews with women in and around Kentucky politics about their experiences with Grossberg.
Those accounts include messages he sent that made multiple women uncomfortable, invasive questioning about one woman’s body and sexuality in Grossberg’s legislative office, and an alleged assault that earned Grossberg a lifetime ban from a Louisville strip club.
Earlier this month, the Herald-Leader reported that a former college classmate of Grossberg’s alleges he assaulted her during her first semester when he was a 26-year-old senior more than two decades ago.
A fourth candidate in the District 30 Democratic primary, Max Morley, dropped out less than a week before the election after he was caught on video removing campaign material from a mailbox while campaigning.
In a statement posted to Facebook, Subedi thanked his supporters.
“This victory would not have been possible without the love, encouragement, and support of our amazing community. We are truly grateful to each and every one of you for believing in us and being part of this historic journey!” he wrote.
There were some celebrations Tuesday night when news broke of Grossberg’s defeat.
“Well done HD 30!” Kentucky Democratic Party chairman Colmon Elridge wrote on X in a post that referred to “Former State ‘Representative’ Daniel Grossberg.”
Three of the women who came forward with allegations against Grossberg — Emma Curtis, Sarah Ritter and Allison Wiseman — said in a statement that “we hope tonight allows the people directly harmed by Daniel Grossberg finally to exhale.”
“We know that an election outcome cannot erase the harm, fear or pain that so many people have carried,” they wrote. “But tonight’s result sends a message: the 30th District was listening.”
Explaining Grossberg controversies
The Herald-Leader began reporting on Grossberg allegations in July 2024 when multiple sources confirmed he was being investigated by the Legislative Research Commission. Former House Democratic Leadership then requested an investigation by the Legislative Ethics Commission.
The Herald-Leader reported additional allegations against Grossberg in August 2024 when three women came forward alleging harassment, including that he sent unwanted, sexually explicit text messages and asked invasive questions about their personal lives.
In September 2024, the Herald-Leader reported Foxys Gentlemens Club in Louisville had permanently banned Grossberg after two incidents involving inappropriate touching of a dancer and solicitation of sex from another.
The Legislative Ethics Commission’s investigation into Grossberg ended in February with a settlement and a $2,000 fine. In signing the settlement, Grossberg agreed there was probable cause that he violated the ethics code in two ways.
One way was intimidation of a Louisville strip club, where the order states that Grossberg denies it, “but stipulates there may be sufficient evidence to find a statutory violation.”
The other one was for 2023 conduct toward Curtis, now a Lexington city councilwoman, who described the behavior as sexual harassment. The agreement stated that Grossberg “may have violated” the ethics code and laws around legislators’ standards of conduct, and noted that Grossberg “is actively engaged in counseling, therapy and skills training to ensure his behavior is not repeated.”
Despite getting expelled from the House Democratic Caucus and facing public scrutiny and pressure from high-profile Democrats to resign, including by Gov. Andy Beshear and U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey, Grossberg has refused to resign and consistently denied the allegations.
Earlier this month, the Herald-Leader reported that Christina Ross, a former college classmate of Grossberg’s at Grinnell College in Iowa, alleged that he assaulted her during her first semester in 2005. Ross, an 18-year-old freshman at the time, said she denied Grossberg’s requests for sex and attempted to leave; Grossberg then grabbed her arm in anger and tried to prevent her from leaving, she said. Ross filed a police report after the incident, but did not pursue charges.
This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 10:12 PM.
