Herald-Leader endorsement: In the House 88th District, the best choice is an easy one
In five years in office, Rep. Cherlynn Stevenson has risen to a strong leadership position within the General Assembly’s small Democratic minority.
She has stood out with bipartisan work on bills that legalized both medical cannabis and legalized gaming, two issues that will help multitudes of Kentuckians. She worked with Republicans to create a suicide prevention program for veterans and coverage for breast exams, while also speaking out against Republican plans to divert public dollars to private schools with Amendment 2.
But she is also willing to take on problems within her own party, such as her call for the embattled Rep. Daniel Grossberg, D-Louisville, ensnared in an ethics case, to resign.
Kentucky needs more elected officials like Stevenson, someone who speaks for Kentucky’s most vulnerable while also finding ways to work across the political aisle. She will continue to support Gov. Andy’s Beshear’s campaign to fund early childhood education and support Kentucky’s beleaguered and underpaid teachers.
Stevenson also will advocate for adding exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother into Kentucky’s draconian abortion laws. Since that law passed in 2022, we have heard about numerous instances of women being harmed by our laws, mostly in trying to access reproductive care after pregnancy loss. Women should not face life or death situations in the aftermath of a miscarriage because doctors and lawyers are afraid zealous politicians will prosecute them.
Her challenger, Vanessa Rossl, is an intriguing candidate, a former educator who would like to be a more liberal voice on the Republican side of the aisle. She has been endorsed by the Forward Party founded by former presidential candidate Andrew Yang.
She, too, supports abortion law exceptions, as well as early childhood education and improving classroom outcomes. However, her claims to be the education candidate are undercut by her unwillingness to express any opinions on Amendment 2 to the Herald-Leader.
We appreciate any candidates who work to close our more bitter political divides.
But Stevenson’s track record of common sense legislation, her passion for regular Kentuckians, her deep understanding of the issues and how to get things done in Frankfort make her the easy choice for another term.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWhy we endorse
Newspapers have a long history of political endorsements that give voters more insight into candidates before casting their ballots. Read more about why the Herald-Leader values this process before elections.
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The Herald-Leader believes the tradition of candidate endorsements enhances interest and participation in the civic process, whether readers agree with the newspaper’s recommendations or not. The paper has unusual access to candidates and their backgrounds, and considers part of its responsibility to help citizens sort through campaign issues and rhetoric.
An endorsement represents the consensus of the editorial board. The decisions have no connection to the news coverage of political races and is wholly separate from journalists who cover those races.
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This story was originally published October 22, 2024 at 11:59 AM.