Unendorsed candidate responses

My focus: improving lives of constituents

For the fifth consecutive election cycle, the Herald-Leader has endorsed my General Election opponent and continued to ignore my work, even refusing to publish my op-eds on tax cuts and the 21st Century Cures Act, two of the most significant pieces of legislation enacted in a generation.

Despite the critics, this has been a highly productive term of Congress, and we are getting results.

Because of historic tax cuts, deregulation and bipartisan reforms I’ve led to increase Kentuckians’ access to the financial system, our economy is booming and Americans are seeing more jobs, bigger paychecks and restored confidence.

Because of the 21st Century Cures Act, record funding for medical research and the largest investment to combat a drug crisis, including enactment of my legislation to increase funding for law enforcement, transitional housing and job training for addiction recovery, our communities are safer and healthier.

Because we’re rebuilding our military, gave our troops the largest pay raise in a decade and enacted major VA reform, and because of my bill — the toughest economic sanctions ever directed at North Korea, America is safer and stronger.

And because my office has handled more than 10,000 constituent cases, implemented a successful accessibility initiative with office hours in each county, and secured Kentucky’s first National Monument at Camp Nelson, we are better serving Kentuckians.

As a sixth-generation Central Kentuckian, it’s an honor to represent the hardworking people of the 6th District. More work remains, but while others offer rhetoric, we’re getting results.

Platform based on prosperity, respect

My name is Rikka Wallin and I decided to run for Congress as an Independent when it became clear to me that no candidate was running on a platform of peace, prosperity and respect for all of the residents of Kentucky’s 6th District. Some of my goals include:

▪ Getting corporate money out of politics.

▪ Ending the military industrial complex’s stranglehold on our economy by ending our involvement in the wars and conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Syria, Pakistan, Somalia, Israel and Libya plus closing at least half of our military bases.

▪ Enacting universal single-payer health care for all.

▪ Raising the minimum wage to a living wage starting with an immediate increase to $15 an hour on the federal level.

▪ Providing an affordable secondary education by making college and vocational-tech free.

▪ Legalizing all forms of cannabis (medicinal, industrial and recreational) will create jobs for farmers, producers, distributors and everything in between.

▪ Granting DACA recipients and their families citizenship.

▪ Passing and enforcing stricter environmental laws because we all deserve clean air and clean water. Coal jobs are practically nonexistent so let’s create new jobs by giving incentives to green energy businesses that use wind and solar.

▪ Making sure our LGBTQ residents are fully protected from being discriminated against in any way. Nobody should be erased by our own government!

If we provide people with the tools for a better life, great things will happen. I would appreciate your vote on Nov. 6.

Records of service, leadership superior

I challenge the readers of this paper to think for themselves. I have been endorsed by every major group in this race. That is unprecedented.

Why do the people of Lexington support a Bastin administration? Leadership. Equality. Safety. Fiscal responsibility. Putting people above politics.

I challenge voters to compare records on equality. I led minority police recruitment efforts so our force would look more like our city.

Linda Gorton voted to fire an African-American who worked under her so his racial discrimination grievance would disappear. That cost the city $250,000 in a federal discrimination settlement.

I challenge voters to compare records on fiscal responsibility. While I was in charge of over half of the city’s budget, I delivered and returned money back to city coffers. Gorton has kicked the can down the road on pensions, infrastructure and a new city hall. All of which have cost the city millions.

I challenge voters to compare records on leadership. I have run city departments of over 1,700 people. Gorton has been a part-time politician. The buck has never had to stop with her.

I also challenge the paper to recall its own reporting from 2003 when Gorton accepted funds from private citizens to wage her misguided and irresponsible coup to condemn the water company.

I hope voters will place more value in the endorsements of the people on the front line of Lexington — city employees, educators and first responders — more than a newspaper with selective memory. I ask for your vote Nov. 6.