2022 Kentucky State House Races Update

As the GOP-led General Assembly starts the process of redrawing legislative lines candidates are getting their paperwork in order to run for state House races next year.

Here’s an updated list for October of those who have filed letters of intent to raise cash for the 2022 contests with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance. 

• 2nd Dist. – Republican Kimberly Holloway, of Mayfield, has filed to challenge Republican Rep. Richard Heath, of Mayfield. Heath, who has held the seat since 2012 is trying to run for re-election to his seat in 2022, and then roll into a statewide race for Agriculture Commissioner in 2023. The district includes all of Graves and part of McCracken Co.

• 24th Dist. – Two Democrats, Katy Cecil, of Hodgenville, and Jeremy Pruitt, of Buffalo, have filed paperwork with the Registry of Election Finance to raise money for the Democratic nomination. Incumbent Republican Rep. Brandon Reed, of Hodgenville, has held the seat since winning the election in 2017. Cecil is an English Teacher and Drama Director at Larue Co. High School. The district includes all of LaRue, Green, and Marion Co.

• 36th Dist. – Another Republican is entering the fray for the partial Jefferson Co. seat. David Howser, of Louisville, will seek to earn his party’s nomination against John Hodgson, who served in the administration of former Gov. Matt Bevin as an operations manager. Howser serves as a legislative agent for the Kentucky Association of Fire Chiefs. Democratic activist, author, and minister Derek Penwell has also filed to raise money for this race.

• 55th Dist. – Republican Tony Wheatley, one of the signers of a petition seeking Gov. Beshear’s impeachment will now challenge GOP incumbent Rep. Kim King, of Harrodsburg, for her House seat. Wheatley was accused by Gov. Besher of being the person who organized a rally in front of the Capitol in which Beshear was hung in effigy, and ignored barricades in front of the Governor’s Mansion coming to the glass where the governor says his kids play. The district includes part of Jessamine, all of Mercer, and Washington Counties.

• 61st Dist. – Debby Angel, of Corinth, in Grant Co., has filed as a Democratic challenger to incumbent state Rep. Savannah Maddox, R-Dry Ridge, who is also a potential gubernatorial candidate in 2023. Angel previously challenged Maddox in 2020 as a write-in candidate, she only garnered 279 votes in that election. The district represents Kentuckians in part of Boone, all of Grant, part of Kenton, and part of Scott Co.

• 75th Dist. – An Emerge Kentucky graduate, Lindsey Burke, has filed to replace incumbent Democratic Rep. Kelly Flood in this downtown Lexington district. Flood announced she would not seek another term in the legislature last month. Burke is an attorney with Micah Legal, a non-profit law office she founded in 2017.

• 81st Dist. – Democratic candidate Martina Jackson-Haynes, of Richmond, will seek to unseat Rep. Deanna Fraizer, R-Richmond. Jackson-Haynes narrowly lost the Democratic nomination contest to run in the 2020 General Election to Mike Eaves, who lost to Fraizer.

Here’s a look at who previously filed paperwork to raise money to challenge for seats as Kentucky Fried Politics first reported at the beginning of August.

• 18^th Dist. – Jacob Clark, 39 of Leitchfield, has filed as a Republican for a rematch after getting demolished in the 2020 General Election against incumbent Rep. Samara Heavrin, R-Leitchfield. Clark ran in 2020 as a Libertarian garnering just 17 percent of the vote. Clark is running as a “true Constitutional conservative, according to his campaign website.”
• 33^rd District – Democrats are excited for former civil engineer Kate Turner to challenge Rep. Jason Nemes, R-Louisville, in this targeted House District. There will be a geographic component to this race as Turner lives in the Oldham County portion of the district if the district remains the same through redistricting. Turner’s family has deep ties to the Louisville area, living in the Pee Wee Valley since the 1800s. Democrats have targeted Nemes in successive campaigns, but have been unsuccessful in giving the Republican the ouster despite the district being seen as a swing seat. 
• 36^th Dist – A Republican and a Democrat have filed their letters of intent to run in this eastern Jefferson County open seat currently held by Republican Rep. Jerry Miller who will not seek another term in office. Currently, Republican John Hodgson has filed for the seat. Hodgson served in the Bevin administration as an operations manager. He has been busy securing GOP endorsements. Activist, author, and minister Derek Penwell, D-Louisville, is seeking to make this a contest Penwell is another candidate Democrats are excited to see file for elected office. His Christian faith and support for the LGBTQ community offer an interesting counter to the religious right who often campaign on Christian values. 
• 41^st Dist. – Another open seat was created when Rep. Attica Scott, D-Louisville, opted to challenge U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth for his Congressional seat. The 41^st District is a heavily Democratic district, so far only Darryl Young of Louisville has filed his intent for the Democratic primary. Young ran in the Democratic primary for the Louisville Metro Council 4^th District in 2020. He currently serves as the executive director of the Coalition Supporting Young Adults. Young previously worked as the programming manager at the Muhammad Ali Center. 
• 56^th Dist. – Democrats are trying to take back this district which currently includes Woodford Co. and part of Fayette and Franklin County. The Democratic Mayor of Midway Grayson Vandegrift will seek to replace Rep. Daniel Fister, R-Versailles. 
• 57^th Dist. – Frankfort Republican Gary Stratton has his sights on this long-held Democratic seat. Stratton is an associate professor of economics and finance at Kentucky State University in the Capital city of Frankfort. Stratton challenged House Minority Caucus Chair Rep. Derrick Graham, D-Frankfort, for the seat in 2020 losing handily. Graham has held this seat since 2003 and has every intention of running for another term. 
• 62^nd Dist.– Lexington Democrat Michael Robinson will try and face-off against Republican Rep. Phillip Pratt of Georgetown in the 2022 General Election. Robinson is a minister at Total Grace Church in Lexington and specializes in Black Conscious Christianity. The 62^nd District includes part of Fayette, part of Scott, and all of Owen County. 
• 79^th Dist. – Democratic Incumbent Rep. Susan Westrom of Lexington has drawn a challenger to her left-flank. If Westrom, who has represented the partial Fayette County district since 1998, runs in 2022 she will face Justin Bramhall, an LGBTQ candidate, who previously filed in 2020. Bramhall withdrew from the primary in 2020, saying he thought Westrom would retire after her decades of service.
• 95^th Dist. – Prestonsburg Republican David Pennington has filed for the far-eastern Kentucky House seat currently held by Rep. Ashley Tackett Lafferty, who has held the seat since 2018.