Building a Brighter Future Together: Shauna Rudd’s Campaign for the Sixth District of Kentucky

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By Ülvi Gitaliyev and Ameer Abedy

Andy Barr (R), is running for his 7th term in Kentucky’s Sixth Congressional District. Representative Barr is known for his staunch conservatism, support of former president Donald J. Trump and conservative voting patterns such as voting in favour of military aid for Israel at every opportunity.

Although the Sixth District used to be very competitive, most political pundits now have the seat as solidly Republican. While Barr is unopposed in the Republican Primary, there will be at least five Democratic candidates on the primary ballot. Shauna Rudd is one of those candidates. As a social worker, Shauna has had worked in all parts of the Sixth district, ranging from Madison to Montgomery County and beyond. The Berea Torch had a chance to interview Shauna and why she is running this year.

“If it wasn’t for Palestine, I would not be running right now”

Shauna Rudd

What sets Shauna out from other candidates is her prolific use of TikTok. Shauna4Congress posts about Andy Barr, Kentucky politics and mental health issues on a weekly basis. Shauna stated that she believes that the military industrial complex has too much influence in U.S. politics, and that Andy Barr is just one example of this issue. She said that while social services such as childcare struggled to get funding, military contracts get renewed and expanded with bipartisan support. Shauna believes that funding for people in need has to meet the demand of the Sixth District, ranging from the homeless community to foster care, while the needs of the military can come later. She also believes in supporting farmers with sustainable practices and promoting affordable childcare.

Interestingly for a Democrat, Shauna supports the Second Amendment, arguing that the root causes of gun violence are environmental factors and systemic issues which can be solved while keeping gun rights intact.

As indicated earlier, Shauna’s campaign revolves around Palestine. Specifically, Shauna believes that Barr and his unwavering support for Israel and its military actions do not accurately reflect the belief of a majority of district voters. She stated that, if elected, she would push to cut aid to Israel unless it stopped its “genocide in Palestine.” In fact, Shauna said that she would not be running right now if it was not for the U.S. Government’s support of the genocide.

The Democratic & Republican Primaries will be held on May 21st, with the general election for November 5th, 2024, along with the U.S. Presidential Elections and other local elections. With a lack of polling in the District, it will be seen if Shauna and her message of Palestinian solidarity will win in Kentucky.

Republished from Berea Torch.

https://bereatorch.com/2024/05/09/building-a-brighter-future-together-shauna-rudds-campaign-for-the-sixth-district-of-kentucky/