Kentucky Senate Democratic leader prepares a run for local office
Republished from Kentucky Lantern
A Kentucky Senate Democratic leader is preparing to run for local office in Jefferson County.
A campaign website and social media account for Sen. David Yates, the Democratic Whip from Louisville, were updated Friday to reflect his plans to run for Jefferson County clerk next year. His website now has a campaign kick-off scheduled for Monday, June 9, with appearances by Louisville area Democrats, including U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey and former U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth.
Yates’ updated website comes on the heels of another Democratic senator leaving the caucus. Sen. Robin Webb, of Grayson, changed her party affiliation Friday to join the Republican Party.
Bobbie Holsclaw, the Jefferson County clerk since 1998, is an elected Republican in Louisville, a Kentucky city where voters tend to favor Democrats. She faced some criticism after the November election following an issue with e-poll books that delayed lines early in the day. Democrats sued to keep the polls open longer in the day, but a Jefferson Circuit judge denied their emergency request.
Yates’ campaign did not immediately return an emailed request for comment.
An attorney, Yates was elected to the Senate in 2020. He won reelection in November for the 37th Senate District, taking more than 60% of the vote in the general election.
Yates isn’t the first Democrat to announce a candidacy against Holsclaw. Rosalind “Roz” Welch, a long time election worker, entered the race Thursday.
Democrats hold six seats in the Kentucky Senate. Republicans have 32.
Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: [email protected]. Follow Kentucky Lantern on Facebook and Twitter. Kentucky Lantern stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
Donate to Kentucky Lantern here.
