December 16, 2025 • 26 mins
Journalists from around the state discuss the news of the week with host Bill Bryant, including Gov. Andy Beshear's first days as chairman of the Democratic Governors Association. Panelists: Sylvia Goodman, Kentucky Public Radio; Mario Anderson, Spectrum News 1; and Hannah Pinski, Louisville Courier Journal.
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(00:04):
A candidate for Congress,
suspends her campaign and
narrows the field in the sixth
district Republican primary,
three candidates face off in a
special state Senate election
in Louisville this coming week.
Governor Beshear begins his
tenure as the head of the
Democratic Governors
Association, Kentucky's first
medical marijuana dispensary is
(00:25):
set to open this weekend. The
holiday season brings joy as
wintry weather brings
challenges, and comment is next
on KET. Good evening. I'm Bill
Bryant and we welcome you to
(00:47):
comment on Kentucky, a look
back at and some analysis of
the week's news in the
Commonwealth and the guests on
our panel of working Kentucky
journalists tonight are Sylvia
Goodman, Capitol reporter for
Kentucky Public Radio, Hannah
Pinski politics reporter for
the Courier-Journal, and Mario
Anderson, anchor and host of
(01:08):
InFocus Kentucky on Spectrum
News one. Also tonight, we'll
have the latest on Kentucky's
hard fought U.S. Senate race
and a major Kentucky jobs
announcement from Kroger. But
let's begin with a jarring
situation on a Kentucky college
campus. A shooting at Kentucky
State University this week.
Sylvia a chaotic scene. Just as
(01:28):
students were getting ready to
go home for the holidays.
>> Yeah, really tragic
situation shut down the campus
while police got hold of Jacob
Bard. It got him in custody. It
seems like it was a personal
altercation. One student killed,
another critically injured,
taken to the hospital. Not an
(01:49):
active shooter situation, it
would appear, but still
nonetheless put the campus in
turmoil. He's so far pled not
guilty. And classes are
canceled and final exams for
the rest of the last week. So
definitely a very scary
situation. Luckily, more people
weren't hurt. It seems like
police got to the scene very
(02:10):
quickly.
>> And put Kentucky in the
national news for for a couple
of days there. Yeah. All right.
On to politics. Republican
congressional candidate Diana
Gordon suspending her campaign
in central Kentucky in the
sixth district. And it narrows
that race now to three
remaining candidates on the GOP
side. That's in the race to
replace Andy Barr, who is
leaving the seat open as he
runs for the U.S. Senate.
(02:31):
Hannah do we know why Gordon
decided to seek reelection in
Frankfort? Where she represents
Madison County, rather than
continuing her race to try to
go to Washington?
>> Yeah. So in her announcement
that she was suspending her
campaign, she had said over the
past several weeks she had
realized her work in Frankfort
is not done, and that's why
(02:52):
she's running for reelection
for her state seat. I think,
though, looking at this race on
a broader scale, the the
Republican primaries crowded
and she had to ask herself, is
it worth to give up her state
seat to, to potentially run for
Barr seat? And I think when
you're not a clear frontrunner
in that type of race, it's
difficult to justify running
(03:12):
for that seat. Potentially.
>> She had to make that choice.
>> Yes, she had to make that
choice. And I think also, you
know, looking at her
fundraising numbers as well,
she had loaned herself a
significant amount of money in
that first quarter report. So
maybe that was potentially
indicative of, you know, maybe
she isn't the one wouldn't be
the winner in that upcoming
primary.
>> The remaining GOP candidates
(03:34):
are Doctor Ralph Alvarado, who
is a former state senator,
current state representative
Ryan Dodson, a businessman and
church pastor. And lesser known
candidates Adam Perez Marquette
and Greg Plucinski, who may
benefit Hannah from Gordon's
departure from the race.
>> I think right now, Alvarado
and Dodson have the most name
recognition in that race, so
(03:55):
they could potentially benefit,
especially if Gordon decides to
endorse any of the candidates.
That could potentially happen
as well.
>> We'll watch for that.
>> Mario and Gordon. Deanna
Gordon she typically has been
more of a moderate type
Republican in the state
legislature in Frankfort. So
with her no longer being in the
race, Ralph Alvarado is Hannah
(04:15):
mentioned. He may get a lot of
extra benefit from that, since
he typically is, again, more in
that moderate style of
Republican. But then Ryan
Dodson, he's more of a social
conservative. So two different
types of candidates there. So
we'll see how things play out
over the next few months.
>> Yeah. And who turns out for
primaries, you know, becomes
the question right.
>> Big question.
(04:35):
>> You know. And sometimes it
is the more activist parties
partizans who do. So we'll see.
Sylvia. Democrats obviously
have their eye on the sixth
district as a possible flip.
And they have a crowded primary.
Former state Representative
Cherlynn Stevenson former
federal prosecutor Zach Dembo,
former Lexington Council member
(04:56):
David Kloiber and Aaron Petrie,
who left a job in Washington to
come home and run for Congress.
Does anybody hold an advantage
in that crowded race?
>> Well, when I hear that list
of names, the one that I
recognize that I think the most
about is Cherlynn Stevenson.
She's a former Democratic
leadership in the in the House.
Of course, she didn't win her
reelection for that seat.
That's why she's now well, one
(05:17):
of the reasons she's now
running for U.S. House, but
that might be some Frankfort
reporter bias, I think. Right.
Not everyone knows about the
who's the leadership in
Frankfort. Right. So I think
that all of them still have a
lot of work to do in terms of
name I.D. when we talk about a
frontrunner, I think one of the
easiest ways to look at it is
campaign finance. Now,
(05:38):
obviously, that's a very it's
not a clear indicator, right?
People win when they don't
aren't the biggest fundraiser.
But Stevenson and Dembo have
kind of shown themselves the
lead in that front. So it looks
like those two might be
frontrunners but got to keep
watching. We got a few months
to go.
>> Could has the finances on
his own to write a check
(05:59):
potentially and catch up?
>> He sure did. When he ran for
Lexington Mayor, he
self-financed most of his
campaign, and he's held back so
far in the early parts of this
campaign for U.S. House. But
I'm sure that he'll open up the
pocketbook and move forward
with that. And then Cherlynn
Stevenson she's already been
endorsed by Lieutenant Governor
Jacqueline Coleman, and
Jacqueline Coleman has been
with her since she basically
(06:20):
announced with then governor
Beshear did endorse Cherlynn
Stevenson when she was running
for reelection to the state
legislature. So she's got a lot
of ties to Frankfort. But again,
time will tell on that race as
well.
>> She's also created events
when there's been an
opportunity to communicate on a
on a national policy matter.
She's taken advantage of that.
Stevenson.
(06:41):
>> That's right. And making,
traveling, trying to travel
around the central Kentucky
area, but then utilizing social
media to respond to various
acts that are coming out of
Congress or out of the white
House, being very quick to
issue a statement and share
what they would do, what she
would do if she was in a
position as a sitting
congresswoman.
>> Okay. So we're carefully
watching the sixth district
(07:01):
race in two major primaries
there, with the one being
reshaped, as we said this week,
with Deanna Gordon deciding she
will run for her seat in
Frankfort and not for that
congressional seat, the U.S.
Senate race will be at the top
of the ballot in Kentucky next
year. Voters will be replacing
the state's longest serving
senator ever, Mitch McConnell.
There are primaries on both
(07:23):
sides of the Senate race as
well, and Democrats really have
a crowded field among the
candidates Logan Forsythe, Dale
Romans, Joel Willett, Amy
McGrath and Pamela Stephenson.
And then last week, Charles
Booker shook up the race by
jumping in, and Mario talked to
him about why he's running.
>> I am not running for a title.
(07:43):
I I'm going to get a whole lot
of grays. I'm a type one
diabetic. I'm going to put
myself through a lot for this
race. And so I'm certainly not
doing it just to have a seat.
I'm committed to ending poverty.
I want the people of Kentucky
to thrive no matter where
you're from, what you look like,
the color of your skin, how
much money you have in your
pocket. The government should
(08:03):
work for you. You pay for it.
>> Booker A narrowly lost the
Democratic primary in 2020 to
Amy McGrath. He was the
Democratic nominee for the
Senate in 2022. Does he believe
Mario the third time is charm
for him?
>> He says he does. And he's
talked about it extensively,
and he said that he's won a
proven. He was previously the
nominee for this role. He says
(08:24):
that voters already know his
platform. He's very big on the
Kentucky New Deal. That's what
he's branded as one of his
campaign platform issues. But
also he's utilizing a previous
poll that came out back in
October that showed him up in
this particular race for name
identification. But all eyes
are on the city of Louisville
and Jefferson County, because
there's a high registration of
Democrats who will weigh in on
(08:46):
that race. And he's from the
Louisville area, has served
representing Louisville strong
ties there. So he's hoping that
that will carry him forward.
>> But now you have multiple
candidates from Jefferson
County.
>> You sure do, including Dale
Romans, who is a circling
around that area, but also
utilizing his connections to
the horse industry across the
(09:06):
state but also across the
country to get donations.
>> Hannah when you look at that,
that Democratic primary and it
being so crowded, what do you
see?
>> I think it'll be interesting
to see how the numbers split up
between all the candidates. I
think looking at the election
is months away, we all know,
but I think it's going to be a
tight race between all of them.
(09:26):
I think right now people see
Booker and McGrath as the top
two choices, potentially
because, you know, they've run
in races before they have name
ID recognition. But we'll have
to kind of see, you know, once
more polling numbers come out,
what those numbers look like
heading into the race.
>> We did the math last week
and it was 17% could elect you.
You know, if it's if it's
(09:47):
really closely divided. So it,
you know, you can almost make a
case that any candidate could
get there with the right
strategy.
>> Yeah. And you also have to
note that, right. We just said
that McGrath and Booker are
both, you know, have the best
name ID. They also have name ID
for losing their races. They
lost by pretty big margins. Now
(10:08):
they were running against
incumbents. And this is an open
seat. So that definitely
changes the formula a little
bit. But again they did lose
their races. So maybe people
want a fresh face.
>> Yeah I think that a lot of
these candidates, they are
again they're aware of Kentucky
politics. They're aware that
voter turnout in a primary is
typically very low. So the
winner could win with 17% or
just a couple hundred votes,
(10:28):
because there's the votes can
be split, you know, seven,
eight ways at minimum this time
around.
>> Well, also in that crowded
field, the Democratic Senate
candidates is House Minority
Leader Pamela Stephenson. She
told me this week she expects
health care to be a major issue
now that it appears subsidies
for ACA or Obamacare premiums
won't be extended.
(10:50):
>> Human beings need health
care. And we if we're going to
be who we say we are, liberty
and justice for all, if we're
going to be every voice matters,
then we have to provide it in
some way. Now, if you have a
plan to provide it, okay. But
if you don't, don't mess with
what's currently working. Well,
(11:11):
for many people.
>> Sylvia, with these subsidies
being allowed to expire, some
could apparently see their
premiums double in the coming
year.
>> Yeah, doubling on average.
Our data reporter Justin Hicks
over at Kentucky Public Radio
did an analysis based on state
data and found that averaging
all the counties because
counties, it varies by county.
(11:32):
Some people could see a much
bigger increase than doubles
some people it might be close
to their original premium
depending on how much they
utilize that tax credit. But
for a couple, this is based on
his data based on a random kind
of a sample 60 year old couple
making 85 K their premium would
jump by thousands of dollars
600 to roughly 2700 K. So we're
(11:54):
talking some people will see a
really huge difference in their
premiums. And for some people
that mean they will, that means
they'll have to go without
health insurance. That could
have really big ripple effects,
you know, two plans presented
in the US Senate. Neither
managed to gain traction. One
Republican led, one Democrat
led to extend the subsidies.
The Republican one was to
create kind of a health care
(12:15):
plan, deposit money, but not
health care, plan a savings
account to deposit money in
directly. But neither were able
to pass. We're at an impasse
here.
>> Is that potentially a potent
issue politically next year?
>> You have to imagine it is
right as people literally see
that hit their their checking
account and they see their
health care increase. I think
we're also seeing signs that
(12:36):
people's private health
insurance will increase, right.
When less people have health
insurance, there's less people
in the pool. Everyone's health
insurance goes up. So I
definitely think that Democrats
will take advantage of this to
talk about it as a talking
point. We've already seen them
start doing it.
>> So Mario, on the other hand,
is President Trump's $12
billion proposal for farmers,
something that Republican
(12:56):
candidates might potentially
campaign on.
>> Potentially because the
farming industry is a big
industry in Kentucky. And with
tariffs, ongoing tariffs going
on in the back and forth,
there's lots of reports showing
that it's negatively impacted
the farming industry because
they do a lot of exporting
internationally on various
goods. So it'll be a strong
(13:16):
talking point. And do expect
Republicans to be on the side
of President Trump, of course.
But then Democrats will be in
that conversation as well,
disputing the president's
claims on, you know, how this
will impact positively,
positively for the country.
>> Hannah let's talk about the
Republican side of that US
Senate race. And, you know, all
(13:37):
of the predictive maps are that
it is likely that Republicans
can hold the Kentucky seat. How
does it look like right now
with candidates Cameron, Barr
and Morris all fighting it out?
>> I think who potentially has
the lead right now, and that
could change because we're
months away from the election,
depends on what you're looking
at. So for example, if you're
(13:58):
looking at the polling numbers,
Cameron has consistently had
the lead among him, Barr and
Morris. Now polls kind of
should always be taken with a
grain of salt. And like I said,
those could change in the
coming months up to the
election. Another area you have
is fundraising numbers. And if
you look at that, then Barr has
the edge there because he has
millions of dollars raised for
(14:19):
this campaign. And that can
translate to stuff like hosting
fundraisers, having TV ads, you
know, really spreading his name
ID out there. And in terms of
national connections, I mean,
Morris has connections with
Donald Trump Jr. He he
announced his campaign on his
podcast. Could that potentially
lead to Trump endorsement? We
don't know, but I think
depending on what you look at,
(14:41):
look at measures who
potentially has the edge. And
like I said, we're months away.
So all of these things could
change leading up to the
election.
>> And Hannah, she's right on
with all that. And, you know,
Daniel Cameron, his campaign,
they're kind of doing taking
things easy, if you will,
because he's got that name
identification so he doesn't
have to crisscross the state.
He goes to various important
events that their campaign
deems that are top priority.
(15:02):
But he doesn't need to work on
the name identification. He's
already been in this statewide
conversation. But Andy Barr
from Lexington, you know, he's
still reintroducing himself to
potential voters for Republican
primary candidates. So he's
that's why he's out and about.
But the Nate Morris he's seems
to be working on that
Washington trying to get the
Washington endorsement.
(15:23):
>> There's a fourth candidate
in that race, Ferris from
Elizabethtown. It's hard to
break through without that that
that money and and name
identification that might come
from having served in offices
previously.
>> And Washington connections,
like you were saying, right? I
mean, Nate Morris, he was he's
a political outsider. I don't
think most people had heard his
(15:43):
name before he started running,
but it really helps when you
can get on Don Jr's podcast.
Right.
>> All right. So we'll continue
to watch the US Senate race
again, two primaries there.
There will be a very
interesting for voters in May.
And then of course the election
next November. Now before we
get to next year and all those
elections, voters in southwest
Louisville will elect a new
state senator next week to
(16:05):
replace Democrat David Yates,
who resigned to become the
Jefferson County clerk. Hannah
three candidates in that race.
And this is one to watch.
>> Yeah. So the Republican
nominee for that race is Calvin
Leach. He's retired from the
U.S. Army and is a former
legislative assistant for Metro
Council. I think one of the
policy issues he has campaigned
on is lowering the state income
(16:26):
tax, which is something that,
you know, the Republican Party
has prioritized over the years.
Then you have Gary Clemons, who
has union experience. He's the
president of a union in
Louisville. He when I talked to
him, he really focused in on
making the district more
affordable. As we see the
rising prices of things like
groceries. And then you have
Wendy Higdon, who's a
(16:47):
libertarian and the founder of
the Louisville Tea Party. So
you've got three candidates
there, I think, because, you
know, Yates, who previously
held the seat is a Democrat.
People see Clemons as the
winner. But we'll see on
Tuesday with that election.
>> Early voting has been
underway. And then Tuesday
polls will be open in that
special election, 6 a.m. to 6
(17:08):
p.m. Yeah. So we'll know
probably on Tuesday night. The
results there and and where
things are going. Governor Andy
Beshear has started his tenure
as head of the Democratic
Governors Association. He also
said this week he did not run
for the Senate because he
didn't want to work for job
that he didn't want. So there's
a rather stark comment. Hannah
(17:29):
is Beshear determined to
maximize the opportunity that
heading up a visible national
association like this could
bring?
>> I definitely think he is.
And, you know, as he's eyeing a
presidential run, the question
that he's going to have to ask
is, am I do Democrat's across
the country know who I am? I
(17:49):
think it's safe to say that,
you know, Beshear is popular
with the Democratic Party here
in Kentucky, but do people
across other Democrat states
know who he is? And I think
right now we're seeing him try
to build that national
recognition, trying to build
that name ID, and we've seen
him doing this for the past, I
want to say year or so. You
know, he started his own
podcast. He's making more
(18:11):
national media appearances.
He's attending, you know,
Democratic dinners in other
states. And I think he's going
to continue doing that up until
the 2020 presidential election.
>> And potentially a governor
Beshear, his presidential
aspirations, if that's what he
ends up doing in 2028, are on
the line, potentially depending
on how these governors races
(18:31):
are next year, since he's the
head of his sole job, is to
reelect Democratic governors
across the country. And I
believe there's a 20 or so 20
governorships that are up. Some
are running for reelection,
some are open seats. And so if
they go positively, could
impact his future positively.
But if things go sideways, then
that could derail him.
(18:52):
>> All right. The Kentucky
legislative session is coming
up in just about three weeks.
For 60 days, lawmakers will
work to pass a budget and
discuss dozens of other issues.
Mario, the budget is the one
thing that has to be done. It
is not an easy process, and
lawmakers are dealing with a
bit of a revenue slide.
>> They sure are. And there's
138 lawmakers that all have
(19:12):
their various districts that
they're representing. So
they've got they're all various
requests that they want to get
in in front of the budget.
Chairman in the House and
Senate, we've been hearing that
the chairman's, Jason Petrie
and also Chris McDaniel,
they've been keeping things
very close to the vest on their
plans on how to handle the
budget. But yeah, they've got
four months over that 60 day
period to figure out the top
(19:33):
priorities. And we will see how
things work out. But they have
been saying that don't expect a
lot of spending extra spending
requests from me dialing things
back potentially.
>> I go in. Yeah.
>> Yeah. I'd be curious to see
what the one time spending
looks like in this next budget,
because there was an event
where I believe it was House
Representative Steven Rudy that
(19:54):
said, we will have money for
some One-Time spending projects,
like for infrastructure
transportation, but it's not
going to be as much compared to
last two years ago during
session.
>> Trying to avoid the long
term commitments.
>> Yes. So I think it will be
interesting to see, especially
in Louisville and Lexington,
where lawmakers in there have
consistently said we are going
(20:14):
to advocate to bring money to
our cities, what that sort of
money looks like compared to
the previous budget cycle.
>> Sylvia.
>> I just want to quickly note
that I'm questioning the
revenue slide here because
we've been hearing for a little
while now from Beshear and
indeed, the consensus
forecasting group that we might
have a shortfall, but we just
had some really strong receipts
from November, and it's looking
(20:36):
like it's already kind of
balancing out with last year.
Now we are definitely going to
have an income tax cut coming
January 1st, so that'll
decrease revenue. But that was
already forecasted. That was
part of our budget.
>> And we're talking about the
one that is already law and
will happen.
>> Exactly.
>> Then there will be
discussion about whether to cut
it. Again.
>> We know that there's going
to be. Yeah. So we're already
(20:57):
having discussions.
>> So sports betting is
bringing in some strong revenue.
We're seeing that too Mario.
More money than maybe anybody
anticipated. But is that enough
to substantially impact the
budget?
>> Well, in August we saw that
$22 million was generated from
sports betting alone. But, you
know, that's just a small
sliver of money that's being
generated. So we'll see how
things go there. And I know
(21:18):
that all the Republicans have
mentioned that they plan to
potentially put some parameters
on Governor Beshear's allowance,
if you will, for spending on
state resources, just because
there's been a lot of back and
forth for years. So we'll see
how that all plays out.
>> We expect a lot of
discussion on other issues. We
hear Pre-session chatter about
housing and child care and
pre-K, and it also appears
there may be some renewed
(21:39):
discussion on diversity, equity
and inclusion. Lawmakers made
new laws about Dei involving
higher education. Now there's
discussion about the context of
K through 12 schools.
>> Indeed, educational results
of Dei have shown little to no
measurable improvement for the
very students it was meant to
serve. A possible factor. Many
(22:01):
schools use curricula that are
interwoven with Dei concepts
and openly promote social
justice as their platform to
educate students.
>> Diversity is not anything
that people should be afraid of.
People should not be afraid to
learn about other cultures, or
to learn about other religions,
or those who may be differently
(22:22):
abled, or what our history is.
>> If we cannot have our
children see themselves in the
curriculum, if we cannot have
initiatives that recruit
teachers who look like our kids,
it will continue to impact
student achievement.
>> Silvia, is Dei again going
to be a major discussion in the
legislature?
>> It's looking possible, if
not likely. It's been the
(22:44):
discussion for a couple of
years now. They tried in 2024
to pass a ban on Dei in higher
education. Then they
successfully passed it earlier
this year. Looks like we're
going to repeat the
conversations. Yeah. Repeated
discussions is really what I'm
looking forward to here.
>> When it comes to
controversial issues. Hannah
there are some who worry about
(23:05):
access to the legislature while
the Capitol is undergoing this
renovation.
>> Yeah, I think there's two
parts to concerns that I talked
to some advocacy and lobbying
groups about. The first concern
is that there's no rotunda or
like a central space for groups
to host their rally days. What
they had said to me is with the
(23:27):
rotunda, it kind of forced
lawmakers to see them and to
hear what they were saying.
Whereas now, as they're looking
to other locations, they're
away from the temporary
chambers. Lawmakers don't have
to pass them to get to the
chambers. So that was one
concern. And the other concern
is the lack of galleries and
public access and being to view
the legislative process as it
(23:47):
happens. And we don't know how
long lawmakers will have to use
temporary chambers. So we'll
have to see what that looks
like over the next legislative.
>> We'll see if there are
challenges or how it goes.
Kentucky's first medical
marijuana dispensary is
supposed to open this weekend
in Beaver Dam. It required
patience for those watching for
the rollout, but apparently the
(24:07):
first legally grown and
processed medical marijuana is
about to be dispensed to those
who qualify.
>> Yeah, looks like it's
exciting. It's been a year, if
not longer in the making here.
We had the lottery process at
the end of last year. The
governor was initially hopeful
we could have a rollout in
summer, but it has been delayed
and delayed. The the marijuana,
(24:28):
the cannabis has to be grown in
Kentucky, which definitely put
a pause on things. I think
that's why it's taken us so
long and everything. The
infrastructure had to really be
built up, but it will be
accessible soon.
>> Some positive jobs news.
Kroger, which is the nation's
largest traditional grocery
chain, will open a facility in
Franklin in Simpson County
that's set to employ more than
(24:49):
400 people. Amari, obviously, a
major announcement from a well
known Kentucky employer.
>> It sure is. And that
distribution center will be
able to prepare goods that will
be available for other parts of
the state of Kentucky.
>> On the other hand, some
concerns or questions about
what's happening at the battery
plants near Elizabethtown, Ford
Motor Company and South Korea's
(25:09):
SK innovation have agreed to
dissolve their U.S. battery
making joint venture, each
company taking independent
control. Sylvia Ford will
control the Kentucky plant. The
governor says he still has
questions, right?
>> I mean, it's a huge venture.
This is $5.8 billion EV battery
plant, and it's now under that
sole Ford ownership. We don't
know if that's going to change
(25:30):
anything. Right. They've
already had some delays in
opening up their second
building. And so it's really a
lot of question marks right now.
The governor took aim at Brett
Guthrie Representative Brett
Guthrie. And the one big
beautiful bill which took away
some EV tax credits, put some,
took away certain tax credits
from foreign owned entities. So,
(25:52):
you know, it's an interesting
thing we have to pay attention
to here now, making sure that
this plant still stays on track
because it's a lot of people, a
lot of employment that was
promised in this community.
>> All right. We've already had
some tough winter weather this
season. The forecast is for
some brutally cold temperatures
to wrap up the weekend and
early into next week, so be
sure to figure that into your
(26:14):
plans. We'll discuss the kids
Count results that came out
this week on a later program.
Some interesting findings there,
but that's comment on Kentucky
for this week. Thanks for
joining us and have a good week
ahead.
A candidate for Congress,
suspends her campaign and
narrows the field in the sixth
district Republican primary,
three candidates face off in a
special state Senate election
in Louisville this coming week.
Governor Beshear begins his
tenure as the head of the
Democratic Governors
Association, Kentucky's first
medical marijuana dispensary is
(00:25):
set to open this weekend. The
holiday season brings joy as
wintry weather brings
challenges, and comment is next
on KET. Good evening. I'm Bill
Bryant and we welcome you to
(00:47):
comment on Kentucky, a look
back at and some analysis of
the week's news in the
Commonwealth and the guests on
our panel of working Kentucky
journalists tonight are Sylvia
Goodman, Capitol reporter for
Kentucky Public Radio, Hannah
Pinski politics reporter for
the Courier-Journal, and Mario
Anderson, anchor and host of
(01:08):
InFocus Kentucky on Spectrum
News one. Also tonight, we'll
have the latest on Kentucky's
hard fought U.S. Senate race
and a major Kentucky jobs
announcement from Kroger. But
let's begin with a jarring
situation on a Kentucky college
campus. A shooting at Kentucky
State University this week.
Sylvia a chaotic scene. Just as
(01:28):
students were getting ready to
go home for the holidays.
>> Yeah, really tragic
situation shut down the campus
while police got hold of Jacob
Bard. It got him in custody. It
seems like it was a personal
altercation. One student killed,
another critically injured,
taken to the hospital. Not an
(01:49):
active shooter situation, it
would appear, but still
nonetheless put the campus in
turmoil. He's so far pled not
guilty. And classes are
canceled and final exams for
the rest of the last week. So
definitely a very scary
situation. Luckily, more people
weren't hurt. It seems like
police got to the scene very
(02:10):
quickly.
>> And put Kentucky in the
national news for for a couple
of days there. Yeah. All right.
On to politics. Republican
congressional candidate Diana
Gordon suspending her campaign
in central Kentucky in the
sixth district. And it narrows
that race now to three
remaining candidates on the GOP
side. That's in the race to
replace Andy Barr, who is
leaving the seat open as he
runs for the U.S. Senate.
(02:31):
Hannah do we know why Gordon
decided to seek reelection in
Frankfort? Where she represents
Madison County, rather than
continuing her race to try to
go to Washington?
>> Yeah. So in her announcement
that she was suspending her
campaign, she had said over the
past several weeks she had
realized her work in Frankfort
is not done, and that's why
(02:52):
she's running for reelection
for her state seat. I think,
though, looking at this race on
a broader scale, the the
Republican primaries crowded
and she had to ask herself, is
it worth to give up her state
seat to, to potentially run for
Barr seat? And I think when
you're not a clear frontrunner
in that type of race, it's
difficult to justify running
(03:12):
for that seat. Potentially.
>> She had to make that choice.
>> Yes, she had to make that
choice. And I think also, you
know, looking at her
fundraising numbers as well,
she had loaned herself a
significant amount of money in
that first quarter report. So
maybe that was potentially
indicative of, you know, maybe
she isn't the one wouldn't be
the winner in that upcoming
primary.
>> The remaining GOP candidates
(03:34):
are Doctor Ralph Alvarado, who
is a former state senator,
current state representative
Ryan Dodson, a businessman and
church pastor. And lesser known
candidates Adam Perez Marquette
and Greg Plucinski, who may
benefit Hannah from Gordon's
departure from the race.
>> I think right now, Alvarado
and Dodson have the most name
recognition in that race, so
(03:55):
they could potentially benefit,
especially if Gordon decides to
endorse any of the candidates.
That could potentially happen
as well.
>> We'll watch for that.
>> Mario and Gordon. Deanna
Gordon she typically has been
more of a moderate type
Republican in the state
legislature in Frankfort. So
with her no longer being in the
race, Ralph Alvarado is Hannah
(04:15):
mentioned. He may get a lot of
extra benefit from that, since
he typically is, again, more in
that moderate style of
Republican. But then Ryan
Dodson, he's more of a social
conservative. So two different
types of candidates there. So
we'll see how things play out
over the next few months.
>> Yeah. And who turns out for
primaries, you know, becomes
the question right.
>> Big question.
(04:35):
>> You know. And sometimes it
is the more activist parties
partizans who do. So we'll see.
Sylvia. Democrats obviously
have their eye on the sixth
district as a possible flip.
And they have a crowded primary.
Former state Representative
Cherlynn Stevenson former
federal prosecutor Zach Dembo,
former Lexington Council member
(04:56):
David Kloiber and Aaron Petrie,
who left a job in Washington to
come home and run for Congress.
Does anybody hold an advantage
in that crowded race?
>> Well, when I hear that list
of names, the one that I
recognize that I think the most
about is Cherlynn Stevenson.
She's a former Democratic
leadership in the in the House.
Of course, she didn't win her
reelection for that seat.
That's why she's now well, one
(05:17):
of the reasons she's now
running for U.S. House, but
that might be some Frankfort
reporter bias, I think. Right.
Not everyone knows about the
who's the leadership in
Frankfort. Right. So I think
that all of them still have a
lot of work to do in terms of
name I.D. when we talk about a
frontrunner, I think one of the
easiest ways to look at it is
campaign finance. Now,
(05:38):
obviously, that's a very it's
not a clear indicator, right?
People win when they don't
aren't the biggest fundraiser.
But Stevenson and Dembo have
kind of shown themselves the
lead in that front. So it looks
like those two might be
frontrunners but got to keep
watching. We got a few months
to go.
>> Could has the finances on
his own to write a check
(05:59):
potentially and catch up?
>> He sure did. When he ran for
Lexington Mayor, he
self-financed most of his
campaign, and he's held back so
far in the early parts of this
campaign for U.S. House. But
I'm sure that he'll open up the
pocketbook and move forward
with that. And then Cherlynn
Stevenson she's already been
endorsed by Lieutenant Governor
Jacqueline Coleman, and
Jacqueline Coleman has been
with her since she basically
(06:20):
announced with then governor
Beshear did endorse Cherlynn
Stevenson when she was running
for reelection to the state
legislature. So she's got a lot
of ties to Frankfort. But again,
time will tell on that race as
well.
>> She's also created events
when there's been an
opportunity to communicate on a
on a national policy matter.
She's taken advantage of that.
Stevenson.
(06:41):
>> That's right. And making,
traveling, trying to travel
around the central Kentucky
area, but then utilizing social
media to respond to various
acts that are coming out of
Congress or out of the white
House, being very quick to
issue a statement and share
what they would do, what she
would do if she was in a
position as a sitting
congresswoman.
>> Okay. So we're carefully
watching the sixth district
(07:01):
race in two major primaries
there, with the one being
reshaped, as we said this week,
with Deanna Gordon deciding she
will run for her seat in
Frankfort and not for that
congressional seat, the U.S.
Senate race will be at the top
of the ballot in Kentucky next
year. Voters will be replacing
the state's longest serving
senator ever, Mitch McConnell.
There are primaries on both
(07:23):
sides of the Senate race as
well, and Democrats really have
a crowded field among the
candidates Logan Forsythe, Dale
Romans, Joel Willett, Amy
McGrath and Pamela Stephenson.
And then last week, Charles
Booker shook up the race by
jumping in, and Mario talked to
him about why he's running.
>> I am not running for a title.
(07:43):
I I'm going to get a whole lot
of grays. I'm a type one
diabetic. I'm going to put
myself through a lot for this
race. And so I'm certainly not
doing it just to have a seat.
I'm committed to ending poverty.
I want the people of Kentucky
to thrive no matter where
you're from, what you look like,
the color of your skin, how
much money you have in your
pocket. The government should
(08:03):
work for you. You pay for it.
>> Booker A narrowly lost the
Democratic primary in 2020 to
Amy McGrath. He was the
Democratic nominee for the
Senate in 2022. Does he believe
Mario the third time is charm
for him?
>> He says he does. And he's
talked about it extensively,
and he said that he's won a
proven. He was previously the
nominee for this role. He says
(08:24):
that voters already know his
platform. He's very big on the
Kentucky New Deal. That's what
he's branded as one of his
campaign platform issues. But
also he's utilizing a previous
poll that came out back in
October that showed him up in
this particular race for name
identification. But all eyes
are on the city of Louisville
and Jefferson County, because
there's a high registration of
Democrats who will weigh in on
(08:46):
that race. And he's from the
Louisville area, has served
representing Louisville strong
ties there. So he's hoping that
that will carry him forward.
>> But now you have multiple
candidates from Jefferson
County.
>> You sure do, including Dale
Romans, who is a circling
around that area, but also
utilizing his connections to
the horse industry across the
(09:06):
state but also across the
country to get donations.
>> Hannah when you look at that,
that Democratic primary and it
being so crowded, what do you
see?
>> I think it'll be interesting
to see how the numbers split up
between all the candidates. I
think looking at the election
is months away, we all know,
but I think it's going to be a
tight race between all of them.
(09:26):
I think right now people see
Booker and McGrath as the top
two choices, potentially
because, you know, they've run
in races before they have name
ID recognition. But we'll have
to kind of see, you know, once
more polling numbers come out,
what those numbers look like
heading into the race.
>> We did the math last week
and it was 17% could elect you.
You know, if it's if it's
(09:47):
really closely divided. So it,
you know, you can almost make a
case that any candidate could
get there with the right
strategy.
>> Yeah. And you also have to
note that, right. We just said
that McGrath and Booker are
both, you know, have the best
name ID. They also have name ID
for losing their races. They
lost by pretty big margins. Now
(10:08):
they were running against
incumbents. And this is an open
seat. So that definitely
changes the formula a little
bit. But again they did lose
their races. So maybe people
want a fresh face.
>> Yeah I think that a lot of
these candidates, they are
again they're aware of Kentucky
politics. They're aware that
voter turnout in a primary is
typically very low. So the
winner could win with 17% or
just a couple hundred votes,
(10:28):
because there's the votes can
be split, you know, seven,
eight ways at minimum this time
around.
>> Well, also in that crowded
field, the Democratic Senate
candidates is House Minority
Leader Pamela Stephenson. She
told me this week she expects
health care to be a major issue
now that it appears subsidies
for ACA or Obamacare premiums
won't be extended.
(10:50):
>> Human beings need health
care. And we if we're going to
be who we say we are, liberty
and justice for all, if we're
going to be every voice matters,
then we have to provide it in
some way. Now, if you have a
plan to provide it, okay. But
if you don't, don't mess with
what's currently working. Well,
(11:11):
for many people.
>> Sylvia, with these subsidies
being allowed to expire, some
could apparently see their
premiums double in the coming
year.
>> Yeah, doubling on average.
Our data reporter Justin Hicks
over at Kentucky Public Radio
did an analysis based on state
data and found that averaging
all the counties because
counties, it varies by county.
(11:32):
Some people could see a much
bigger increase than doubles
some people it might be close
to their original premium
depending on how much they
utilize that tax credit. But
for a couple, this is based on
his data based on a random kind
of a sample 60 year old couple
making 85 K their premium would
jump by thousands of dollars
600 to roughly 2700 K. So we're
(11:54):
talking some people will see a
really huge difference in their
premiums. And for some people
that mean they will, that means
they'll have to go without
health insurance. That could
have really big ripple effects,
you know, two plans presented
in the US Senate. Neither
managed to gain traction. One
Republican led, one Democrat
led to extend the subsidies.
The Republican one was to
create kind of a health care
(12:15):
plan, deposit money, but not
health care, plan a savings
account to deposit money in
directly. But neither were able
to pass. We're at an impasse
here.
>> Is that potentially a potent
issue politically next year?
>> You have to imagine it is
right as people literally see
that hit their their checking
account and they see their
health care increase. I think
we're also seeing signs that
(12:36):
people's private health
insurance will increase, right.
When less people have health
insurance, there's less people
in the pool. Everyone's health
insurance goes up. So I
definitely think that Democrats
will take advantage of this to
talk about it as a talking
point. We've already seen them
start doing it.
>> So Mario, on the other hand,
is President Trump's $12
billion proposal for farmers,
something that Republican
(12:56):
candidates might potentially
campaign on.
>> Potentially because the
farming industry is a big
industry in Kentucky. And with
tariffs, ongoing tariffs going
on in the back and forth,
there's lots of reports showing
that it's negatively impacted
the farming industry because
they do a lot of exporting
internationally on various
goods. So it'll be a strong
(13:16):
talking point. And do expect
Republicans to be on the side
of President Trump, of course.
But then Democrats will be in
that conversation as well,
disputing the president's
claims on, you know, how this
will impact positively,
positively for the country.
>> Hannah let's talk about the
Republican side of that US
Senate race. And, you know, all
(13:37):
of the predictive maps are that
it is likely that Republicans
can hold the Kentucky seat. How
does it look like right now
with candidates Cameron, Barr
and Morris all fighting it out?
>> I think who potentially has
the lead right now, and that
could change because we're
months away from the election,
depends on what you're looking
at. So for example, if you're
(13:58):
looking at the polling numbers,
Cameron has consistently had
the lead among him, Barr and
Morris. Now polls kind of
should always be taken with a
grain of salt. And like I said,
those could change in the
coming months up to the
election. Another area you have
is fundraising numbers. And if
you look at that, then Barr has
the edge there because he has
millions of dollars raised for
(14:19):
this campaign. And that can
translate to stuff like hosting
fundraisers, having TV ads, you
know, really spreading his name
ID out there. And in terms of
national connections, I mean,
Morris has connections with
Donald Trump Jr. He he
announced his campaign on his
podcast. Could that potentially
lead to Trump endorsement? We
don't know, but I think
depending on what you look at,
(14:41):
look at measures who
potentially has the edge. And
like I said, we're months away.
So all of these things could
change leading up to the
election.
>> And Hannah, she's right on
with all that. And, you know,
Daniel Cameron, his campaign,
they're kind of doing taking
things easy, if you will,
because he's got that name
identification so he doesn't
have to crisscross the state.
He goes to various important
events that their campaign
deems that are top priority.
(15:02):
But he doesn't need to work on
the name identification. He's
already been in this statewide
conversation. But Andy Barr
from Lexington, you know, he's
still reintroducing himself to
potential voters for Republican
primary candidates. So he's
that's why he's out and about.
But the Nate Morris he's seems
to be working on that
Washington trying to get the
Washington endorsement.
(15:23):
>> There's a fourth candidate
in that race, Ferris from
Elizabethtown. It's hard to
break through without that that
that money and and name
identification that might come
from having served in offices
previously.
>> And Washington connections,
like you were saying, right? I
mean, Nate Morris, he was he's
a political outsider. I don't
think most people had heard his
(15:43):
name before he started running,
but it really helps when you
can get on Don Jr's podcast.
Right.
>> All right. So we'll continue
to watch the US Senate race
again, two primaries there.
There will be a very
interesting for voters in May.
And then of course the election
next November. Now before we
get to next year and all those
elections, voters in southwest
Louisville will elect a new
state senator next week to
(16:05):
replace Democrat David Yates,
who resigned to become the
Jefferson County clerk. Hannah
three candidates in that race.
And this is one to watch.
>> Yeah. So the Republican
nominee for that race is Calvin
Leach. He's retired from the
U.S. Army and is a former
legislative assistant for Metro
Council. I think one of the
policy issues he has campaigned
on is lowering the state income
(16:26):
tax, which is something that,
you know, the Republican Party
has prioritized over the years.
Then you have Gary Clemons, who
has union experience. He's the
president of a union in
Louisville. He when I talked to
him, he really focused in on
making the district more
affordable. As we see the
rising prices of things like
groceries. And then you have
Wendy Higdon, who's a
(16:47):
libertarian and the founder of
the Louisville Tea Party. So
you've got three candidates
there, I think, because, you
know, Yates, who previously
held the seat is a Democrat.
People see Clemons as the
winner. But we'll see on
Tuesday with that election.
>> Early voting has been
underway. And then Tuesday
polls will be open in that
special election, 6 a.m. to 6
(17:08):
p.m. Yeah. So we'll know
probably on Tuesday night. The
results there and and where
things are going. Governor Andy
Beshear has started his tenure
as head of the Democratic
Governors Association. He also
said this week he did not run
for the Senate because he
didn't want to work for job
that he didn't want. So there's
a rather stark comment. Hannah
(17:29):
is Beshear determined to
maximize the opportunity that
heading up a visible national
association like this could
bring?
>> I definitely think he is.
And, you know, as he's eyeing a
presidential run, the question
that he's going to have to ask
is, am I do Democrat's across
the country know who I am? I
(17:49):
think it's safe to say that,
you know, Beshear is popular
with the Democratic Party here
in Kentucky, but do people
across other Democrat states
know who he is? And I think
right now we're seeing him try
to build that national
recognition, trying to build
that name ID, and we've seen
him doing this for the past, I
want to say year or so. You
know, he started his own
podcast. He's making more
(18:11):
national media appearances.
He's attending, you know,
Democratic dinners in other
states. And I think he's going
to continue doing that up until
the 2020 presidential election.
>> And potentially a governor
Beshear, his presidential
aspirations, if that's what he
ends up doing in 2028, are on
the line, potentially depending
on how these governors races
(18:31):
are next year, since he's the
head of his sole job, is to
reelect Democratic governors
across the country. And I
believe there's a 20 or so 20
governorships that are up. Some
are running for reelection,
some are open seats. And so if
they go positively, could
impact his future positively.
But if things go sideways, then
that could derail him.
(18:52):
>> All right. The Kentucky
legislative session is coming
up in just about three weeks.
For 60 days, lawmakers will
work to pass a budget and
discuss dozens of other issues.
Mario, the budget is the one
thing that has to be done. It
is not an easy process, and
lawmakers are dealing with a
bit of a revenue slide.
>> They sure are. And there's
138 lawmakers that all have
(19:12):
their various districts that
they're representing. So
they've got they're all various
requests that they want to get
in in front of the budget.
Chairman in the House and
Senate, we've been hearing that
the chairman's, Jason Petrie
and also Chris McDaniel,
they've been keeping things
very close to the vest on their
plans on how to handle the
budget. But yeah, they've got
four months over that 60 day
period to figure out the top
(19:33):
priorities. And we will see how
things work out. But they have
been saying that don't expect a
lot of spending extra spending
requests from me dialing things
back potentially.
>> I go in. Yeah.
>> Yeah. I'd be curious to see
what the one time spending
looks like in this next budget,
because there was an event
where I believe it was House
Representative Steven Rudy that
(19:54):
said, we will have money for
some One-Time spending projects,
like for infrastructure
transportation, but it's not
going to be as much compared to
last two years ago during
session.
>> Trying to avoid the long
term commitments.
>> Yes. So I think it will be
interesting to see, especially
in Louisville and Lexington,
where lawmakers in there have
consistently said we are going
(20:14):
to advocate to bring money to
our cities, what that sort of
money looks like compared to
the previous budget cycle.
>> Sylvia.
>> I just want to quickly note
that I'm questioning the
revenue slide here because
we've been hearing for a little
while now from Beshear and
indeed, the consensus
forecasting group that we might
have a shortfall, but we just
had some really strong receipts
from November, and it's looking
(20:36):
like it's already kind of
balancing out with last year.
Now we are definitely going to
have an income tax cut coming
January 1st, so that'll
decrease revenue. But that was
already forecasted. That was
part of our budget.
>> And we're talking about the
one that is already law and
will happen.
>> Exactly.
>> Then there will be
discussion about whether to cut
it. Again.
>> We know that there's going
to be. Yeah. So we're already
(20:57):
having discussions.
>> So sports betting is
bringing in some strong revenue.
We're seeing that too Mario.
More money than maybe anybody
anticipated. But is that enough
to substantially impact the
budget?
>> Well, in August we saw that
$22 million was generated from
sports betting alone. But, you
know, that's just a small
sliver of money that's being
generated. So we'll see how
things go there. And I know
(21:18):
that all the Republicans have
mentioned that they plan to
potentially put some parameters
on Governor Beshear's allowance,
if you will, for spending on
state resources, just because
there's been a lot of back and
forth for years. So we'll see
how that all plays out.
>> We expect a lot of
discussion on other issues. We
hear Pre-session chatter about
housing and child care and
pre-K, and it also appears
there may be some renewed
(21:39):
discussion on diversity, equity
and inclusion. Lawmakers made
new laws about Dei involving
higher education. Now there's
discussion about the context of
K through 12 schools.
>> Indeed, educational results
of Dei have shown little to no
measurable improvement for the
very students it was meant to
serve. A possible factor. Many
(22:01):
schools use curricula that are
interwoven with Dei concepts
and openly promote social
justice as their platform to
educate students.
>> Diversity is not anything
that people should be afraid of.
People should not be afraid to
learn about other cultures, or
to learn about other religions,
or those who may be differently
(22:22):
abled, or what our history is.
>> If we cannot have our
children see themselves in the
curriculum, if we cannot have
initiatives that recruit
teachers who look like our kids,
it will continue to impact
student achievement.
>> Silvia, is Dei again going
to be a major discussion in the
legislature?
>> It's looking possible, if
not likely. It's been the
(22:44):
discussion for a couple of
years now. They tried in 2024
to pass a ban on Dei in higher
education. Then they
successfully passed it earlier
this year. Looks like we're
going to repeat the
conversations. Yeah. Repeated
discussions is really what I'm
looking forward to here.
>> When it comes to
controversial issues. Hannah
there are some who worry about
(23:05):
access to the legislature while
the Capitol is undergoing this
renovation.
>> Yeah, I think there's two
parts to concerns that I talked
to some advocacy and lobbying
groups about. The first concern
is that there's no rotunda or
like a central space for groups
to host their rally days. What
they had said to me is with the
(23:27):
rotunda, it kind of forced
lawmakers to see them and to
hear what they were saying.
Whereas now, as they're looking
to other locations, they're
away from the temporary
chambers. Lawmakers don't have
to pass them to get to the
chambers. So that was one
concern. And the other concern
is the lack of galleries and
public access and being to view
the legislative process as it
(23:47):
happens. And we don't know how
long lawmakers will have to use
temporary chambers. So we'll
have to see what that looks
like over the next legislative.
>> We'll see if there are
challenges or how it goes.
Kentucky's first medical
marijuana dispensary is
supposed to open this weekend
in Beaver Dam. It required
patience for those watching for
the rollout, but apparently the
(24:07):
first legally grown and
processed medical marijuana is
about to be dispensed to those
who qualify.
>> Yeah, looks like it's
exciting. It's been a year, if
not longer in the making here.
We had the lottery process at
the end of last year. The
governor was initially hopeful
we could have a rollout in
summer, but it has been delayed
and delayed. The the marijuana,
(24:28):
the cannabis has to be grown in
Kentucky, which definitely put
a pause on things. I think
that's why it's taken us so
long and everything. The
infrastructure had to really be
built up, but it will be
accessible soon.
>> Some positive jobs news.
Kroger, which is the nation's
largest traditional grocery
chain, will open a facility in
Franklin in Simpson County
that's set to employ more than
(24:49):
400 people. Amari, obviously, a
major announcement from a well
known Kentucky employer.
>> It sure is. And that
distribution center will be
able to prepare goods that will
be available for other parts of
the state of Kentucky.
>> On the other hand, some
concerns or questions about
what's happening at the battery
plants near Elizabethtown, Ford
Motor Company and South Korea's
(25:09):
SK innovation have agreed to
dissolve their U.S. battery
making joint venture, each
company taking independent
control. Sylvia Ford will
control the Kentucky plant. The
governor says he still has
questions, right?
>> I mean, it's a huge venture.
This is $5.8 billion EV battery
plant, and it's now under that
sole Ford ownership. We don't
know if that's going to change
(25:30):
anything. Right. They've
already had some delays in
opening up their second
building. And so it's really a
lot of question marks right now.
The governor took aim at Brett
Guthrie Representative Brett
Guthrie. And the one big
beautiful bill which took away
some EV tax credits, put some,
took away certain tax credits
from foreign owned entities. So,
(25:52):
you know, it's an interesting
thing we have to pay attention
to here now, making sure that
this plant still stays on track
because it's a lot of people, a
lot of employment that was
promised in this community.
>> All right. We've already had
some tough winter weather this
season. The forecast is for
some brutally cold temperatures
to wrap up the weekend and
early into next week, so be
sure to figure that into your
(26:14):
plans. We'll discuss the kids
Count results that came out
this week on a later program.
Some interesting findings there,
but that's comment on Kentucky
for this week. Thanks for
joining us and have a good week
ahead.
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