We are one week away from Kentucky's May 21st primary.

Republicans and Democrats will decide which candidates will represent them in races for the U.S. House.

Kentucky General Assembly and local elections in November.

Some state legislative races are getting more attention than others, including a state Senate race between a 35 year incumbent and a well-known activist.

Kentucky Edition's June Leffler has more in this primary 2024 Update.

Senate District 33 is where the greatest Louisville and grew up.

The Jefferson County District stretches miles along the Ohio River.

That includes Louisville's downtown commercial center and the end Many historically black neighborhoods.

The people of Senate District 33 are my neighbors.

They are my family, my friends.

They want our children to do better than they did.

They want to help their neighbors.

And yet there are things that divide them because of the stresses of life and the things that are not available for them.

Regardless of the Democratic primary results, this majority black district will have a black senator, possibly Attica.

Scott, the well-known activists in and outside of Louisville.

Kentucky, as well, know Attica.

Scott.

Maybe they've seen me stand up for talk workers to make sure that we keep union jobs and protect public transportation.

But maybe they've seen me during the protests in 2020 for justice for Breonna Taylor and to stand up around police accountability.

She's challenging the incumbent Democratic Senator, Gerald Neal, who's had the job for 35 years.

I've been here for a while.

I've been here a long time and I've produced.

So I bring concrete things to people because that's what resonates in people's lives.

Political science professor Dewey Clayton says there styles are very different.

You have one one candidate that tends to be more old school, more conciliatory.

But then on the other hand, you've got a young candidate who is eager, just thinks that clearly it's a time for change.

Scott does have statehouse experience, having served six years as a state representative.

When I served in the state legislature, for example, I was working on things like black maternal health and the Crown Act and expanding the teaching of black and indigenous history.

But these bills did not become state laws.

We didn't get the full ban on no knock warrants that we wanted out of the protest in 2020.

But we saw Louisville pass a ban on no knock warrants.

We know that Bowling Green has a ban on no knock warrants.

So again, we spark policy movements and that's just as important as the change that we want to see in Frankfort.

Nil is a leader in his caucus.

We're in the minority.

I'm the minority leader of my caucus.

So if I can't negotiate with it, they do not respect me.

If they don't understand what I need and are willing to deal with that, then you know that that role means nothing.

He points to his record.

Something I always go back to because it recurs every single year.

I was the author.

I passed a bill that you referred to as K Chip, and it provides health care to families that fell between the cracks.

And I'm talking about tens of thousands of children each year.

This state budget cycle, Neal says he's brought millions of state dollars back home.

Funds to Simmons College so they can expand in terms of the dormitory that they're trying to see to fund the shiny learning center, which will be in Shawnee Park right down the street from where I live.

Being in that room, pushing for those elements to get the $100 million focus on downtown Louisville, I'll tell you, this has been exciting in that regard, this session.

So as of late, there's been a lot of economic development taking place and revitalization projects taking place there.

But I would say that, Tom, it has been somewhat neglected.

And so I think there's a lot of hope and expectation that that things are clearly going to improve.

But Scott says it's worth being skeptical of investment.

Two, three years ago, the state created tax increment financing districts, including in Louisville's west in while investors say tip districts jumpstart revitalization.

It also leaves middle and low income residents with part of the bill.

And now elders in my community are fearful that they're going to lose their home because their taxes have tripled in the past year or so.

Those promises were denied.

They were not kept.

And so we can't continue to have the same representation in the state legislature.

This race will decide if change comes or not.

No Republican is vying for this district come November.

For Kentucky Edition, I'm June Leffler.

A third candidate will be on the ballot for this race, too.

Michael churchill jr.

Filed to run earlier this year, but he has since told the courier journal that he has suspended his campaign and is backing attica.

Scott.