We have competitive races for the U.S.

Senate and U.S.

House this year in Kentucky, and those federal races are affecting some statehouse ones.

The leading Democrat in Kentucky's House, Pamela Stephenson, is leaving her seat for a run at the U.S.

Senate.

Who will replace her to represent a solidly blue district representing more than 40,000 civilians?

Well, our June Leffler has more.

And tonight's election 2026 update this 643.

It basically hugs the river on the north side.

It encompasses most of Shawnee, all of Portland.

Russell.

Downtown but your town.

New loop, small town, Shelby Park, Germantown pares down Elwood Avenue, soaring mockingbird valley road.

It's probably one of the most diverse districts in the Commonwealth.

State House district 43 has slightly more black people than white people, and a majority of kids live in poverty.

You have, areas where they're very, income is, median income is below the poverty level.

You have some really well-to-do areas.

The historic, neighborhoods of the West and their families who are there, who've been represented in those neighborhoods for generations now.

We also have areas like this in the Shelby Park where, a lot of people are young people either starting families are, you know, just making their way in the world.

A significant amount of seniors, which I care deeply about and wanted to make sure that they're able to remain, safe, in their homes and are treated with dignity.

Former local government employee Joy McCarty and public school teacher Robert Bell are running to serve these civilians in the state House.

Whoever wins the primary takes the seat.

There's no Republican is running as a millennial.

Enter into college at the age of 18, where I had the chance to vote for Barack Obama.

And I truly felt that, you know, the world was my oyster and I could do anything.

I'd grown up with this idea that if you went to college, you worked hard, you graduated, you got a job, you get out, buy a house, get married, and you have that American dream.

But we are so far from that, at this present time.

And so I'm really focused on making sure that we have things like living wages, that we have affordable housing, whether you're renting or owning, that our elders can safely in place, and also that we are doing things that protect our environment.

Excited also to receive the endorsement of Planned Parenthood just because we know about the attacks on bodily autonomy and on access to health care.

Gender affirming care.

And those are things that I'm passionate about.

And I want to make sure that we are continuing to stand up to fight for equity.

Bell is a democratic socialist, like New York City's mayor and one member of Louisville Metro Council.

So where there is not democracy in our society, which many of us experience day to day in our, workplaces.

We want to add more democracy, have more unions, more democratic union, and stronger unions.

To the point of having, cooperative ownership.

And ultimately, we want to reorient our entire society towards the needs of the many, not the few.

That includes the economy.

And that's the socialism part.

Socialism is when you oriented economy towards the needs of the many, towards the social, as opposed to towards the capital, i.e.

growing the wealth of individuals who have what we say are the means of production.

Local labor unions have divvied up endorsements to both candidates, with Bell securing one from the statewide AfL-CIO.

Same goes for endorsements from state House Democrats, with current district 43 representative and leader of her caucus, Pamela Stevenson, endorsing McCarty.

Democratic socialist.

Bell already has allies in the state, but my goal is not to get along with Democratic caucus members.

My goal is to serve the people of our city in a district 43.

I would say it would be a fantastic candidate.

However, in district 43, we need someone who is more aligned with the interests of the working class, more aggressively intending to fight for the working class and who, frankly, doesn't, have the, political support of the the of the establishment.

I would say the biggest difference between me and Julie McCarthy is not so much a difference in policy, but a difference of politics.

Whichever Democrat winds up in Frankfort will have to contend with a Republican supermajority.

Will there be times where I feel like I'm shouting into a void?

I'm sure there will be many days that I feel like that.

But I'm going to keep standing up and I'm going to keep advocating and fighting.

Currently, 80 Republicans outnumber 20 Democrats in Kentucky's House of Representatives.

For Kentucky edition, I'm June Leffler.

Thank you.

June.

Kentucky's primary is May 19th.

Early voting begins May 14th and goes through the 16th.