On the Republican side, the head of the state party, Mac Brown, is stepping down after eight years in the post. Back at the start of his tenure, Brown told PBS about his hopes for where the party might go under his leadership.
"One of the things I'd love to see is to grow the party and to strengthen the organization," he said.
And that’s exactly what happened under his oversight — with Republicans securing veto-proof majorities in the state Senate and overtaking the once-Democratic stronghold in the House.
While Democrats retained the governor’s mansion in the recent election, they did so amid a growing number of registered Republicans, who retain a lock on nearly all constitutional offices.
Brown’s leadership has led the party’s executive director to call him “one of the most influential chairmen ever to lead the Republican Party of Kentucky.”
Meanwhile, on the Democratic side of the aisle, a strong voice for the party in the House, Louisville’s Josie Raymond, is opting not to run again. Citing a feeling that she’s not making enough of an impact at the state level, Raymond is shifting her sights to a Louisville Metro Council seat.
At the same time, former Democratic state Rep. Mary Lou Marzian may return to Frankfort, announcing her candidacy for the 41st District House seat.
