LGBTQ+ candidates doubled in Kentucky’s local races this year.

This story is published in partnership with the Queer News Network, a collaboration among 11 LGBTQ+ newsrooms to cover down ballot elections across 10 states. Read more about us here. 

This story was published with Queer Kentucky. 

Kentuckians this year are seeing a record number of LGBTQ+ candidates running in a dozen races, from local school boards to state senate. 

It’s a significant jump from 2020, when nine openly out candidates in Kentucky ran for an elected seat, according to Victory Fund’s 2020 Out on the Trail report. That number has increased significantly this election year, with 14 openly queer candidates on the ballot. 

In local races, the number of LGBTQ+ candidates looking to fill roles on city councils, school boards and council districts has more than doubled since 2020. 

“I think a lot of that stems from Governor [Andy] Beshear’s reelection in 2023,” said Allison Wiseman, President of Kentucky Young Democrats, a youth-led political organization. Wiseman also attributes an increased level of voter “disgust” over SB150, a bill banning gender-affirming care, to more representation on this year’s ballot. 

For Wiseman, seeing an increase in LGBTQ+ candidates proves “how open and accepting Kentuckians are of their neighbors.”

The races for Boone County School Board and City Council in areas like Midway and Radcliffe could for the first time see victory for LGBTQ+ candidates. 

Meanwhile, Kentucky State Representative Keturah Herron could make history. Running unopposed for state senate in District 35 — which includes parts of Jefferson County and houses the state’s largest city Louisville — her win on November 5 will mark the first time an openly LGBTQ+ person of color is elected to the Kentucky State Senate.

Twenty-six thousand voters have already sent mail-in ballots with Jefferson, Fayette, Kenton, Hardin and Boone among the counties that have the most ballots returned. 

Those counties include candidates Serenity Johnson, who if elected would be the first openly out transgender elected official in that position, and Antoine Smith-Rouse who would become the first out LGBTQ+ member elected to the Boone County School Community Board.

Here's a look at some of the candidates you may come across. 

STATE

Keturah Herron (she/them/theirs)

  • Running unopposed for state senate, District 35. Will become the first out LGBTQ+ person of color elected to the state senate.
  • Made history as the first openly LGBTQ+ person elected to the state House of Representatives in February 2022, representing District 42 (parts of Jefferson County and portions of Louisville.) 

Kate Farrow (she/her)

  • Candidate for state representative, District 48
  • Began her career as a union laborer and rose through the ranks to retire as an Operations Manager at the Louisville Water Company. 
  • Mother of two and Gen Xer 

Tyler Chapman (he/him)

  • Candidate for state representative, District 27, representing Battletown, Brandenburg, Ekron, Flaherty, Muldraugh, Payneville, and Radcliff
  • Born and raised in Meade County on his family farm in Ekron.
  • Graduate of Western Kentucky University

Brandon Long (he/him)

  • Candidate for state representative, District 68
  • A survivor of "conversion therapy." Running on addressing issues that affect Kentucky youth. 
  • Work history includes teaching and ministry. 

Taylor Jolly (he/him)

  • Candidate for state representative, District 33
  • Born and raised in Louisville
  • Studied actuarial science at The Ohio State University.
  • Married with a 5-year-old daughter

Jamie Skudlarek (she/her)

  • Candidate for Kentucky Senate District 5 

LOCAL

Antoine Smith-Rouse (he/him)

  • Candidate for Boone County School Board, District 2
  • Originally from Owensboro and relatively new to Boone County and the Northern Kentucky area.
  • Married to his husband Jeremiah, and father to nine children 
  • If elected, Smith-Rouse will be the first out LGBTQ+ member of the Boone County School Board. 

Emma Curtis (she/her)

  • Candidate for Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council, District 4
  • Born and raised in Lexington
  • Currently works as an independent filmmaker 
  • If elected, Curtis will be the second out transgender person elected to office in Kentucky. 

Ian VanSteenbergh (he/him)

  • Candidate for Midway City Council, At-Large
  • If elected, he will be the first out LGBTQ+ person elected to the Midway City Council and one of the youngest elected officials in the state
  • A Gen-Z candidate, only 20 years old. 

Liz Sheehan (she/her)

  • Running for re-election, Lexington-Fayette County Council, District 5.
  • Serving since 2020, re-elected in 2022
  • Is the first out bisexual person elected in Kentucky
  • A faculty member in the Department of Psychology at the University of Kentucky 

Serenity Johnson (she/her)

  • Candidate for Radcliff City Council, At-Large 
  • Born in Fort Worth, Texas and grew up in a military family 
  • A resident of Hardin County for nearly fifteen years
  • If elected, Johnson will be one of the first out transgender elected officials in Kentucky.

Tom Haggard (he/him)

  • Running for re-election to the Covington Board of Education
  • Haggard is the only out LGBTQ+ member of the board
  • A third-generation Covingtonian who grew up in Latonia and now resides in the Peaselburg neighborhood.

William Compton (he/him)

  • Candidate for Plum Springs City Commission.
  • Born and raised in Bowling Green
  • Currently a teacher at Warren East High School, Middle School, and the four elementary schools that lead into Warren East Middle School

Shannon Smith (she/her)

  • Running for re-election for Covington City Commission
  • Local attorney and business owner