Midterm elections are less than 90 days away and Kentuckians are asking who to vote for. In other words: “What are the qualities I ought to look for in a candidate?” The answer depends upon what level of office—local, state, or federal.
Community ties, family, and work history are top criteria in local elections. The best local candidates are known through their work and how they treat their families and neighbors. They go to church, coach ball, and support local fundraisers all alongside their neighbors. Voters look for dependability and need to know if their phone call will be returned if a pothole needs to be fixed.
Sometimes it depends on whether or not the candidate is part of the “good ole boy” network. If they are “good” and more often than not, a boy, they’ve got a decent chance of getting elected. (The vast majority of local office holders are male. There are only four women out of 120 County Judge executives, only six jailers, and one sheriff).
Voters weighing state legislative office seekers want to know where candidates stand on economic and social issues, and the ability to tie them to local interests. Fair mindedness and the ability to think through challenging situations are all factors in the “who should I vote for” equation.
These qualities cut across the political spectrum, but why has there been such a dramatic shift in recent years toward the GOP in a state dominated by democratic politics for most of the 20th century? Certainly national politics has played a large part moving Kentucky to a majority registered Republican state in 2024. The Democratic Party platform has veered left on social issues, alienating many rural Kentuckians.
National Democrats have undermined Eastern Kentucky’s bread and butter coal industry and affected its state legislative races. A prime example occurred in 2016, when Speaker of the Kentucky House Greg Stumbo lost his seat because of his ties with then presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and her position on coal.
When it comes to federal elections—especially presidential candidates—Kentucky voters increasingly view candidates from an ideological grid. Most will never meet these candidates or see them in person. These people will never live next door or go to church with them. (Maybe that’s why they can get away with ridiculing their opponents and putting them down). So long as a president’s policy positions align with the base, they’re given lots of leeway. Such communication would never fly in a local, state, or legislative race where decency is still required.
At CPC, we had a front row seat (literally) to local and state candidates as we’ve conducted numerous candidate training events from Pikeville to Paducah. We get to meet many good and capable people who would serve their communities well. We also get a front row seat (again, literally) as we vet candidates, hear their stories, and gauge their capability and priorities. We try to figure out if they’re committed to making the Commonwealth a better place. We believe the ancient advice Moses’s father-in-law gave him when he said “look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens” (Exodus 18:21).
The idea that character matters in our leaders is just as true today as it was 3200 years ago when Moses first heard those words. It’s been said that character is destiny, and if Kentuckians elect candidates of character and conviction—candidates who guard themselves against corrupting influences, regardless of what level of office they serve—the Commonwealth will be better off.
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