Special Election - Senate District 37 in Louisville
Our print Voter Guide and KentuckyElection.org contain responses to KFTC’s candidate surveys sent to every candidate in select races. To encourage participation from all candidates, we followed up vigorously. We have data from all candidates. Responses are published word-for-word - spelling errors and all.
The seat is open because Jefferson County Clerk Bobbie Holsclaw passed away and State Senator David Yates was appointed to fill her seat.
We appreciate all the candidates who took the time to explain their views on issues important to voters.
Please share this this page with your friends and family. We hope you find it a valuable and motivating resource as you prepare to cast your vote!
Candidates
Gary Clemons (Democrat) - Responded
Calvin Leach (Republican) - Failed to respond, but we’re sharing his 2024 answers below
Wendy Higdon (Libertarian) - Responded
Voting Information
Polls will be open on 4 days for registered voters in Kentucky Senate District 37. Not sure what district you are in? Check here.
December 11, 12, & 13: 8am-6pm
December 16: 6am-6pm
8 voting locations to choose from each day:
Sts. Simon and Jude Catholic Church
South Louisville Government Building
Southwest Government Building
Epiphany United Methodist Church
Beechmont Community Center
Southwest Community Ministries
Most Blessed Sacrament Pioneer Hall
Harbor House
Get involved in our local Kentuckians For The Commonwealth chapter. Issues we work on include education justice, earth, climate, & energy justice, voting rights, and building a healthy democracy. Join us - kftc.org/jefferson
Candidate survey responses
1. What’s your vision for Kentucky? How will the lives of Kentuckians be improved as a result of your time in office?
Clemons (D) - I believe that the middle class has needed a voice in Frankfort for a long time. I want to be that voice to advocate for the working class—for people to go to work with ten fingers and ten toes and go home in the same condition. I envision a Kentucky where people can take care of their families and have a good life, where working people come first. Folks should be able to earn a good living,and live in safe, strong communities. That means better jobs, good public schools, affordable health care, and roads that work. All of this should be built on blue-collar dollars.
Leach (R) - Rebuild this state's economy, which was decimated by two years of draconian lockdowns over a virus with a 3% mortality rate. Reduce the criminal element and make our communities safer. Improve our education system, which has been consistently failing our students
Higdon (L) - My vision would be ensuring a healthy set of checks and balances on government and enabling all people to succeed at life. Success is defined by every person differently, so the overall goal is to stay out of people’s way, as long as they’re not hurting anyone else. My primary goal in this campaign is to bring some sanity to the public school system in Louisville. JCPS is too large, and the bussing situation continues to be a disaster for our children. I propose to split the district evenly into smaller parts, to ensure children get to and from school in a timely manner, and to ensure that parents have greater control over the school boards. Focusing on the educational well-being of our children today will pay dividends over the next 20 or more years in Kentucky.
2. Do you support a constitutional amendment to restore voting rights to all Kentuckians with felonies in their past? Why or why not?
Clemons (D) - Any citizen who has paid their debt to society should be able to participate in our democratic process.
Leach (R) - I do not have a concrete stance on this.
Higdon (L) - I believe that after someone has served their time, they need to be re-integrated into society as a full citizen of our community. I could support a required period of time to prove that someone won’t re-offend. I could also support that certain levels of felonies would deprive a person of a right for an even longer period of time or even permanently. For example, committing a gun crime would lose your right to a firearm, committing voter fraud would nullify your right to participate in the electoral process, etc.
3. What is your view on modernizing state election laws? Specifically, do you support allowing early voting, same-day voter registration, extended voting hours, or other election reforms?
Clemons (D) - I support all of the reforms mentioned in this question. As a legislator, I would have an open mind and be willing to listen and make changes where needed to make it easier, safer, and more secure to vote.
Leach (R) - Early voting and same-day voting are fine. Extended voting hours are a no-go. If you fail to cast your ballot by the deadline on Election Day then you have missed the boat (or should I say --- "the vote").
Higdon (L) - I want every person who is entitled to vote to be allowed to vote; however, I have concerns that many people believe there are issues, real or perceived, with potential voter fraud. The US Supreme Court has said, in several rulings, that the perception of electoral integrity is paramount; and for the harmony that comes only when the supporters of a losing candidate accept a loss, I agree. I do not like same-day registration because there’s no mechanism to challenge a could-be illegitimate voter. I support extending voting hours and increasing the number of polling locations, before extending the number of days for voting. I also believe voting should be done in person when at all possible. I believe it’s the right thing to ensure election integrity and consistency.
4. Because of recent legislative changes, Kentucky’s tax system is rapidly becoming much more inequitable. Kentucky currently has the 17th most regressive tax code among all states and is failing to use our public dollars for the public good. What are your thoughts on our state tax structure? What would you do to ensure that we have the public dollars we need for the Kentucky that we all need and deserve?
Clemons (D) - I feel that over the past several years, more and more of the tax burden has been shifted to the working class. Everyone should pay their fair share of taxes based on their income. We also need to ensure that, when we spend money on public projects, we are, when possible, spending that money on items made in Kentucky and then in America. We should, when possible, put public money back into Kentucky’s and America’s economies.
Leach (R) - I support continuing to reduce the state income tax to enable hard-working Kentuckians to keep more of what they earn. I will also push to eliminate personal property tax, as Missouri is currently attempting. Lowering taxes is the least we could do to alleviate the financial pressure of inflation caused by the economic mismanagement of the Biden administration.
Higdon (L) - I would like to see Kentucky move away from taxes and fees assessed just for being alive. This starts by getting rid of property taxes for people in their primary residence and vehicles under $20,000 in value. There should be no sales tax on any food, doctors visit, or prescription medicine. We should not tax people just for being human and spending their hard earned dollars on necessities.
5. Most people, across party, class, and race lines, are deeply concerned about the threat of climate change, including fires, floods, severe storms, and more. Is addressing the climate crisis a priority for you? What policies do you support to create good jobs and affordable energy while rapidly reducing pollution?
Clemons (D) - We should utilize clean energy as much as possible and work to find new forms of clean energy. All of this should be done with the people who work these jobs for a living in mind. The transition from coal was managed horribly, putting a huge burden on the blue-collar workers who mined coal.
Leach (R) - I support reviving the domestic energy sector and getting the price of fuel down to $1.87 per gallon (as it was during the Trump administration) and not begging OPEC to supply us. On his first day in office, Joe Biden killed 52,000 jobs for blue collar workers by halting the Keystone XL pipeline. That was a disastrous move to kick start his utterly disastrous tenure in office.
Higdon (L) - More and more consumers are taking action on their own. One thing that Kentucky could do to foster this type of action would be returning fair compensation to individuals who produce energy with solar power at their homes, which would encourage more people to help supply power to the grid using clean energy.
6. Black lives matter. What policy initiatives would you propose while in office to address racial and systemic inequalities?
Clemons (D) - Nobody should live in fear of being victimized by racial or systemic inequalities. As a senator, I would have an open mind and an open door for those who have been victimized to make suggestions on how public policy could address those issues.
Leach (R) - I would encourage Congress to subpoena Patrice Cullors and her fellow ring leaders to inquire about the expenditure of $91M in donation money, because it most definitely has not been spent in a manner that would benefit the black community.
Higdon (L) - I believe in the power of individuals, and do not believe in treating anyone differently based on anything other than their own actions. The primary way I would help oppressed communities is to require that all forms of government, including law enforcement, live up to that standard as well. Everyone deserves due process and justice.
7. Kentucky has the sixth-highest incarceration rate in the nation. What will you do to make strides toward ending mass incarceration in Kentucky and reinvesting resources into the communities most impacted by this system?
Clemons (D) - One of the biggest problems facing Kentucky is addiction. Many people struggling with addiction end up incarcerated. We should be trying to get these individuals into treatment to prevent them from violating the law in the first place. We also need good, family-sustaining jobs in this state. A lot of crime that could be prevented stems from desperation. We need to promote policies that support the economic development happening under Governor Beshear. I will always be open to hearing new ideas that will shape public policy in positive ways.
Leach (R) - As of now, I support decriminalizing cannabis. I have seen zero empirical scientific evidence to confirm that cannabis use is anymore harmful than tobacco or alcohol; and until I see otherwise, my stance on this remains. Over 3,000 individuals were incarcerated last year on charges related to cannabis use. Eliminating this restriction will (at least slightly) reduce incarceration.
Higdon (L) - Tying into my other answers, I believe the best thing we can do is get the government out of people’s way, starting with those who have the greatest economic struggles. Combined with community outreach, and celebration of success stories, we should focus on encouraging people to succeed, not threatening them if they fail. If people do real harm to others, then incarceration must be on the table. I would vote to repeal any law that harms no other person, known as “victimless crimes”. I would also vote to require jury instructions to include judging the fairness of the application of the law, which is sometimes called jury nullification and is the entire point of having a jury system.
8. Do you support a statewide Fairness law to protect LGBTQ people from discrimination in housing, employment, financial transactions, and public accommodations based on sexual orientation and gender identity?
Clemons (D) - Absolutely. The idea that people could be discriminated against and treated unfairly for any reason is appalling.
Leach (R) - I don't believe anyone should be denied employment based on inherent qualities. Discrimination should not exist. I think what you're alluding to in this question is --- Will I use my platform to advocate for them to continue shoving their delusional worldview on the rest of the population? My answer to that is no.
Higdon (L) - While I do not condone it, I do believe private property owners have the right to do as they wish. I also believe that private citizens have the right to publicly review these businesses and make sure everyone knows what type of people they are. In the modern era, it is so much simpler to spread information and it is very effective. I would not willingly patronize a bigot; I believe most people feel the same.
9. Nearly 400,000 low-income Kentuckians qualified for health care for the first time under the Affordable Care Act. But major challenges in affordability and gaps in access to care still remain. How would you ensure access to quality, affordable healthcare for poor and working-class individuals across all Kentucky counties? What are your legislative priorities for the overall health of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color? What are your legislative priorities to ensure reproductive health and Justice?
Clemons (D) - I believe everyone should have access to affordable healthcare in all Kentucky communities. The current system needs many improvements, and I am open to ideas on how to strengthen it across the state for all Kentuckians.
Leach (R) - This is a long strung-out question. I'm not for depriving anyone of health care that TRULY needs it, but "reproductive health" is a nice code word for abortion. I do not support tax-payer funded abortion, unless there is an extenuating circumstance.
Higdon (L) - There are serious systemic problems with healthcare, most of which are not within our control in KY. The government has destroyed healthcare over the last 50 years as they keep trying to create a one-size-fits-all program for 300 million people. We need more choices in healthcare, more options tailored to the specific needs of regions and communities. We need to reduce the regulatory burden on doctors and nurse practitioners so we can see a return to small doctors offices. I support repealing the certificate of need program that restricts individual doctors from opening a clinic anywhere they see a need. Ending government-protected monopolies on healthcare is something we can do, in Kentucky, to help all people; especially those who may be economically disadvantaged or have less access.