Latest news with #AmandaMaysBledsoe
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kentucky Politics Insider: An ‘emotional' shakeup in KY-06, Beshear's media blitz
It's been a big week for the future of Kentucky's 6th Congressional District. It started with Sen. Amanda Mays Bledsoe, R-Lexington, passing on the GOP nomination contest after many had deemed her the favorite. Minutes later, it got even more interesting when former state senator and current Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner Ralph Alvarado all but threw his hat in the ring. The landscape has completely changed. For one candidate already in the race, it hit close to home — literally. State Rep. Ryan Dotson, R-Winchester, told the Herald-Leader he lives 'less than a third of a mile' from Alvarado and considers him a friend and political ally. 'I never even got a phone call. I never would have done this to him. It's kind of been a slap in the face to us who have supported him in the previous years,' Dotson said. He said that he helped Alvarado defeat a Democrat in his first election, which made history as Alvarado became the first Hispanic member of the Kentucky General Assembly. He also claimed that Alvarado helped recruit him to run for his current seat, which covers all of Clark County and a section of southern Fayette County. 'I've stood with him and he's stood with me,' Dotson added. '... He has to drive by my house everyday to get to his house — when he's in Kentucky.' The 6th Congressional District is currently held by Rep. Andy Barr, who is leaving his seat to seek election to the U.S. Senate in 2026. Though it was an 'emotional' moment for Dotson to learn of his friend running for the same office he declared for months ago, he said he woke up Tuesday with an even stronger 'fire in his belly' to win. Dotson, a businessman and preacher by trade, said he believes he's the most relatable to the 'common, everyday people' of anyone in the race. In his bid for the office, Dotson met with several members of Congress on the party's far-right flank, including Marjorie Taylor-Greene of Georgia, Andy Harris of Maryland and Jim Jordan of Ohio. He thinks his rightward positioning will help him in a primary setting. 'The people, especially true conservatives, are tired of politics as usual. They're looking for a candidate who's real, who's not a career politician,' Dotson said. 'Everybody that comes into this race will be to my left and people will know that.' The Democrats running — former state Rep. Cherlynn Stevenson and former Lexington-Fayette Urban County Councilman David Kloiber — remained focused on their primary challenges when asked about the recent shakeup. But Jared Smith, a Lexington-based Democratic consultant and lobbyist, said the move should excite Democrats. 'Due to Bledsoe's history in Lexington and her family's history, she was going to be able to get votes in Fayette that usually would have gone to a Democrat. That was her biggest strength, and I don't think Alvarado or another candidate is as capable of doing that,' Smith said. This latest development may not be the final domino to fall this month, or even this week. Many insiders still expect state Rep. Deanna Gordon, R-Richmond, to get in the race, adding both a regional element – Madison County is a large and growing part of the district – and a potentially new message to the race. Barbecue season is officially in full swing. One way you can tell is the Republican candidates' for U.S. Senate social media pages. Both former Attorney General Daniel Cameron and U.S. Rep. Andy Barr have been putting in their steps at events like the Campbellsville Fourth of July Parade and Nicholas County's Blackberry Festival Parade. Barr's team has emphasized his 'hustle' in social media posts, highlighting the fact that he's flown back and forth from Washington to Kentucky to meet voters and make big decisions. In a span of just over 24 hours, Barr voted for Trump's massive budget bill, flew back to Kentucky for a parade, went to two Fourth of July events in Kentucky in the morning and made it back to Washington in time for the bill signing. And yes, he made sure to make it into the group photo for the signing. Meanwhile, Lexington tech and insurance entrepreneur Nate Morris is still in the key stage of his campaign where he needs to define himself to voters — not least of all because political action committees sympathetic to his opponents are working hard to define him negatively. Enter the ad titled 'Who is Nate Morris.' The video drives home Morris' humble roots, being raised by a single mother and connects those to his support for Trump as an 'outsider' and businessman. The ad strikes a more a positive chord than Morris' first forays into the political sphere, which branded him as a pugnacious anti-McConnell warrior. The ad will be distributed digitally. It comes around the same time that Morris' campaign announced it would put a seven-figure investment behind the ad 'Garbage Day,' which features the politician 'taking out the trash' and throwing representations of McConnell, Barr and Cameron into a garbage truck. That ad will air on all television markets in the state, according to a campaign spokesperson. Gov. Andy Beshear is putting his name, face and message out far and wide. This past Sunday alone, he joined two of the top news programs to discuss how the so-called 'Big, Beautiful Bill' will affect states like Kentucky. On CNN, Beshear framed the bill as 'an attack on rural America,' due to the estimates that it will result in fewer people receiving health insurance from Medicaid and could hurt the bottom line of many rural hospitals. The 'America' phrasing was likely no accident. Beshear has not been coy about the possibility of running for president in 2028. In fact, most connected Democrats in Kentucky and Washington believe he'll go for it. That was highlighted in a recent interview with Vanity Fair, a prominent national magazine, that dubbed him 'an attractive Democratic presidential candidate' and 'a particularly effective messenger' in this moment. 'Beshear, 47, is a particularly effective messenger right now not simply because he is passionate and articulate, but because strenuous partisanship is not his natural style. Quite the opposite, in fact,' author Chris Smith wrote. When asked if he'd run for the White House, Beshear gave what's become his stock answer of late: I'll think about it, eventually. 'Two years ago, I wouldn't have considered [running for president],' he says. 'But if I'm somebody who could maybe heal and bring the country back together, I'll think about it after next year.' The very early polling has Beshear running behind some of the bigger names in the party, many of whom have already run. Emerson Polling has Beshear at 2% among Democratic primary voters, coming in 9th place alongside prominent Democrats like governors JB Pritzker of Illinois, Wes Moore of Maryland and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lexington state senator ends speculation, says she won't run for Congress
State Sen. Amanda Mays Bledsoe is not running for Congress after all. After months of speculation about the Lexington Republican's potential candidacy for the 6th Congressional District — which is set to become vacant with Rep. Andy Barr running for U.S. Senate — Bledsoe closed the door on a run for the district in a Monday interview with the Herald-Leader. The former member of Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council told the Herald-Leader that her decision was informed by a desire to be present for her kids finishing high school and a need for further surgeries to recover from a 2023 accident where a horse kicked her in the face. 'This was not an easy decision, but I know it's the right one. I had every confidence in my ability to win and to serve, but ultimately the timing is just not right for me and my family,' Bledsoe wrote in a statement. 'As I imagined what it would take to fully commit to a campaign and to service in Washington, I kept coming back to Friday night games, school events, and everyday moments I don't want to miss.' On the Republican side, only state Rep. Ryan Dotson, R-Winchester, has declared for the office. However, Bledsoe hinted in her statement that she would support someone who has yet to enter the race. 'A great candidate for this seat will be announcing in the coming days, and I'm going to be all-in with him,' Bledsoe wrote. Moments after Bledsoe's announcement, former GOP state senator and current Tennessee health department commissioner Ralph Alvarado hinted that he'd run for the seat. 'With my dear friend Amanda Mays Bledsoe announcing she's not running for Congress in KY-6, I wanted to let everyone know that my wife, Dawn, and I are strongly considering this race,' Alvarado wrote. 'Both as a doctor and in public service, my passion has always been in helping as many people as possible.' Two prominent Democrats have declared for the 6th Congressional District. Cherlynn Stevenson, a former member of Democratic House leadership, and David Kloiber, a former Lexington city councilman and mayoral candidate, are both vying for the nomination. Since her election to the state Senate in 2022, Bledsoe has risen the ranks to become vice chair of the powerful Senate Appropriations & Revenue Committee and has been assigned roles covering weighty issues like artificial intelligence. Bledsoe's state Senate district covers a swath of South Lexington as well as Woodford, Mercer and Boyle counties. Some Republicans saw her as the prohibitive favorite in the race for the 6th Congressional District nomination. Former state representative Killian Timoney called her the 'class entry' that would scare Democrats because of her bipartisan and policy bona fides. 'There are a lot of really good potential candidates, but if you're asking my opinion of who the class entry is on that one, it's definitely Amanda. I don't think there's a Democrat out there that could beat her,' Timoney said in April. Now, some politicos believe Bledsoe's deferral changes the calculus. 'Sen. Bledsoe was the clear frontrunner in the field with her high name ID in Fayette County combined with strong fundraising ability, support from a wide cross-section of the party, and vast policy skills,' T.J. Litafik, a Lexington-based GOP consultant, said. 'Her decision not to run throws the nomination wide open and could very well make for an especially competitive and interesting primary next May.'
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kentucky bill targets use of 'deceptive' AI images, videos in elections
Two Kentucky lawmakers want to establish regulations around artificial intelligence in the public sector. Sen. Amanda Mays Bledsoe, R-Lexington, filed Senate Bill 4, which addresses AI use in state agencies and concerns around AI-generated misinformation in elections. The bill creates guidelines for state government that require departments to disclose the use of AI systems, conduct risk assessments and obtain approval from the Commonwealth Office of Technology before implementation, according to a press release. The bill also requires the office to establish an AI oversight committee to develop AI use standards, among other provisions. In the release, Bledsoe said SB 4 ensures "AI is used transparently, responsibly and with human accountability at every level." Bledsoe co-chaired the 2024 Artificial Intelligence Task Force alongside Rep. Josh Bray, R-Mount Vernon, who filed similar legislation in the House. Outside state agencies, her bill requires disclosure for AI-generated content in political messaging and institutes legal remedies for candidates targeted by "deceptive" media, including digitally-altered images, audio and video. According to the bill's language, a candidate may "bring an action for damages against the sponsor of the electioneering communication," which includes any communication spread by "cable, internet, television, radio or printed in a newspaper." Electioneering communication does not include news articles, editorial endorsements, opinions or letters to the editor printed in a newspaper or magazine "not owned or controlled by a candidate, committee or political party," among other exceptions. Senate President Robert Stivers previously told reporters legislation regarding AI would likely be brought up during this year's session. "Having appropriate notifications and disclosures (of uses of) AI, I think that's the realm (the legislation will) be in," Stivers said in early February. "But I want to say this, it is so fast changing, it's hard to keep up." Other state legislatures have also introduced restrictions and disclosures around AI. Utah, for example, passed a bill last year requiring specific entities to disclose when generative AI is used, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In a statement, Bledsoe said her legislation is aimed at protecting Kentuckians in the future. "As artificial intelligence becomes more integrated into government operations, we need to establish clear guidelines now to protect Kentuckians into the future, because it's going to be a challenge to keep up with this technology as it is," she said. Reach reporter Hannah Pinski at hpinski@ or follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @hannahpinski. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky bills tackle use of AI in elections, state agencies
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Artificial intelligence ‘framework' bill filed for Kentucky government
FRANKFORT, Ky. (FOX 56) — The deadline has passed for new bills in the Kentucky Senate. Among the priority bills filed Tuesday is a framework for how artificial intelligence can be used in state government. 'This is the beginning of the conversation, and it's hard to navigate the space exactly right,' Sen. Amanda Mays Bledsoe (R-Lexington) told FOX 56 News. Artificial intelligence 'framework' bill filed for Kentucky government University of Kentucky pitches in for Eastern Kentucky flood relief Horse pulled from mud, floodwaters outside of Irvine Artificial intelligence technology is evolving by the day, and lawmakers are making it a priority to create some guidelines for how the technology is used within the state government and all the different agencies that keep Kentucky running. 'There's great tools that we can use to improve services and customer relationships, constituent relationships as a state, and I hope that will lean into that space and be more efficient as a state government,' Bledsoe said. After co-chairing the General Assembly's AI task force over the last year, Sen. Amanda Mays Bledsoe has filed Senate Bill 4. Fellow co-chair Rep. Josh Bray has filed an identical bill in his chamber. The bill would outline the ways the state government can use higher-risk predictive or generative AI, set up a standards committee deciding where the technology is appropriate, and require cabinets to disclose how they use it and where they'd suggest using it. 'The bill is strong; there's a lot in the bill. And yet we also decided not to go as far as we could have gone in some of the free speech areas,' Bledsoe said. Senate kicks off consideration of budget resolution to advance Trump agenda Artificial intelligence 'framework' bill filed for Kentucky government Trump says Zelensky 'should have never started' war with Russia Another portion of the bill addresses elections and would require disclosure of AI-generated material but would not expressly prohibit it in political messaging. As for the AI tools available to almost everyone else, such as ChatGPT, this bill would not touch. Bledsoe hopes Congress can take the lead in that area. 'I really hope they take a look this year in trying to provide some consumer protection and a framework for AI federally in the private sector so we can just maintain really what we're doing for state government here in Kentucky,' she said. The bill now begins the legislative process. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
