Some Metro Council seats could be decided in primary. Here's what you need to know.
A previous version of this story incorrectly stated which candidates from District 24 races were on the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance's candidate delinquency list, which documents candidates who did not properly submit campaign finance reports. In that district, only Democrat Ryan Vittitow and Republican Ginny Mulvey-Woolridge are on the list.
Louisville Metro Council's 26 members are tasked with representing their district's interests — from proposing new ordinances to making decisions on the city budget.
All 13 even-numbered districts will be on the ballot in November, but before that can happen, Republican and Democratic candidates will run in the primary election to vie for their party's representation on the ballot. Early voting begins Thursday and goes until May 18. Election Day is May 21.
Here are the most contested primary races — and the least.
Which districts might have its seats decided in the primary?
The primary has higher repercussions for some Louisville districts. Six districts have just one party represented in the primary — meaning the winner will either be the lone candidate on the November ballot or face independents. The winners of those primaries have a high likelihood of being their district's council representative.
District 4, which represents parts of Louisville's downtown and surrounding neighborhoods — including Smoketown, California, Clifton Heights and Portland — will see a whopping 10 candidates competing for the Democratic nomination, though no Republicans. While 11 candidates will appear on the ballot, Bobbie James withdrew from the race in March.
Other candidates on the ballot:
Ken Herndon
Dennisha Rivers
Stan Moore
Mary K. Hall
Demetrius McDowell Sr.
Dino Johnson
Joseph "Jody" Dahmer
Bridgett Smith
Joshua Alexander Crowder
Carol Clark
While an independent could run against the Democrat nominee, only Democrats have been elected to the District 4 seat since the city-county merger. Councilman Jecorey Arthur, the current District 4 representative, ran as a Democrat but switched to Independent in the fall of 2023 after expressing frustrations with partisan politics. He does not intend to run again.
Moore and Herndon have the highest dollar campaigns — with Moore coming in at nearly $69,000 — including a $20,000 contribution from himself — and Herndon raising close to $43,000. Both have been affiliated with the Louisville Downtown Partnership and have received donations from downtown developers. Herndon has also received endorsements from three current council members — Brent Ackerson, Andrew Owen and Tammy Hawkins — and former Rep. John Yarmuth.
Joshua Alexander Crowder, a Teamster and Democratic socialist, is also in the race for District 4. He is backed by Teamsters 89 and has been canvassing alongside state Senate candidate Attica Scott.
Recently, District 4 candidates Moore and Hall had a heated exchange over campaign posters. Hall said she saw someone cut down one of her signs near the Kroger on Broadway. Moore denies he instructed anyone to cut down another candidate's signs, but said the man is affiliated with his campaign. Moore also apologized to Hall publicly in a video by livestreamer Maxwell Mitchell.
"Never in a million years would I say, 'Take down an opponent's sign,'" Moore said. "But, at the end of the day, I have to own it. He worked on my campaign, he's representing my campaign, and I'll take the consequences."
Hall did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Tensions have risen in the District 8 primary, too.
Incumbent Ben Reno-Weber, who was appointed to fill the position vacated by state Sen. Cassie Chambers Armstrong and ran to keep it last November, is facing Taylor McGovern-U'Sellis who also threw her hat in the ring to be Chambers Armstrong's replacement in 2023. Reno-Weber is a self-described "social entrepreneur" campaigning on issues including safer and vibrant streets, LGBTQ+ inclusion and public health. McGovern-U'Sellis has focused her campaign on equity, sustainability and housing affordability.
McGovern-U'Sellis has raised a little more than $29,000 compared with Reno-Weber's whopping $127,000 — the most raised by any Louisville Metro Council candidate in this primary. Of his cash, Reno-Weber transferred about $50,000 from his past campaign along with contributions from well-known donors including Emily Bingham, Teamsters 89 and Jack Harlow — Reno-Weber's first cousin once removed.
On social media, McGovern-U'Sellis called herself the "actual Democrat" on the ballot, criticizing Reno-Weber for voting in favor of the new police contract and not finding Councilman Anthony Piagentini guilty on all eight of his ethics charges. Reno-Weber voted that Piageninit was guilty of four.
Reno-Weber said he decided to vote in favor of the police contract by trusting committee chair and fellow Democrat Tammy Hawkins' recommendation. Reno-Weber added he voted in favor of charging Piagentini with the violations he had evidence for and his votes were not based on differences in politics.
"If you want to talk about how you want to do this differently than I'm going about it, that makes total sense to me," Reno-Weber said. "Let's have that conversation, but it all seems to be, 'Oh, these Republicans are less scared of you than they are of me, and that's bad.'"
Reno-Weber emphasized the importance of being able to work with those who have differing political beliefs. McGovern-U'Sellis said, if elected, she would also be willing to work across the aisle.
"I'm happy to work with people on policy that'll help our city, on policy that will move things forward and will not harm citizens of the district or the city of Louisville," she said.
Grow Together Louisville, a nonpartisan development-centered "unauthorized campaign committee," spent money on some council candidates — including Reno-Weber — and purchased ads for them through a marketing firm called Majority Strategies, which touts its ability to get Republicans elected. McGovern-U'Sellis said she also met with people from Grow Together Louisville but did not fully understand what they stood for at the time. She added the group does not represent her values.
Reno-Weber said he was invited to the initial meeting by someone in the affordable housing space, did not realize it was a "PAC" meeting and their support was not "a thing I could control." Grow Louisville Together does not have the official designation of "PAC" but it functions similarly to one. It can make independent expenditures only, like paying for advertising, but is not authorized by candidates.
District 6 Democrat incumbent Phillip Baker also had ads paid for by Grow Louisville Together and produced by Majority Strategies.
"These are calculated investments because they know who will represent their interests faithfully — and who will stand up to them to represent you instead. I don't take their contributions because I don't work for them," wrote one of Baker's opponents, Democratic socialist JP Lyninger. "They don't offer them because they believe me when I say that."
Baker, who was appointed after David James joined Mayor Craig Greenberg's administration as deputy mayor and ran to keep his seat last November, is facing Lyninger and Kate Dittmeier Holm, an attorney, for the nomination.
"While my opponent wants to talk about campaign structure and who is donating to who, I am talking with voters about the issues that matter to them — continuing to make our neighborhoods safe, clean and vibrant," Baker said. "I also want to note that everyone has a seat at my table — including developers and businesses. When we work together we get better results.”
Lyninger said he is fighting for those people, too.
"My only priorities are the working class people of District 6 and the rest of Louisville," Lyninger wrote to The Courier Journal. "The status quo is that the developers and other big donors will have their needs taken care of while the rest of the city sees critical social services and public interests criminally underfunded. I will not be a party to that, and like the people I meet on the doors when I'm canvassing they believe me when I say that."
In District 2, longtime councilmember Barbara Shanklin is facing newcomer Latosha Harrison, who started the Louisville Parent Teacher Organization, according to her website.
Harrison is campaigning on unity, economic development and community, among other values. Shanklin has been on the council since the city-county merger and chairs the Equity, Community Affairs, Housing, Health and Education Committee.
Shanklin has received donations from several notable people in Louisville Metro Government including Mayor Craig Greenberg, Mayor's Office Chief of Staff David Kaplan, James and Councilwoman Tammy Hawkins.
Other districts with only one party running are District 10 and District 26 though those races have just one person running. Current state Rep. Josie Raymond is the sole candidate for District 10 and incumbent Brent Ackerson is the only candidate for District 26, but both could face independent challengers in November.
Which districts will set the stage for a typical general election?
Seven districts — 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 and 24 — have at least one Democrat and one Republican running.
District 12 will see the most competitive Louisville Metro Council Republican primary for 2024, with three people running for the nomination: Jonathan "JJ" Joseph, Ryan Thompson and Jennifer Fox Brown. The winner will face incumbent Democrat Rick Blackwell, who has been a member of the Metro Council since the city-county merger and previously served as council president.
In District 18, which includes parts of Douglass Hills, Hurstbourne, Jeffersontown, Lyndon and Anchorage, incumbent Marilyn Parker is being challenged by Bonnie Jung, mayor of Douglass Hills. Parker and Jung's campaign donations are neck-in-neck, at almost $20,000 and $17,000, respectively. The Republican primary winner will face Democrat Mera Kathryn Corlett in November.
District 20's Stuart Benson, a Republican who has been on council since the city-county merger, is also facing a strong primary challenger. Brian Abrams, who has served on the Jeffersontown City Council for two terms, is looking to win the Republican nomination. The winner will face Democrat Marita Willis in November.
District 14 sees two Republicans — Crystal Bast and Crystal Ann Barajas — and three Democrats, including incumbent Cindi Fowler, in the primary. District 16 has just one candidate in each party: Republican Scott Reed and Democrat Matthew Golden.
What might the new council look like?
There will be at least four new faces on the Metro Council following the 2024 election cycle. Incumbents Madonna Flood, Robin Engel, Pat Mulvihill and Arthur are not running, meaning Districts 4, 10, 22 and 24 will have a new representative in January 2025.
Two of those districts — 10 and 22 — have current state representatives vying for the seat. Raymond is the only person running in the District 10 primary. In District 22, Republican Rep. Kevin Bratcher is facing Robert Zoeller.
Zoeller ran for the seat in 2012, but lost to Engel. Zoeller was inspired to run against Bratcher because, unlike Bratcher, he is not a "career politician." He has spent nothing on his campaign, according to the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance (KREF).
Bratcher feels confident in his primary, though, he told The Courier Journal.
District 24, currently held by Flood, a Democrat, will see two Democrats up against each other: Ryan Vittitow and Tyra Thomas-Walker. Vittitow and the Republican challenger, Ginny Mulvey-Woolridge, are both on KREF's candidate delinquency list, which lists people who did not properly submit campaign finance reports.
Reach reporter Eleanor McCrary at EMcCrary@courier-journal.com or at @ellie_mccrary on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: 2024 Kentucky Primary: Louisville Metro Council seats up for grabs
