The race for House District 67 might be the most contested legislative race in Northern Kentucky, with incumbent Rachel Roberts (D-Newport) facing Republican challenger Jerry Gearding.
LINK nky originally scheduled both candidates for a forum on Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. on our Facebook page. Gearding backed out of the forum, so Roberts will appear alone to answer questions.
Though Democrats have long held the district, 2022 redistricting made it more rural and Republican. It contains all of Northern Kentucky’s northernmost river cities east of the Licking River – Newport, Dayton, and Bellevue, all of which went Democratic in the 2020 presidential election.
While there is a slight advantage in Democratic voters (48.9% Democrats, and 48.6% Republicans), the new district contains more Republican-leaning cities in Wilder, Southgate, Highland Heights, and now parts of Fort Thomas and Cold Spring.
Roberts was elected to the open seat after Democrat Dennis Keene accepted a position in Gov. Andy Beshear’s cabinet as commissioner of Local Government. Keene held the seat from 2005 to 2019.
Assuming the role in 2020, Roberts introduced legislation for recreational cannabis during the 2022 session that didn’t pass. But she does plan to reintroduce a bill in the 2023 session.Â
“I will once again file a comprehensive cannabis bill,” Roberts said.
Roberts also said she is working on bills to expand healthcare and mental healthcare access across the Commonwealth. She also wants to work on legislation to address affordable housing, an issue facing the country and the state.
“I have spent much of the interim session researching affordable housing legislation throughout the U.S. to see what Kentucky may be able to do to protect renters and expand attainable housing options,” she said.
While Roberts plans for 2023 include housing and healthcare, it’s the legislation introduced during the 2022 session that garnered her an endorsement from the Kentucky Fraternal Order of Police.
She introduced House Bill 206, a bill that decertifies police officers convicted of sexual assault offenses, and it received bicameral support in the legislature.
The Kentucky State Fraternal Order of Police endorsed Roberts because she worked closely with them on HB206 and was one of only four Democrats statewide to receive an endorsement from the FOP.
“That was something that the FOP felt really near and dear to support because we don’t want bad cops on the streets,” said Ryan Straw, the vice president and governmental affairs director for the Kentucky FOP. “Roberts was a champion for that.”
In an unusual move, the FOP spoke out against endorsing Gearding due to his arrest record for domestic violence. The courts dropped the charges after he accepted a diversion requiring him to move out of state briefly in 2020.
Diversion programs allow offenders to seek alternative help in place of charges. In Kentucky, if a defendant completes the provisions of the agreement, they can have their charges dismissed, and it no longer constitutes a criminal conviction.
“I don’t believe that he would represent law enforcement the way that we would hope in Frankfort,” Straw said of Gearding. “Not only has he been accused of those crimes, and had you know, what’s obviously fact in there, guilty or not, I mean, he’s had consistent run-ins with the police.”
Politically, Gearding calls himself a constitutional conservative who said he plans to give voters in the 67th district a representative they can count on to represent the community’s interests.
“When elected, I will never be swayed by the lobbyists, be bullied by the establishment, or worry about personal attacks from the corporate media,” Gearding said.
Kentucky Right to Life, NKY Right to Life, the National Rifle Association (NRA), and Congressman Thomas Massie endorsed Gearding in his run for House Representative.
“I am a common sense, constitutional conservative who supports many of the same pro-freedom, America First policies that Governor Ron DeSantis has implemented in Florida,” Gearding said.
On social media, Gearding often expresses his support of the mendacious story that former President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election due to widespread fraud.
Both candidates fall on party lines regarding their support or opposition to abortion. Gearding is in support of an abortion ban. Roberts is an outspoken critic of the prohibition of abortion in Kentucky.
While redistricting put the district with more Republican-leaning precincts, Roberts has outraised Gearding more than tenfold. According to the Kentucky Registry for Campaign Finance, her total campaign receipts amount to $124,545.94. Gearding’s amount to $8,486.27.
But, Gearding has recently picked up some support from Republican Liberty financiers, with Jim Brueggemann, the CEO of Bavarian Waste, donating $2,000. The Making A Sensible Shift In Elections PAC also donated $1,000. The PAC is supported by Rep. Thomas Massie.
Learn more about Jerry Gearding’s platform at his website. You can also learn more Rep. Rachel Roberts’ platform at her website.