Louisville Democratic Party leaders were energized at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago last week, Chairman Logan Gatti said as they watched Vice President Kamala Harris accept the party’s presidential nomination.
Now they have to think about the next elections.
The same day Harris spoke at the convention, Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams said he had interpreted a state Supreme Court ruling on the controversy surrounding the Democratic nomination for the 40th House District as “an instruction to me to determine that a vacancy exists in this race” and called on both parties to nominate a candidate for the office before the general election in November.
Now, Gatti said, the local party will choose its candidate before the weekend begins, as the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office said ballots would be printed in less than three weeks.
Louisville Democrats plan to convene the party’s nominating committee on Friday to interview interested applicants and nominate a candidate for the office that evening. Those interested in the nomination must apply by 5 p.m. Thursday using a form on the party’s website.
“The whole idea was to get things done as efficiently as possible in case other problems arose,” said Gatti, who was elected chairman of the local party in May.
Incumbent Rep. Nima Kulkarni is also expected to be in the race. James Craig, the attorney who represented her after her eligibility was challenged in a court case this summer, said last week that she plans to seek the nomination because Adams’ testimony was interpreted as a clear path for her to get back into the race.
But like every other twist in the case, it may not be that simple. Steven Megerle, the attorney who filed the lawsuit against Kulkarni, continues to push to remove her from the race in a motion filed Friday, a day after Adams’ testimony.
Read the rest in the Courier-Journal.
