The head of the Warren County Republican Party says his party’s huge gains in the state House are more evidence of how the GOP has expanded its influence in Kentucky.
Scott Lasley, who is also a political science professor at Western Kentucky University, says the 17 seats Republicans picked up Tuesday are the result of the party’s increased focus on selecting quality candidates.
He says the party is now competitive in parts of the state where it used to not even put up a challenger against Democratic incumbents
If you go back and look at the data and the evolution of open seat races and uncontested races, it’s always that you had a bunch of Democrats that are running uncontested. Now it’s a bunch of Republicans that are uncontested,” Lasley said.
According to Lasley, Republican victories over Democratic House Speaker Greg Stumbo and Owensboro Representative Tommy Thompson would have been unthinkable not too long ago.
The Warren County GOP chairman credits Senator Mitch McConnell with building up the state GOP’s infrastructure and fundraising during his three decades in office.
You can hear our full interview with Lasley by clicking on the “Listen” button above.
