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Erin Marshall, the Frankfort Democrat challenging Rep. James Comer (R-Frankfort) says she knew from the start that the incumbent would be disinclined to debate her.
“We’ve seen how he responds when smart people are questioning him and are willing to push back on him,” she said. “But, honestly, if I were him, I wouldn’t want to debate me, either.”
Marshall, a 30-year-old single mom making her first run for public office, brought her campaign to Paducah Sunday night, speaking at a rally hosted by a quartet of local Democrats, including a UAW retiree. About 65 supporters gathered at Paducah Beer Werks, a bar-eatery, where she gave a short speech. Fredrick Fountain of Paducah, a Democrat taking on Republican First District State Rep. Steven Rudy (R-Paducah) also spoke briefly. Both candidates are Kentucky State AFL-CIO-endorsed.
“We know that James Comer’s record when it comes to unions is 12 percent and an F score,” said Marshall, referring to Comer’s lifetime grade on the AFL-CIO’s Legislative Scorecard. It rates senators and representatives from zero to 100 percent on where they “stand on issues important to working families, including strengthening Social Security and Medicare, freedom to join a union, improving workplace safety, and more.”
Comer voted the union position on legislation 10 percent of the time in 2023, when the most recent scorecard was issued.
District Democrats say Marshall is the first viable Democrat to run in the First since former Marshall County Sheriff turned U.S. Marshal Brian Roy tossed his hat in the ring two dozen years ago. Roy lost to Republican Ed Whitfield, whom Comer succeeded. The district, which now sprawls more than 300 miles east from Fulton County to Frankfort, has grown steadily more Republican since.
Marshall has fired up organized labor, which considers Comer one of the most anti-union lawmakers in Washington. Unions are a big part of Marshall’s base. “As a daughter of parents who both own small businesses, I know how much better middle class families do when unions are thriving,” she said. “Comer has helped to pass many bills that negatively impact the middle class. He accepts support from large corporations. We have to have someone in Washington who will fight for working families every day, which I will do.”
Donald Trump carried the First District and Kentucky in blowouts in 2016 and 2020, and he is expected to romp again next month.
Meanwhile, Marshall, a progressive, says unions are especially “lucky to have President Biden. We have seen the huge gains in membership unions have made during his presidency. He has been the most pro-union president since Roosevelt.”
Marshall strongly supports AFL-CIO-endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris against Trump. “It is so important that we have a Congress that will work with President Harris. That won’t happen unless we flip the House.”
Marshall said she plans to campaign hard right up to election day. “We have a big final push to make sure we are ramping up the vote. We’re going to work hard on the doors and we have a big digital advertising push that we are doing.”
Marshall is going door to door herself. “I knocked the door of one of my neighbors the other day. She was a little hesitant to tell me what her thoughts were, but she said that she was really grateful that I was out knocking myself. She hadn’t seen any candidates do that before on either side. She was happy that I was willing to go out and do the hard work myself. Those are some of the really amazing conversations that I’ve had.”
Click here to donate to the Marshall campaign.
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