Northern Kentucky will see a change of government in Frankfort during the next legislative session, as two long-serving state senators are resigning after decades in office.
Senate Majority Leader Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, and Sen. John Schickel, R-Confederate, announced last fall that they would not run for reelection. Republicans are fighting for a chance to pick up two of Northern Kentucky's five state Senate seats.
Both the 11th and 17th districts are Republican strongholds.
In District 17, Matt Nunn and Julia Juddock are running to represent southern Kenton County, parts of Grant and Scott counties, and the northwest corner of Fayette County.
Mr. Thayer has served as district representative since 2003.
The Enquirer asked Republican candidates where they stand on the issues that matter most to voters. Below are the candidates' statements.
Note: Democrat Kiana Fields is also running for the 17th District. She is not included in this article because she does not have a contested primary.
Who are the Republican candidates running for Congress?
Mr. Juddock, 57, attended Western Governors University, an online university based in Salt Lake City. She is a former teacher and currently works as a volunteer at the nondenominational Central Church in Georgetown. She is a first-time political candidate.
She has four children and is a former business owner.
Nunn, 46, attended Eastern Kentucky University. He is vice president of enterprise risk management for Toyota Tsusho America in Georgetown. He also runs his own Irish bar, Slainte Public House, which offers food and live music. He also served in the Kentucky Army National Guard. He is a first-time political candidate.
He is married and has two children.
What do you think about January 6th?
Jadoc: “A small group of rebels made bad choices that should never have happened. Rebellion is not the right word.
“There were some people destroying property and things like that. … But at the same time, if you look at the video footage, people were almost pushed into the Capitol, and certainly the Capitol Police were standing there. People were walking peacefully. If it was an area they weren't supposed to be in, “why weren't they stopped?” That's the question I asked myself. ”
naan: “I think there are a lot of people out there who love their country and are patriots and have gone there to make sure their voices are heard. I think there may always be a small percentage of the population who accept, too, in faraway places, and I think that's probably what happened there.
“If you break into a building or steal something, it's a crime for anyone. … Some people say they were let in or they were led inside, but I don't know, I wasn't there. …Is the crime now a felony or a misdemeanor?”
If former President Donald Trump is convicted, will you vote for him?
Jadoc: “Yes, I will definitely do that.
“I believe the Department of Justice is being used to weaponize our former president. … I believe he will and should be acquitted of any charges.”
naan: “I will absolutely vote for President Donald Trump. … In both cases (the charges in New York and Georgia) appear to be politically motivated attacks.
“I hope everyone is open-minded enough that once they get more information they might change their minds, but as of today, I fully support Donald Trump. We hope he ends up being the Republican nominee and on the ballot this fall.
Are there any groups that are discriminated against? What kind of groups? What should we do about it?
Jadoc: “When I was young, I think I suffered from discrimination because I was poor. I think poverty is very difficult and carries a lot of weight for people. And what can we do about it? I I think we just have to continue to provide resources. We have an organization called “Transform Scott County” that provides resources called Circles… so we can make an impact on poverty. And I really believe that poverty is one of the hardest hit areas when it comes to discrimination. ”
Asker's Note: According to Transform Scott County WebsiteCircles is an 18-month program that connects people living in poverty with church and adult leaders who help them “develop goals and future plans to lift themselves out of poverty.”
naan: “I think probably every person in this country has suffered discrimination in some form or fashion at some point in their lives, whether it's because of their race, religion, gender, economic status, or what part of the country they come from. We don't know if we'll be able to get rid of them completely until the day Jesus returns.”
What changes would you make to the immigration system and pathways to citizenship?
Jadoc: “I like to think of immigrants as a kind of household. With my income, I can probably take two or three people into my household. Bring them in and take care of them. You can… But when you start hosting 20, 30 people, my house can't pay the mortgage anymore… So we look at the boundaries and say, “OK, my household budget is… If you start saying, “I'm completely open,'' then, yeah, there's a disconnect with reality. If there is a rule of law, we need to enforce that law…and one of those things is to secure our borders. So we need to maintain our borders and allow legal immigration. ”
naan: “We have to secure our borders. It's essential. … We have to have a path to citizenship. We have to admit immigrants. There will always be immigration. , and I think it's always going to be necessary. But it needs to be safe and legal and accessible to everyone who doesn't abide by what our Congress has decided is safe and legal. You shouldn't be here. ”
What if there was a role for government to play in health care decisions?
Jadoc: “The smaller the government, the better off we are. So let the free market solve that problem. I want accountability in health care. When people walk into a hospital, , I know all the price tags of what I am.'' I don't see why you can't do that. ”
naan: “I believe that medical decisions should be made between individuals and their physicians.…There are cases where we do not allow individuals and their physicians to have free decision-making capacity. For example, assisted suicide is permitted. We haven't…If we just do that, if we let individuals and doctors do whatever they want, we could end up with a situation where doctors do assisted suicide, but that's not what our society wants. I don't think it's necessary or necessary. So I think it's up to our society as a whole to decide what's appropriate and put those kinds of rules and safeguards in place. .”
Where do you stand on the issue of abortion? Gun rights?
Jadoc: “I believe that life begins with pregnancy and that we need to protect life. Once life begins, we cannot accept it…We must first protect the mother's life (and the unborn child's life). We need to value the lives of people.”
“I believe and agree that felons of a certain level should not be allowed to possess firearms. I think there's a point there. Red flag (law)? Absolutely not. That's the U.S. Constitution. It's a slippery slope that erodes the Second Amendment, and we need to protect it.”
naan: “I'm 100% pro-life. I think our legislature made the right decision. I think Congress protects both the child and the mother. So the mother's life was at risk and she It is appropriate that current legislation allows this if the person is exposed to ”
“I support the Second Amendment 100%. There should be no restrictions on gun ownership.”