Democrats in Kentucky suffered a major blow after state Sen. Robin Webb, a Democrat representing the 18th State Senate district, announced she would be changing her party affiliation to Republican, stating the Democratic Party “left me.” This has become something of a trend in recent years as the Democratic Party shifts further and further to the left.
Webb was first elected to the Kentucky State House of Representatives in 1998, after trouncing Republican Ramona Gee. The 18th District is one of the rural portions of the state, which is why Webb’s defection is devastating for Democrats, who have historically had a stronghold on these regions, largely thanks to union workers and the coal industry.
Speaking with a local news outlet from Louisville, Gov. Andy Beshear said that he “would consider” taking a shot at the White House in 2028, but thanks to Webb switching parties, he’s going to face additional challenges when it comes to mobilizing the state’s party ahead of the upcoming midterms in less than a year.
“Like countless other Kentuckians, [Webb] has recognized that the policies and objectives of today’s Democratic Party are simply not what they once were, and do not align with the vast majority of Kentuckians,” Republican Party of Kentucky Chairman Robert Benvenuti went on to say of Webb’s joining the GOP.
“I always respected that [Webb] approached issues in a very thoughtful and commonsense manner, and that she never failed to keenly focus on what was best for her constituents,” Benvenuti continued. “It is my pleasure to welcome Sen. Robin Webb to the Republican Party.”
According to the New York Post, Webb said in her statement, “First and foremost, I’m a mother, a rancher and a lawyer with deep personal and professional roots in Kentucky’s coal country,” Webb explained. “As the Democratic Party continues its lurch to the left and its hyperfocus on policies that hurt workforce and economic development in my region, I no longer feel it represents my values.”
Kentucky’s attorney general’s office, secretary of state, and both chambers of the state legislature, are Republican, which is why many feel Beshear will have a hard time getting much of his agenda for the Bluegrass State implemented. The state’s Democratic Party had a lot to say about the switch, some of it a little less than intelligent, such as stating that Webb “isn’t a Democrat.” That would probably be why she’s switched to the GOP.
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“Senator Webb has chosen to join a political party that is currently working around the clock to take health care away from over a million Kentuckians, wipe out our rural hospitals, take food off the table of Kentucky families and take resources away from our public schools,” Kentucky Democratic Party Chair Colmon Elridge said in comments given to Fox News Digital. “If those are her priorities, then we agree: she isn’t a Democrat.”
Webb explained that it’s not her values that have changed, but those of the party she previously belonged to. “While it’s cliche, it’s true: I didn’t leave the party — the party left me.”
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video