The Louisville Democratic Party announced Monday that Gary Clemons is its nominee for the upcoming special election to fill the recently vacated state Senate seat in Louisville’s South End.
Clemons, a U.S. Army veteran and president of United Steelworkers Local 1693, is a lifelong south Louisville resident who has worked at American Synthetic Rubber Company in Rubbertown since 1996.
Clemons said he personally understands the “struggles of veterans and working families.”
“I’ve spent my life working alongside the people who keep Louisville running — in factories, in unions, and in neighborhoods,” Clemons said in a statement. “Working families deserve a voice in Frankfort that understands their struggles and will fight for their future.”
Logan Gatti, chair of the Louisville Democratic Party, said Clemons is the “kind of leader Kentucky needs” in a statement, saying he “brings a wealth of experience, compassion, and common sense to the table.”
The special election will be held on Dec. 16, according to Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams. The deadline to register to vote is Nov. 14. The Jefferson County Republican Party is expected to vote on their candidate Monday night and announce a candidate Tuesday morning.
Gov. Andy Beshear called for a special election in the district after its state senator, Democrat David Yates, was selected to become the Jefferson County County Clerk to replace longtime Republican Bobbie Holsclaw. Yates was one of only six Democrats left in the state Senate, where he served as the minority whip.
Yates first won election to his state Senate seat in 2020 and won reelection last year by 20 percentage points. According to the Kentucky Democratic Party, the margins were slimmer in the presidential election, with only 52% of voters choosing to vote for Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris the same year.
Whoever is elected to replace Yates in December will hold onto the seat until coming up for reelection in 2028.
