The Louisville Republican Party announced Tuesday its executive committee selected retired U.S. Army veteran Calvin Leach as its candidate for the upcoming special election to fill the recently vacated state Senate seat in Louisville’s South End.
The day before, the Louisville Democratic Party announced that Gary Clemons is its nominee. The two lifelong residents of Louisville’s South End will battle to fill the seat vacated by former state Sen. David Yates, a Democrat.
Leach retired from the U.S. Army in February and previously worked at Electrolux, UPS, JustFab and Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. He has also been a legislative assistant with Louisville Metro Council and interned with Kentucky Refugee Ministries while in graduate school.
Don Fitzpatrick, the chair of the Jefferson County Republican Party, said in a statement that Leach is an “outstanding choice” to represent Republicans on the ballot. Leach ran against Yates last year as well, falling short by about 20 percentage points.
“Having recently retired from the U.S. Army, Calvin is patriotic, community-oriented and disciplined,” Fitzpatrick said. “Calvin is well aware of the challenges and opportunities in Senate District 37 and we look forward to actively supporting his candidacy.”
Clemons is a U.S. Army veteran and president of United Steelworkers Local 1693. He’s also a lifelong south Louisville resident who has worked at American Synthetic Rubber Company 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.”
Louisville Democratic Party Chair Logan Gatti 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 is on Dec. 16, according to Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams. The deadline to register to vote is Nov. 17.
Gov. Andy Beshear called for a special election after state senator Democrat David Yates was selected to become the Jefferson County County Clerk to replace longtime Republican Bobbie Holclaw. 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. 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, according to the Kentucky Democratic Party.
Whoever is elected to replace Yates in December will hold onto the seat until coming up for reelection in 2028.
