With no political experience and a background in the church, Nancy Jo Kemper is an unprecedented candidate for the Commonwealth.

Kemper is a minister turned democrat looking to represent the sixth congressional district and her policy suggestions come from a homegrown concern and passion for Kentuckians. She is a Lexington native and has spent much of her career in public service. She advocates for the minimum wage to be increased, lowered interest rates for student loans, separation of church and state, and an increased amount of green dot programs. 

Kemper is fierce in her viewpoints and sees her drastic differences from opponent Republican Rep. Andy Barr as a strength rather than a weakness. Through her involvement with the interfaith alliance and the Lexington human rights council, Kemper has exemplified a strong sense of compassion and understanding for human need over corporate greed.

Kemper has no background in politics and views herself as a Washington outsider. She has become involved in government simply from a place of passion and concern for the place she calls home.

While Kemper sees this as a positive, it is concerning that she might not know how to work Congress, if elected. Having people support her ideas and bills is important and with hardly any connections upon arrival to D.C., Kemper will have to reach across the aisle in order to serve effectively. Kentucky has too much on the line for our state representatives to be ineffective, especially in the current political climate.

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Also concerning is Kemper’s contempt for Gov. Matt Bevin. She has actively been an advocate for his impeachment. While Bevin has been widely criticized by members of both parties, it is important for our leaders to be able to communicate effectively with each other for the sake of productivity.

On the other hand, if elected, Kemper has no strings to pull for other congress members and won’t be influenced by corporate sponsorship or private donors, making her a trustworthy spokeswoman for the people of her district. As a strong woman and with a history of activism and protest, Kemper could easily use her initiative to connect with other representatives and get things done.

While current seat-holder Barr has been criticized for the amount of money he has made from corporate sponsors, Kemper has very few private influencers which makes her trustworthy in comparison.

It is clear Kemper cares about Kentucky and cares even more about its people. Her lack of experience in politics is both heartening and concerning, but her experience with human need and public service is nothing short of exemplary.

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