Courtesy of Kentucky Lantern
Four Democratic candidates vying to represent Kentucky in the U.S. Senate were asked in a forum Tuesday evening whether they would support government shutdowns if elected and discussed Republican President Donald Trump’s war in Iran.
The candidates—Charles Booker, Amy McGrath, Dale Romans and Pamela Stevenson—appeared side by side in the forum hosted by Louisville TV station WHAS and the Louisville Courier Journal. National security issues were frequently discussed, as Trump had threatened to wipe out “a whole civilization” if Iran did not open the Strait of Hormuz.
Shortly before the debate began, Trump announced that he agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran.
Booker, a former state representative, and McGrath, a former Marine fighter pilot, both referenced Trump’s threats in their opening remarks. Both Booker and McGrath have previously sought election to the U.S. Senate.
Booker said that Trump’s social media posts had been “essentially threatening genocide,” and that is “not something that we can hand wave away.”
“We are in a moment where democracy is at stake—humanity is at stake—and so this conversation is not just about what we need as Kentuckians. It’s about our very future,” Booker said. “And I’m offering today an opportunity for us to talk about addressing structural issues, ending generational poverty, standing up for Kentuckians with ideas that meet our needs, and not giving excuses that our challenges are too crazy to meet.”
McGrath began by saying “what is happening in our country today is dangerous and not normal” and noted that the debate began an hour before the deadline Trump had announced, calling him “reckless” for “threatening to bomb civilians halfway across the world in a war that he started.”
“That’s not normal, and here in Kentucky, we’re seeing prices for everything through the roof, from rent to utilities to gas prices, now health care, less and less affordable because of these Republicans in Washington,” McGrath said. “Kentucky has this open seat and deserves a senator who will be a voice for all Kentuckians. I am ready on day one to take on the challenges that face us today, particularly in the national security arena.”
Romans, a horse trainer from Louisville who has been aiming to carve out a moderate lane in the primary, focused his opening remarks on his campaign. He said he is “not a typical politician” and noted his work in the horse racing industry. As part of professional associations, he said he ends “up on Capitol Hill or in Frankfort quite a bit.”
“The last time I was on Capitol Hill meeting with a senator, and we sat down, we were talking about immigration reform, and he looked right at me and said, ‘I agree with everything you said, but politics plays a role in everything up here.’ And I was thinking, something’s wrong,” Romans said. “He said, ‘everything has to go through the White House.’ Something’s wrong. And I said, ‘I got to get off the couch, quit complaining and try to do something about it.’”
Stevenson, who is the state House Democratic floor leader, spoke about her experience in the U.S. Air Force and in Frankfort, where she said she works “across the aisle with the Republicans to make sure that Kentuckians have what they need to live,” such as food and health care.
“I’m running for U.S. Senate because the promise of America is being shredded,” Stevenson said. People died for this country so we could be free. I’m here to make sure that their deaths mean something and have something for the future of this country.
The top Republican candidates—U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, former state Attorney General Daniel Cameron and businessman Nate Morris—were invited to participate in a forum, but Michael Faris, a businessman from Elizabethtown, was the only one to respond. He was given a 15-minute interview that aired following the Democrats’ forum.
Asked about where the president’s campaign promises had not aligned with his time in office so far, Faris pointed to the war in Iran, adding that “A lot of people are not too happy with that,” along with the growing affordability issues, such as gas and grocery prices.
“The people in Kentucky are definitely held accountable to the laws every single day, and when they break them, they definitely get held accountable,” Faris said. “And I think the people of Kentucky are looking to make sure that the federal government abides by the laws and rules that are set forth for them as well.”
With their hour, the Democrats also talked about affordability issues, how they would strategize for a general election and how they would help regrow the Kentucky Democratic Party’s influence if elected to the seat currently held by longtime Republican U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, who is not seeking reelection. All of the candidates were critical of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a massive GOP spending plan passed last year that includes cuts to Medicaid over the next decade.
The candidates were asked about the government shutdown and Democrats in the Senate approving U.S. Department of Homeland Security funding after federal ICE officers shot and killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis in January.
Booker said ICE “needs to be abolished” and that “There is no negotiating on this topic.” He also blamed the president for the shutdown and added that “he has to own it.”
McGrath said the shutdown “has been going on for far too long” and admonished the frequency of them. She said that if elected, she would introduce a bill that says during federal shutdowns, members of Congress and their staff would not be paid.
She was critical of ICE, saying what it has done under the Trump administration “is not what we voted for.” She said she would call to “rein in ICE” and direct federal agencies to respect “the basic constitutional rights of any human being in our country.”
Romans said he would “never support a shutdown in Washington for any reason.” If there could be a “line-item shutting down” regarding ICE, Romans said, “maybe.” He said shutdowns can put the country’s security and economy at risk.
“ICE has its place. It needs to be put back where it belongs, on the border, protecting the borders only, not being used as a national police force,” Romans said.
Stevenson said “the government has no right to shut down” or deny SNAP benefits, referring to when the Trump administration had threatened to not process the federal food assistance during the fall government shutdown.
“Whatever is done to working families needs to be done to Congress,” Stevenson said. “We sent them to Washington, D.C., to protect us, to hold us, to make sure that we can live the life in Kentucky. And they failed. They need to stop holding us hostage and allow families to thrive.”
Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
