Matt Nunn, left, and Kiana Fields are running for the state Senate seat being vacated by Republican Floor Leader Damon Thayer.
With Senate Republican Floor Leader Damon Thayer planning to step down from office, two candidates are seeking to replace him in the 17th Senate District.
Matt Nunn, a veteran and executive at Toyota Tsusho America, is running to continue the district’s Republican control while Kiana Fields, who works in higher education, hopes to flip the seat blue. The 17th Senate District includes Grant and Scott counties and parts of Fayette and Kenton counties.
In recent interviews with the Kentucky Lantern, both Nunn and Fields spoke about the importance of education to their respective campaigns. Nunn said public education was the top issue that drove him into the race, and added that “it’s very important to me that our public schools are effective” and prepare students to contribute to society and the workforce. He and his wife attended public school as their kids do now.
This fall, Kentucky voters will decide to adopt or reject a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the General Assembly to fund nonpublic schools, such as private or charter schools. It will be Amendment 2 on the ballot.
Nunn predicted that if the amendment passes, the legislature would look at ways to support public charter schools and would carefully review the SEEK formula to continue supporting public schools.
“Number one, I’ve said this many times, I’ll say it again, they’re not voting for a king, they’re voting for a representative,” he said. “And so I would let the results from my district guide how I might legislate on the issue, because that’s my job in a representative democracy.”
Fields works as a research and education coordinator at the University of Louisville to recruit future health professionals. She said she would support policies to retain and recruit teachers and incorporate the voices of students and parents and ensure curriculum meets needs of businesses and postsecondary institutions.
“I think that we have turned critical problems into political messages instead of looking at them as problems to be solved that (would) help improve the lives of everyday Kentuckians,” Fields said.
Kentucky Senate District 17. (Legislative Research Commission)
Fields said other policy areas she hopes to address if elected include access to quality and affordable health care, which includes making sure that insurance and Medicaid covers health care needs of Kentuckians. She also has an interest in making sure certificate of need laws “are up to date and are meeting the needs of our communities.” She said she believes CON laws should be kept on the books but supports looking for opportunities to reform.
State lawmakers have discussed CON in recent legislative sessions, and that conversation is expected to continue in the future.
Nunn said he is supportive of CON laws but does believe there could be room for improvement. Other policies he is supportive of are lowering the state income tax to 0% and tough on crime policies. As a veteran, he also has interest in creating policies in that area as well as agriculture.
The 17th Senate District, which includes a growing suburban region just outside of the Lexington area, has become one of the fastest growing areas in Kentucky in recent years.
In the 2023 gubernatorial election, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear won three of the four counties in the district. Fields said the governor’s success in the district shows that approaching an election “looking at people first” is something that will help her in this race.
“This is home for a lot of us. My family’s been in this district since the 1840s which is unique as a Black woman, and my legacy is here, and so I love this place, and I will make sure, and will always be a part of the good fight, to make sure that generations to come will be able to thrive in this district and in this commonwealth,” Fields said.
Thayer has held the Senate seat for 21 years. Nunn said Thayer “has been a very consequential legislator” for both the district and the entire state. Thayer backed Nunn during the primary election and recently hosted a fundraiser for him.
“I think everything I’m seeing tells me that this is a conservative-minded district,” Nunn said.
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