In April, David Corn of Mother Jones dubbed Comer-challenger Erin Marshall’s campaign launch video “the best political video” of the 2024 campaign season. Take a look here:
For the first time, a Kentucky candidate is openly running with a strong, pro-choice message. She is getting high praise from various corners of her district. Berry Craig, a local writer and historian, writes about her candidacy: The buzz continues to grow around Comer’s opponent, Erin Marshall. Craig writes:
Marshall has fired up the faithful in the Purchase — and presumably district-wide — with a cannon shot across Comer’s bow that echoed from Frankfort to Fulton County: a professionally produced campaign rollout video that resurrected old charges — which Comer vehemently denies — that he abused his college sweetheart and took her to have an abortion.
The video is all over social media in the Purchase, as far west as Kentucky goes, and presumably elsewhere in the district.
Louisvillian Bruce Maples, who publishes the Democratic-leaning Forward Kentucky online, was planning just to post Marshall’s news release about the video. But after watching it, he wrote his own story, which turned out to be the week’s most-read post. The video “is one of the best I’ve seen, and I encourage you to both view it and share it,” he urged his readers.
Spectrum News 1 also has a piece up about Marshall: Democrat challenging Rep. James Comer says abortion ban inspired her to run
In this piece she talks about her ad:
“You’ll be running against Congressman James Comer and the choices he’s made … he’s an anti-abortion Republican who once took his girlfriend to get an abortion,” she said in the ad.
Comer has long opposed abortion rights and has an A+ rating by the national organization, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.
During his unsuccessful bid for governor in 2015, he denied a claim from his ex-girlfriend, reported by media outlets, that he had taken her to get an abortion.
Marshall said Wednesday that she hasn’t talked to the woman but feels for her.
“It’s absolutely heartbreaking that if the same thing happened now, she wouldn’t have that option,” Marshall said.
Marshall, now 29 with a 5-year-old son, learned of the unexpected pregnancy at age 24 and made the choice to start her family, but she would have had no choice at all had she learned of the pregnancy now, she said.
She made a reference to the pregnancy in the ad and said to the image in the mirror meant to portray her younger self, “I want you to know it will all work out. The people at Planned Parenthood will be incredibly kind. They’ll tell you it’s your choice with no pressure either way. And you’re lucky you’re making this decision when you do have choices.”
Kentucky’s abortion ban, triggered by the reversal of Roe v. Wade, inspired Marshall to run against Comer, she said.
“He's getting a lot of attention right now for the work that he’s doing with the impeachment (investigation) of President Biden and the attacks he has on his family, and it’s really time to get back to focusing on what matters for Kentuckians and to put aside the political stuff,” she said.
But Erin isn’t just focusing on abortion—she has already earned the endorsement of the Kentucky AFL-CIO. Another blog by Berry Craig gives details: Erin Marshall 'humbled and deeply honored' by state AFL-CIO endorsement :
Comer voted the union position on legislation 10 percent of the time last year and 12 percent of the time he’s been in Congress. When he ran for governor in 2015, Comer said if he won he’d make passing a “right to work” law “his first priority.” (He lost in the GOP primary to pro-RTW Matt Bevin.) Comer is a co-sponsor of HR 1200, a national RTW law. Also, Comer voted against the PRO Act.
Here is Marshall’s statement in response to her endorsement:
I am humbled and deeply honored to receive the endorsement of the AFL-CIO, an organization dedicated to advocating for the rights and dignity of working families.
My journey as a single mother has instilled in me a deep understanding of the challenges faced by hard working Americans striving to provide for their families. When it comes to the serious issues facing working mothers, fathers, and caregivers like fighting for policies that ensure access to affordable childcare, paid family leave, fair wages, and equal pay for equal work, I will never waver. Kentucky needs a fighter in Congress for Kentucky's working families, not a water carrier for the billionaire class.
The endorsement and billboard
Four Rivers Indivisible, of which I am a co-leader, is proud to announce its own endorsement of Erin Marshall. It’s so great to have such a strong candidate in a district that has had a hard time attracting quality candidates since western Kentucky went red.
The last Democratic US Rep we had was one-term Tom Barlow, 1993-94. He was defeated by Republican Ed Whitfield, who served from 1994 through 2016, when he announced his retirement. Comer, after losing the primary in 2015 for Kentucky Governor to unpopular one-term Matt Bevin, has been serving since then.
When the maps were re-drawn after the 2020 U.S. Census, Comer’s district was re-drawn so that it now extends from far west Wickliffe (across the Mississippi from Missouri), all the way to Frankfort. It was speculated that this crazy gerrymander was done to help take some of the “blue” out of the U.S. House District 6, which includes Lexington, a seat held by Rep. Andy Barr.
A number of critical articles have been written about this District 1 gerrymander. For example, an op-ed in the Courier Journal by Joe Gerth includes this gem: “You could drive to Canada and have dinner faster than it would take to drive from one end of the congressional district to the other.” But now, maybe that “blue” in Frankfort might be able to give Erin Marshall a boost for her run against Comer.
Four Rivers Indivisible has been active in far western Kentucky since January, 2017. Indeed, our first efforts centered on James Comer and his support of the healthcare-killing reform that would have gutted Medicaid and stripped protections for pre-existing conditions. Here are some members at the first Comer town hall we attended in Paducah.
Now, we turn our attention to this year. Our first major project is to fund the bill board at the top of this story for Erin Marshall. We plan to run it in two locations and currently have a contract for 4 weeks up to the election. But we’d like more! And our pie-in-the-sky goal is to rent the pricey digital billboard location in Lone Oak where it would get high traffic.
You can help support this billboard by donating here: Four Rivers Indivisible Act Blue.
Thanks to everyone for reading! And let’s send Comer the Clown packing this November!
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