Louisville Democratic Party leaders were energized last week at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, chair Logan Gatti said, as they watched Vice President Kamala Harris accept the party’s presidential nomination.
Now, they’ve got another election to think about.
The day Harris spoke at the convention was the same day Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams said he interpreted a state Supreme Court ruling about the controversy surrounding the House District 40 Democratic nomination as “a directive to me to certify that a vacancy exists” in the race and called on both parties to nominate a candidate for the office ahead of November’s general election.
Now, Gatti said, the local party will determine its nominee before the weekend begins, as the Jefferson County Clerk’s office said ballots will be printed in less than three weeks.
Louisville Democrats plan to convene the party’s nominating committee Friday to interview interested applicants and nominate a candidate for the office that evening. Those interested in seeking the nomination should apply by 5 p.m. Thursday through a form on the party’s website.
“The whole idea was to try and get this done as efficiently as possible, in case there were any other issues that might have popped up,” said Gatti, who was elected as the local party’s chair in May.
Expect incumbent Rep. Nima Kulkarni to be in the mix. James Craig, the attorney who represented her after her eligibility was questioned this summer in a lawsuit, said last week that she plans to seek the nomination, as they interpreted Adams’ statement as a clear path for her to reenter the race.
Still, like every other twist in this case, it may not be that simple. Steven Megerle, the attorney who filed the lawsuit against Kulkarni, is still pushing to keep her out of the race in a motion filed Friday, a day after Adams’ statement.
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