The longest-serving House member in the history of the Kentucky General Assembly is doing all he can to defend his Louisville district as dueling major endorsements appear ahead of the May 17 Democratic primary.
Rep. Tom Burch, who will be 91-years old in July, has tapped current House Minority Floor Leader Joni Jenkins to cut endorsement videos in his re-election race as he seeks to fend off Daniel Grossberg, who ran against Burch in 2020, and Neal Turpin, who has served as an associate city planner in Clarksville, Indiana, and is an adjunct professor at the University of Louisville where he teaches Public Administration and Policy in the Department of Political Science. Turpin campaigned for Burch in the 2020 election, even appearing in videos endorsing the incumbent.
In a video endorsing the 50-year incumbent, Jenkins says Burch has great experience and expertise in how government can help and hurt people.
“At this time when we have so many senior members not returning to Frankfort because of redistricting, it is even more important to have experienced voices fighting for working folks,” Jenkins said in her endorsement. “In this May primary, please, please, elect state Representative Tom Burch to continue fighting for you.”
In his most recent campaign finance report, Burch has $31,180 in cash on hand to fight for re-election.
Daniel Grossberg has also turned to prominent Democrats in his campaign, tapping Louisville Metro Council President David James for an endorsement.
“Daniel Grossberg is a friend of mine. I trust him and you should too,” James says in his endorsement video released last week. “He will show up for work each and every day. His opponent has missed the majority of votes this session in Frankfort.”
Grossberg’s latest finance report shows him with a healthy fundraising lead with $91,187 in cash for the race, according to his Kentucky Registry of Election Finance report.
Grossberg is trying to draw Burch into a public debate in Louisville, posting to his Facebook page a cartoon chicken.
Meanwhile, Turpin is showing less than $2k raised for the race, according to KREF.
