On the final day of the 2023 legislative session, Senate Judiciary chair Whitney Westerfield announced he will not seek another term in the upper chamber.
Westerfield, R-Fruit Hill, was first elected in 2012 and began representing the 3rd Senate District in 2013, where he was named the Judiciary Chair in his first term.
With the 2024 election 19 months away, Westerfield said that he and his family have sacrificed enough.
“I still have unfinished work to accomplish this year and next, and I’ll be working feverishly to meet those goals for myself and the people of Kentucky,” Westerfield said. “I’m looking forward to spending more time with my family when my third term in the Senate concludes at the end of 2024.”
Westerfield said he wants to continue to work in public policy in the criminal justice and behavioral health space after his time in office.
Westerfield has sought other offices he narrowly lost a race for state Attorney General in 2015 to Andy Beshear. In 2019, he filed to run for Attorney General again but withdrew from that race under pressure from U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell as Daniel Cameron sought the seat. Westerfield instead ran and lost a bid for state Supreme Court in 2019.
