Northern Kentucky will see a power shift in Frankfort next session as two of its longtime state senators step down after decades in office.
Senate Majority Leader Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, and Sen. John Schickel, R-Union, announced last fall they would not run for re-election. With two of Northern Kentucky’s five state senate seats up for grabs, Republicans are fighting for the chance to claim them.
Both districts, 11 and 17, are Republican strongholds.
In District 17, Matt Nunn and Julia Jaddock are running against each other to represent part of southern Kenton County, Grant and Scott counties, and the northwest corner of Fayette County.
Thayer has represented the district since 2003.
The Enquirer asked the GOP candidates where they stand on some of the most important issues to voters. Here’s what the candidates had to say.
Note: Democrat Kiana Fields is also running in District 17. She does not have a contested primary and is therefore not included in this article.
Who are the Republicans running for office?
Jaddock, 57, attended Western Governors University, an online university based in Salt Lake City. She is a former teacher and currently works and volunteers at the nondenominational Central Church in Georgetown. She’s a first-time political candidate.
She has four children and is a former business owner.
Nunn, 46, attended Eastern Kentucky University. He is the vice president of Enterprise Risk Management at Toyota Tsusho America in Georgetown. He also owns Slainte Public House, an Irish bar that serves food and has live music. He also served in the Kentucky Army National Guard. He’s a first-time political candidate.
He’s married and has two children.
How would you describe Jan. 6?
Jaddock: “A few renegades made poor choices that should not have happened. Insurrection is an incorrect word.
“There were people that were destructive to property and that kind of thing. … But at the same token, when you watch the video footage, people were almost waved into the Capitol and certainly our Capitol police were standing there and people were walking peacefully in it and if that was an area that should not have been entered, ‘Why weren’t they stopped?’ is what I asked myself.”
Nunn: “I think there’s a lot of people there who love their country and are patriots and went there to make sure their voices were heard. I think, just like in most situations, there can always be a small percentage of the population who take things too far and I think that that’s quite possibly what happened there.
“If you break into a building or you steal things, that’s a crime for anybody. … There’s people who say that they were allowed in or ushered in – I don’t know, I wasn’t there. … Now, the level of that crime, you have to look at it. Is it a felony or misdemeanor? What’s the actual crime that was committed?”
If former President Donald Trump is convicted of a crime, would you vote for him?
Jaddock: “Yes, I definitely will.
“I believe that the Department of Justice is being used to weaponize (against) our former president. … I believe he’ll be acquitted of any charges and he should be.”
Nunn: “I would absolutely vote for President Donald Trump. … In both instances (the charges in New York and Georgia), it looks like they’re politically motivated attacks.
“I hope that everybody’s open minded enough that if they get more information, their opinion can change. But as of today, I’m fully supportive of Donald Trump. I am hopeful that he ends up being our Republican nominee and he’s on the ballot this fall.
Do any groups suffer from discrimination? What groups? What should done about it?
Jaddock: “I think I suffered from discrimination as a young child because I was poor. I think poverty holds some very difficult, heavy weight on people. And what can we do about it? I think we just continue to provide resources. There is a thing called Transform Scott County and they do provide a resource called Circles. … I believe that’s how we will impact poverty and I really believe poverty is one of the hardest hit areas as far as discrimination.”
Enquirer note: According to the Transform Scott County website, Circles is an 18-month program that links those living in poverty with churches and adult mentors who help them “establish goals and future plans to help them exit poverty.”
Nunn: “I think probably every person in this country probably suffers from discrimination in some form or fashion at some point in their life, whether it’s their race, their religion, their gender, or their economic status – what region of the country they’re from. … I don’t know that we’ll ever completely eliminate any of that until the day that Jesus comes back.”
What if any changes would you make to the immigration system and pathways to citizenship?
Jaddock: “I like to look at immigration kind of like a household. I can take on, probably in my household with my income, two or three people. I could bring them in and care for them … but when we start putting 20, 30 people in my house, I can’t pay the mortgage anymore. … So when we look at our borders and when we start just saying, ‘OK, my household is just completely open,’ well, there’s some disconnect of reality. … If we have a rule of law, we need to enforce that law … and one of them is to protect our borders. So we need that border maintained and protected and let legal immigration happen.”
Nunn: “We have to secure our border, that is essential. … We have to have a pathway to citizenship. We have to have immigration. We always have and I think we always will need immigration. But it needs to be safe and legal and anyone who is not abiding by what our Congress has determined to be safe and legal then they should not be here.”
What if any role should the government play in healthcare decisions?
Jaddock: “The smaller government is, the better off we are. And so let’s let free market work that one out. I would love accountability in medical care. When a person walks in, they know the price tag on everything that they that they’re buying. I don’t see why we can’t do that.”
Nunn: “I think healthcare decisions should be between an individual and their doctor. … There are instances where we don’t allow an individual and their doctor to have unfettered decision-making ability. We do not allow assisted suicide, for example … If we just allow the individual and a doctor to do anything, again, we could have a situation where doctors performing assisted suicides and I don’t think that’s something that our society wants or needs. And so I think it’s up to our society to determine, overall, what’s appropriate, and then have those kinds of rules or safeguards in place.”
Where do you stand on the issue of abortion? Gun rights?
Jaddock: “I believe that life begins at conception and we need to protect life. Once life has begun it is not ours to take in that way … We need to value the life of the mom first (and then the unborn child).”
“I believe that felons at a certain level are not allowed to have firearms and I would agree with that. I think there’s some sense there. Red flag (laws)? Absolutely not. That is a slippery slope that erodes the Second Amendment and we need to protect that.”
Nunn: “I am 100% pro life. I think our legislature got it right. I think it protects both the child and the mothers and so when there’s instances where the mother’s life is in danger, in jeopardy, then what our current law allows is appropriate.”
“I’m 100% supportive of the Second Amendment. No restrictions on gun ownership.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Who is Matt Nunn? Who is Julia Jaddock? Who is running in NKY?