A Democratic lawmaker whose resume includes ministry work and a career in the military announced Monday that she will run for Kentucky attorney general next year.
State Rep. Pam Stevenson, an attorney from Louisville, filed paperwork to begin running for the job as Kentucky’s chief law enforcement officer. She won a second term to the Kentucky House this month.
Stevenson referred to the job of attorney general as serving as the “people’s lawyer.” The incumbent, Republican Daniel Cameron, is running for governor next year.
“I’m looking forward to traveling the commonwealth and having conversations with Kentuckians about what matters to them,” Stevenson said in a statement announcing her candidacy.
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She vowed to engage in battling the opioid epidemic and “making sure that extreme laws from Frankfort don’t take away our freedoms,” though she offered no specifics.
Stevenson, a retired Air Force colonel, pointed to her experience as an attorney at the federal level, having served as a chief prosecutor, criminal defense attorney and an “operations law expert supporting aircrews with over 1,000 sorties over Iraq.”
She also pointed to her background as a non-profit leader and a Baptist minister.
“My life’s work has been service to others — as a mother I have raised a family, as a minister I have empowered congregations, as a colonel in the United States Air Force I fought for our country globally — including in the Middle East, Croatia, Africa, Europe and many other places,” she said.
“Now, as a state representative, I work to ensure that our laws give every Kentuckian a fair shot at the American Dream,” she said.
On the Republican side, former U.S. Attorney Russell Coleman entered the attorney general’s race in the spring. He has campaigned on such issues as cracking down on violent crime and drug trafficking while pointing to his extensive criminal justice resume.
Republicans went on the attack Monday soon after Stevenson entered the campaign, raising questions about her stand on some criminal justice issues.