One of the longest-serving Democrats in Kentucky’s state legislature just took the ultimate plunge, switching her party affiliation to Republican after becoming disillusioned with the direction of her former colleagues.
State Sen. Robin Webb, who represents Kentucky’s rural 18th district, informed her county clerk that she plans to enroll in the Republican Party in time for next year’s elections.
Despite a bevy of Democrats holding state-level seats, Kentucky is reliably red at the federal level; President Donald Trump collected over 64% of the vote in 2024.
“First and foremost, I’m a mother, a rancher and a lawyer with deep personal and professional roots in Kentucky’s coal country,” the former Democrat told Fox News in an interview. “As the Democratic Party continues its lurch to the left and its hyperfocus on policies that hurt the workforce and economic development in my region, I no longer feel it represents my values.
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“It has become untenable and counterproductive to the best interests of my constituents for me to remain a Democrat,” she said.
“While it’s cliché, it’s true: I didn’t leave the party — the party left me,” she said.
The 18th Senate district stayed blue in recent years thanks to a partnership between Webb, blue-collar unions, and the coal mining industry, all of whom have been skeptical about GOP-led efforts to trim the size of the federal social safety net.
Robert Benvenuti, Chairman of the Republican Party of Kentucky, celebrated the news in a statement.
“Like countless other Kentuckians, [Webb] has recognized that the policies and objectives of today’s Democratic Party are simply not what they once were, and do not align with the vast majority of Kentuckians,” he said.
“I always respected that [Webb] approached issues in a very thoughtful and commonsense manner, and that she never failed to keenly focus on what was best for her constituents,” he said. “It is my pleasure to welcome Sen. Robin Webb to the Republican Party.”
A malicious statement from the Kentucky Democratic Party referred to Webb as “not a Democrat” during her time in elected office.
“Senator Webb has chosen to join a political party that is currently working around the clock to take health care away from over a million Kentuckians, wipe out our rural hospitals, take food off the table of Kentucky families, and take resources away from our public schools,” Kentucky Democratic Party Chair Colmon Elridge said to Fox News Digital. “If those are her priorities, then we agree: she isn’t a Democrat.”
Beshear, who has served since 2019, recently told the Daily Beast that he would consider pursuing the Democratic Party’s nomination in 2028. His current term ends in 2027.
“If you’d asked me a couple of years ago if this is something I’d consider, I probably wouldn’t have. But I don’t want to leave a broken country to my kids. And so, if I’m somebody that can bring this nation together and hopefully find some common ground, it’s something I’ll consider,” he said, Fox News reported.
