WKU Public Radio | By Lisa Autry
PublishedMay 20, 2024 at 4:39 PM CDT
Two Warren County residents with backgrounds in banking and finance will be on the ballot Tuesday in the Republican primary for Kentucky’s 19th District House seat.
Incumbent Michael Meredith is being challenged by farmer and businessman Kelcey Rock.
The winner will represent Edmonson County and part of Warren County for a four-year term starting in 2025.
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According to Meredith, some of the highlights of his current term were securing funding for a veterans nursing home in Bowling Green and helping legalize sports betting. Rock has criticized Meredith for voting against a constitutional amendment in this year’s legislative session that would allow Kentuckians to expand school choice.
“Not only did he not support it, but he didn’t want people to have the opportunity to vote their decision whether to consider school choice," Rock said in an interview with WKU Public Radio.
Kelcey Rock for State Representative FB
If ratified by voters in November, the constitutional amendment would give future legislatures the option to provide financial support for the education of students outside of public schools.
Meredith says he’s not opposed to some expansion of school choice, but doesn’t want public dollars diverted from public schools already in need of greater state support for things like teacher raises and transportation.
“When children happen to be in failing schools and don’t have the money to be able to get a better opportunity, I’m open to that," Meredith said. "I have voted for charter schools in the past, but I just felt this constitutional amendment left things way too wide open.”
Meredith says he’s seeking another term in the General Assembly because there are still things he wants to accomplish like the incremental elimination of the state income tax and securing funding to expand the veterans long-term care center under construction in Bowling Green.
Rock says he’s running because he thinks Frankfort Republicans have become too moderate and don’t always represent rural Kentucky.
While both Republicans, Rock and Meredith differ on issues like early voting and an expansion of gambling, both of which Rock opposes.
The campaign between Meredith and Rock has been one of the most expensive legislative races, and at times, nasty.
“This campaign hasn’t been much about what he’s going to do," said Meredith. "It’s been out of state dark money running negative ads about me and misleading people about my record.”
Those ads from PACs are reminding voters of Meredith’s involvement in a sexual harassment scandal in 2017 in which he was one of four GOP House members to reach a settlement with a female legislative staffer.
Meredith was the only one of those lawmakers who didn’t resign following the controversy.
The House Republican Caucus Campaign Committee has launched a counter attack by highlighting Rock’s past arrest and restraining order, as well as owing child support from a previous marriage.
Rock says he’s still the better candidate to represent family values.
“A lot of things he’s coming after me on, there were from decades ago. I was younger, single, and a whole different lifestyle," Rock said. "Whereas, the incident with him was after he was married, after he was legislator, and after he was a family man.”
Rock was scheduled to appear at a show cause hearing for failure to make child support payments on Tuesday, May 21, the same day as voters go to the polls for the primary election.
An official in the Warren County District Court Clerk's Office said on Monday that the hearing has been rescheduled due to payment. In an interview with WKU Public Radio last week, Rock said he expected the child support issue to be resolved before the election. Rock has maintained the lapse in payments was the result of a change in employment.
Rock ran for a commissioner’s seat on Warren County Fiscal Court a few years ago, but this is his first run for state office. Rock is president of Elite Business Solutions and he runs a dairy farm in Alvaton.
Meredith is defending the House seat he’s held since 2011 while having the power of incumbency and the fundraising advantage.
All 100 House seats are on the ballot in Kentucky’s primary election on Tuesday. Polls will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. local time.
