It’s prime time for politics in KY. Follow the action in new Bluegrass Politics newsletter.
For political junkies, the calendar in Kentucky promises non-stop action for the next year and beyond.
The crucial 2022 mid-terms are well underway, with a closely-watched US Senate race, competitive regional races and key ballot questions, such as a constitutional amendment on abortion. Election Day will be followed quickly by a legislative session in Frankfort early next year, set against a backdrop of a governor’s race that will dominate headlines throughout 2023 and draw national attention to Kentucky.
At the Herald-Leader, we’ve built a top-flight team of journalists to bring you all of that action: coverage of breaking political and state government news, expert analysis to set that news in context and investigative reporting that goes beyond the headlines of the day.
In the coming weeks, we’ll be enhancing our coverage of politics and government even more. That starts this week, as we launch our new Bluegrass Politics email newsletter. The Herald-Leader’s Bluegrass Politics (@BGPolitics) Twitter feed is already the key source of political news for its 40,000 followers. Every Wednesday morning, our Bluegrass Politics team will also deliver the state’s top political news and our best reporting on state government straight to your email inbox.
You can subscribe to the Bluegrass Politics newsletter by visiting the Newsletter Subscriptions page on Kentucky.com. While you’re there, check out our other newsletters, covering everything from Kentucky food to UK and high school sports to crime and public safety.
In addition to the political news of the week, the Bluegrass Politics newsletter will be a chance to connect more deeply with our reporting team and to get behind-the-scenes insights as they report in the field, plus previews of the biggest stories coming up and our coverage plans.
Meet the core team that will be contributing to the newsletter and our coverage of Kentucky politics and government:
Tessa Duvall, Frankfort bureau chief: Tessa joined the Herald-Leader as its new Frankfort Bureau Chief in August 2022. A native of Bowling Green and a 2013 graduate of Western Kentucky University (Go Tops!), Tessa has also reported in Midland, Texas; Jacksonville, Florida; and Louisville, where she still resides with her dog, Bubbie. Before diving head-first into the wild world of Kentucky politics and government, she covered the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor, criminal justice, children’s issues and education. Leak secrets to her at tduvall@herald-leader.com, and if you see her lost in the halls of the Capitol, kindly point her toward the cafeteria. Follow her on Twitter @tessaduvall.
Austin Horn, political writer: Austin has covered politics at the Herald-Leader since the fall of 2021. He is originally from Eastern Kentucky, but moved to nearby Versailles at a young age. A graduate of Columbia University, he worked at National Public Radio and the State-Journal in Frankfort before starting at the Herald-Leader in late 2021. Austin mostly covers political races, the legislature and the governor, but occasionally also writes about his Eastern Kentucky roots. Follow him on Twitter @_austinhorn.
John Cheves, government accountability reporter: John joined the Herald-Leader in 1997 and has reported on Kentucky state government through five different governors, from Paul Patton through Andy Beshear. John has worked in the newspaper’s Frankfort and Washington bureaus and is now the government accountability reporter, investigating the misuse of taxpayer funds and the mistreatment of people in places like nursing homes, jails and youth detention centers. Born and raised on Florida’s Gulf Coast, John graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism. Follow him on Twitter @BGPolitics, email him tips at jcheves@herald-leader.com.
Alex Acquisto, state enterprise reporter: Alex’s coverage focuses largely on public health issues affecting Kentuckians. This year, Alex has reported on the worsening impact of flooding in Eastern Kentucky, brought on by climate change, and exacerbated by the state’s lack of premeditated response. More recently, she has covered the legal and political battle over access to reproductive health care and the wide-ranging impact of Kentucky’s near-total ban on abortion. Before the Herald-Leader, Alex covered politics for the Bangor Daily News in Maine. She’s a Western Kentucky native. Follow her on Twitter @AcquistoA, or email her at aacquisto@herald-leader.com.
David Catanese, Washington bureau reporter: David has covered politics in Washington and campaigns across the country for a dozen years, the last three for McClatchy. For the Herald-Leader, he covers Kentucky’s congressional delegation, which tends to find itself in the middle of national news time and again. He’s previously worked at U.S. News & World Report and Politico. Prior to that he was a television reporter for NBC affiliates in Missouri and North Dakota. Send him tips, smart takes and critiques to dcatanese@mcclatchydc.com. Follow him on Twitter @davecatanese.
You’ll see additional reporting in the Bluegrass Politics newsletter from other talented Herald-Leader journalists as well, including state coverage from Somerset-based reporter Bill Estep, local political coverage from city hall reporter Beth Musgrave, coverage of K-12 schools by Valarie Honeycutt Spears and higher education from Monica Kast, plus commentary by opinion writer Linda Blackford.
Be sure to follow all of our coverage @BGPolitics on Twitter and subscribe to the weekly Bluegrass Politics newsletter today. The next year is going to be a wild ride.
Peter Baniak is the editor of the Herald-Leader.
