As he campaigns for a second term in the U.S. House, Lexington Republican Representative Andy Barr is seeking to continue an involvement in politics that stretches back into the 1990’s.
While in college, he served as an intern for Senator Mitch McConnell. He later worked in former Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher’s administration and was first elected to represent Kentucky’s 6th congressional district in 2012. As he seeks a third two-year term, Barr is being opposed by Democrat Nancy Jo Kemper.
The 43-year-old Barr stumped at a Nicholasville fall festival earlier this month.
A sunny and warm fall Saturday greeted those gathered for the Hope Over Jessamine Fall Fest. There were long lines for pony rides and a portable bungie-jumping machine, but a relatively small group sitting at a table near the wheeled stage.
Patricia Azad sat holding a fistful of political campaign brochures. She said she came to the festival to give blood, but then heard about politicians speaking there. So, Azad said, she wanted to hear in person what Barr would say.
It was not long until Todd Johns introduced Andy Barr, who spoke about drug addiction issues during his brief speech on the bed of a truck. “Kentucky has the third highest drug overdose mortality rate in the country,” said Barr. “We saw a 30 percent spike in overdose deaths last year in Lexington and seven percent statewide.”
Just off the truck bed, the first question for Barr stayed with the drug problem and what he thinks is the best way to reduce the flow of illegal drugs into the U.S. from Latin America. The GOP congressman says that includes border control, aerial assets, fencing, and personnel. “It needs to be a comprehensive and layered approach,” noted Barr.
The Jessamine County festival fell right after reports of British American Tobacco seeking to buy out Reynolds American Incorporated. Barr said he hadn’t heard from central growers about that, but he says interest in hemp remains high. The GOP congressman says he’s been briefed on the possible use of hemp for upholstery in cars, noting “We have 8000 jobs just down the road 15 minutes away from Cynthiana in Georgetown.”
While Barr is focusing on his race against Nancy Jo Kemper, another political contest, the presidential race, was on the minds of many festival-goers. A simple question about thoughts during this year’s election brought this response from Crystal Johns, who was sitting at a table signing up beauty pageant contestants, “I’ll not vote for either one of them. It’s a joke. They are a joke. Plain and simple.”
Just for good measure, Johns went on to say, quote, “Clinton and Trump are the worst of the worst.”
For his part, Andy Barr doesn’t see the Trump candidacy as a liability for his congressional contest. He says his work in Washington involves sticking up for businesses with people on both sides of the political aisle.
Barr adds he represents people working in coal, bourbon, the horse industry, tobacco, hemp, and the auto business. “There are Democrats and Republicans in all of those industries,” said Barr.
Barr came back to the issue he was stressing, drug abuse. He said addiction does not discriminate and affects Republicans, Democrats, people who are not interested in politics, and independents. He cited the Sixth District Drug Abuse Task Force as an example. Barr believes that makes him attractive as a candidate outside his political party.
Kentucky's 6th Congressional District is based in central Kentucky and contains the cities of Lexington, Richmond and Frankfort.
The district includes the counties of Anderson, Bath, Bourbon, Clark, Estill, Fayette, Fleming, Franklin, Madison, Menifee, Montgomery, Nicholas, Powell, Robertson, Scott, Wolfe, and Woodford, as well as portions of Harrison and Jessamine counties.
