One of the Democratic candidates running for Kentucky House to unseat scandal-plagued Rep. Daniel Grossberg was caught on home security video taking one of his opponent’s campaign mailers out of a constituent’s mailbox and putting it in his back pocket.
Asked if it was him in the video posted by the homeowner on Facebook, Max Morley emailed a statement to Kentucky Public Radio on Tuesday confirming his identity and apologizing.
“While campaigning, I exhibited a lack of judgment,” Morley wrote. “This isn’t acceptable, and it’s something I’m deeply sorry for. I apologize to the homeowner.”
Taking another person’s mail out of their mailbox is against federal law. The piece of mail taken by Morley in the video has Grossberg’s name and face on it.
Morley is one of three Democratic candidates running to unseat Grossberg from the Louisville House district in the primary election next week. Grossberg has been the subject of allegations from nine different women over the past two years who accused him of sexual harassment, misconduct or assault, dating back from college up to his time serving in the Kentucky House.
In addition to allegations that he was banned for life from a Louisville strip club for assaulting a dancer, the Lexington Herald-Leader most recently reported the allegations of a college classmate who said he assaulted her in a dorm two decades ago when she refused to have sex with him. The alleged victim, Christina Ross, did not file criminal charges at the time, but reported Grossberg’s behavior to campus security at Grinnell College in Iowa and documented the incident contemporaneously.
Grossberg has denied all accusations of wrongdoing from the women accusing him of misbehavior, though he has blamed his autism for some of his behavior that made women uncomfortable. Grossberg, who is Jewish, has also blamed antisemitism for some of the allegations.
Grossberg has repeatedly resisted calls from fellow Democratic officials — including Gov. Andy Beshear and the chair of the Kentucky Democratic Party — to withdraw from the race and resign from office. He said Tuesday he is aware of the video of Morley taking his mailer, but is “running a positive campaign focused on my record.”
“I am continuing to meet with voters at their doors and on social media in advance of my reelection next Tuesday,” Grossberg said. There is no Republican candidate running for the seat.
In his statement admitting to taking a voter’s mail, Morley added that he wants Grossberg to be unseated.
“I want one thing to remain clear: voters in HD 30 deserve better than their current representative, and I don’t want them to be distracted from the ultimate goal of sending him home,” Morley said.
Morley is a former teacher in Jefferson County Public Schools and has worked as a staffer for several political campaigns.
Also running for the House District 30 seat are Democratic candidates Cassie Lyles and Mitra Subedi.
Lyles is endorsed by the Jefferson County Teachers Association, the union of public school teachers in the district. Subedi narrowly lost to Grossberg in the 2024 Democratic primary, coming just 50 votes short.
The primary is on May 19.
*This story has been updated to include additional details.
