In the shadow of Kentucky’s first General Assembly session Tuesday, and the release of new redistricting maps for the Commonwealth, Governor Andy Beshear is mulling the likelihood of moving back the filing date for partisan races from January 7 to January 25.
During his Monday’s news conference, Beshear said he been notified by House Speaker David Osborne of the full intentions to push for an extension — and that he wanted to take a full look at the redistricting plan designed by the GOP.
While Tuesday is session one of 60 for the 2022 campaign, any decisions made on filing dates obviously need to be expeditious in an election year — and Beshear added he’s trying to remove emotions from his review of the proposed maps.
He added he’s got some brief concerns about the way Louisville and Lexington may look in the next decade, but did say the possibility of a restructured look at Hopkins County would be a boon.
Beshear also said he specifically wants to see the electronic filings for the precincts from the GOP to get a better understanding of where all of the chips will fall.
Also during Monday’s news conference — which came hours after a quick trip through Hopkinsville and Mayfield to continue his survey of storm damage — Beshear said that on December 28, he signed by executive order the temporary suspension of the standard two-week waiting period for unemployment benefits in disaster-declared counties.
The deadline to apply for disaster-related unemployment benefits is January 18.
