Kentucky elections: 2 Democrat incumbents lose seats on Louisville Metro Council

The Democratic majority in Louisville's Metro Council slipped Tuesday, with two Democratic incumbents losing their seats to Republican challengers in the 2022 Kentucky general election.

Losses by Democrats Mark Fox, 13th District, and Amy Holton Stewart, 25th District, who had positioned themselves as moderates, shift the makeup of the 26-member Metro Council to 17 Democrats and nine Republicans.

Khalil "Charlie" Batshon, Republican owner and manager of Khalil's, a restaurant and sports bar on Dixie Highway, narrowly beat out Holton Stewart with nearly 53% of the vote, with all Jefferson County precincts reporting.

Batshon said his top priorities include "updating and improving infrastructure in Southwest Jefferson County while enhancing public safety by supporting our police."

Holton Stewart, a lifelong southwest Jefferson County resident, joined the Metro Council in 2021. Council members chose her from 11 candidates to replace David Yates, who left the council for the General Assembly.

Batshon was one of those 11 candidates.

"I am so appreciative of the short time that I was offered to serve the constituents of District 25," Holton Stewart said in an email. "I am humbled by the support of so many. Thank you to my colleagues for supporting my efforts to improve the quality of life in the South and SW areas of Louisville. I will continue to work hard to the end of my term."

Fox faced Republican Dan Seum Jr., a retired small business owner and son of former state Sen. Dan Seum, who defeated Fox with 56% of the vote. He previously told The Courier Journal he entered the race to "simply help make Louisville safe again."

Fox, a retired Louisville Metro Police major, has represented the district that includes Fairdale, Okolona and other southern Jefferson County areas since 2019.

In early October, The Courier Journal's Joe Sonka reported Grow Louisville Together, a political action committee of local developers, spent at least $21,000 on mailers and digital ads for Fox and at least $26,000 for Batshon.

Democrats prevail in 4 of 6 contested races

Despite the flipping of two incumbent seats, the majority of challenged races were won by Democrats.

In the 7th District, Democratic incumbent Paula McCraney bested Republican Michael Parrino, a retired former financial controller, and Chris Thieneman, an independent and developer who previously ran for mayor. McCraney secured 54% of the vote to Parrino's 40% and Thieneman's 6%.

Another Democratic incumbent, Markus Winkler, kept his seat in the 17th District, beating Republican Kent Hall, who is retired from the Jefferson County Clerk's Office, and William Bezoenik, an independent who is a mainframe engineer. Winkler earned 56% of the vote compared to Hall's 41% and Bezoenik's 3%.

In two races for an open Metro Council seat, Democratic candidates were victorious, keeping the districts under Democratic representation.

In the 9th District, Democrat Andrew Owen, a commercial real estate investor, won with 64% of the vote over Republican Alexandra Martindale, a human resources manager. The seat is currently held by Democrat Bill Hollander, who announced in 2021 that he wouldn't seek reelection.

Kentucky election results:All the vote totals in one spot

In the 21st District, Democrat Betsy Ruhe secured 60% of the vote. The environmental educator with the Louisville Nature Center beat out Republican Stephen Dattilo Jr., who has worked in repair fields ranging from computers to carpentry, and independent John A. Witt, who garnered 35% and 5% of the vote, respectively. Democrat Nicole George is vacating the seat after choosing not to seek a second term.

All odd-numbered districts, or 13 seats, were on Tuesday's ballot, but the May primary resulted in only six contested races for voters to decide this fall.

Of note, in the 5th District, incumbent Democrat Donna Purvis won handily over independent candidate Quintez Brown with 88% of the vote. Brown, accused of shooting at then-mayoral candidate Craig Greenberg and his staff members in February, still appeared on the ballot. Brown is in jail awaiting federal trial.

Reporter Billy Kobin contributed to this story. Reach Reporter Matthew Glowicki at mglowicki@gannett.com, 502-582-4000 or on Twitter at @MattGlo.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: 2 Democrat incumbents lose seats on Louisville Metro Council