KY Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer will not seek reelection

Kentucky Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, will not seek reelection, he announced Wednesday.

"There are exciting private sector opportunities I wish to pursue that will require more of my time and energy, which I am currently not afforded with the great responsibility that comes with being a member of our citizen legislature," he said.

While he did not specify which companies or groups he will be working with in the future, Thayer did allude to the "thoroughbred racing, bourbon and tourism industries" in his statement about pursuing other kinds of work.

"Thayer found his love for Kentucky within these industries and says he is excited about the opportunities in front of him outside the Senate chamber and his legislative office," a statement about his departure reads.

Thayer will continue to serve until the end of his term in December 2024. He has been in the state Senate for more than two decades and represents Scott County, Grant County and portions of Fayette and Kenton counties. Thayer is also the longest-serving Republican floor leader in Kentucky history.

"I have accomplished most of the political and policy goals I set out to achieve," he said. "I am grateful to the residents of the 17th District who granted me the honor of representing them in the Senate, and to my colleagues in the GOP caucus for the privilege of being their Majority Leader."

He has been a strong supporter of legalizing sports betting in Kentucky and a critic of Gov. Andy Beshear, who was inaugurated Tuesday to his second term.

Reach reporter Eleanor McCrary at EMcCrary@courier-journal.com or at @ellie_mccrary on X, formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: KY GOP leader Damon Thayer not seeking reelection