Letter: Candidate’s comments prompted lawsuit that challenged his candidacy

To the Editor,

I am answering Mr. Reed’s comment in the article “Reed to withdraw as a Democratic candidate for 50th District state rep.” that I am in lock-step with the “Socialist Democrat Party” and I am not a true “JFK Democrat”. 

I have never formally met Mr. Reed and I have never discussed my political beliefs with him. He has, however, continued to condemn me for my positions that he has never asked me about. It is true that I hold personal beliefs regarding a woman’s right to choose, quality public education for all of our citizens and a belief that in this United States every citizen should be able to earn a living wage.

Considering that President Kennedy was a Catholic, I doubt that he campaigned for all the things that I believe in but he did campaign for a higher minimum wage, federal grants for poor rural areas, a balanced budget, and a military that could defend itself against Russian aggression – all things that I believe are fundamental to a thriving society and policies that I have supported in the past and will continue to do so.

So Mr. Reed, I think that your inflammatory comments against me, the Nelson County Democratic Party leadership and all registered Democrats of Nelson County are what caused Ms. Pendergrass to file her legal challenge and have caused some of us to publically challenge some of the comments you have made. From my prospective all this name calling solves nothing.

Martha A Nest
Bardstown