Pegago files for house seat; Floyd facing two primary challengers in senate race

STAFF REPORT

Monday, Jan. 30, 2012, 3 p.m. (UPDATED Jan. 31, 2012, 1 p.m.) — With just hours left before the 4 p.m. filing deadline, three Republicans have thrown their hats in the ring to represent Nelson County in the 2013 General Assembly.

KY 50th District House of Representatives. Donna A. Pegago, a Cox’s Creek Republican, filed Monday for the race for 50th District state rep, the seat currently held by David Floyd.

In an interview with 1320 WBRT  radio, Pegago said that as the organizer of the Nelson County Tea Party chapter, when she heard David Floyd was going to file for the state senate race “I decided I neeeded to put my money where my mouth is and be willing to serve as a citizen legislator, which is the vision our Founding Fathers had” she said.

Pegago traveled to Frankfort Monday to file her paperwork.

“My concerns are the same as many of our citizens,” she said. “We’re getting so far away from the principles that made our country great.”

Democrat Dick Heaton of Bardstown is the only other candidate in the race for the House seat so far.

KY 15th District Senate. So far no Democrats have filed to run for the 15th District seat that now represents Nelson County.

Dennis Mitchell, a Republican with a West Point mailing address, filed as a candidate for the 15th District state senate seat that now represents Nelson and Bullitt counties. Mitchell is a former Bullitt County magistrate.

Republican Joe E. Laswell, the 3rd District magistrate in Bullitt County, has also filed for the state senate seat. Laswell had no primary opposition in his last election and handily defeated a Democratic challenger by 25 points. The men will face fellow Republican David Floyd in the May primary.

The filing deadline is 4 p.m. Tuesday unless extended. A Franklin Circuit judge will rule later today if the deadline is to be extended as part of a challenge to HB-1, the state senate and house redistricting plans.

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