Risqué photo joins jobs, education as issues in Kentucky House race
LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) – A risqué photo making the rounds has thrown a new issue into a competitive political race in Louisville's suburbs.
Democrat
, a nurse practitioner, is running against former Republican gubernatorial candidate
for the open seat in Kentucky's 32nd legislative district.
The candidates both say jobs and education are their priorities, yet they differ wildly on how to address problems.
Miller called for a statewide minimum wage increase, while Moffett said lawmakers need to address Kentucky's “complicated” business tax code.
“We need to mimic other states in creating good, high-paying jobs, and those are states like Tennessee, Indiana, Texas and Florida,” Moffett said, naming four states with right-to-work laws on the books.
Moffett endorsed such legislation, which would allow workers not to join a union as a condition of employment. Miller, who said her grandfather was a union steward, said she would not support a right-to-work bill.
Meanwhile, a photo of Miller on the cover of a 2012 album by Kentucky rap group Nappy Roots has circulated in Republican circles. The album cover shows Miller in a bathroom stall while wearing little clothing.
Someone has also purchased the website domain name "
." The site is not active and redirects to a GoDaddy page, which doesn't indicate who bought the domain name.
“It's very trivial, and it really has no place in this campaign – or any, for that matter,” Miller said. “If we were looking for perfect people to run our government, we would not have one.”
Miller said her parents were addicts, she spent much of her childhood in Louisville's West End with her grandparents, and paid for her own education by winning pageants.
Moffett, a businessman, told WAVE 3 News that he had nothing to do with the website, and said the photo shouldn't be a part of the campaign.
“That's not what this race is about,” he said. “It's not about the divisive politics that always seem to come up during elections.”
Yet Moffett said he would make an issue of Miller's job as a nurse practitioner at Planned Parenthood, where she counsels pregnant women about their options.
While Planned Parenthood of Kentucky does not itself perform abortions, Moffett said his opponent's position made her unfit to represent the district, which covers portions of St. Matthews and Jeffersontown.
“It's predominantly conservative and it's voted that way,” Moffett said. “It's very Catholic, and it's very pro-life.”
Miller said Moffett's attacks were another distraction in the race, which political watchers view as competitive and a key to deciding which party controls Kentucky's House of Representatives. Democrats hold a 54-46 majority, and Republicans have not held the chamber since 1921.
"Planned Parenthood of Kentucky is very much an empowerment organization, and I'm very proud of the work that I do there," Miller said. "It shouldn't even be in the discussion."
Rep. Julie Raque Adams currently holds the 32nd District seat, but the Republican chose to run for state Senate instead of re-election.
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