Senate President David Williams accepted the appointment today to become a Circuit Court Judge in Southern Kentucky.
Williams was appointed by Governor Steve Beshear, who is known to be his political adversary. Some state senators said Beshear gave Williams the judgeship to get him out of the senate.
“It's more common for people to use appointments to reward their allies, not their rivals,” said Dr. Stephen Voss, a professor at UK. “But it happens and it's a smart thing to do.”
Voss added, “Sending your rival out of the state to go run a circuit court is a good way to get them off the stage.”
Republican Senator Tom Buford says the Legislative Research Commission will meet next week to discuss the Senate President Vacancy.
As of now, three names are being thrown around.
- Senator Damon Thayer of Georgetown (R)
- Senator David Givens of Greensburg (R)
- Senator Robert Stivers of Manchester (R)
Stivers is the most likely candidate to take over as Senate President. He released a statement today saying that if he’s reelected in November, he will run for Senate President.
