Stevenson, Coleman campaign for Kentucky Attorney General seat

FRANKFORT, Ky (WTVQ)- Kentucky voters-are casting the first ballots for the upcoming election.

In-person absentee voting with a qualifying excuse started Wednesday. It runs through November 1st, followed by early voting for any registered voter November 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.

Top positions are on the ballot, including the race for the state’s next Attorney General.

Democratic nominee Colonel Pamela Stevenson and Republican nominee Russell Coleman are both vying to become the top law enforcement officer in the state.

Both candidates have ties to Louisville.

Stevenson was born and raised in the city and currently serves as ordained minister at her family’s church. Stevenson retired from the United States Air Force after serving for 27 years. She currently serves as the state representative for House District 43, which makes up parts of Louisville.

“I want to return the attorney general’s office back to the people. It is the top law enforcement official and i am the people’s lawyer,” Col. Stevenson said.

Meanwhile, Coleman is a western Kentucky native and is a partner at the Louisville law firm Frost Brown Todd.

Coleman was picked by President Trump to be the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Kentucky and was a senior advisor and legal council to Senator Mitch McConnell. According to his campaign website- he opened the first ever full time U.S. attorney’s office in Bowling Green. The Coleman campaign did not respond to a request for an interview.

Stevenson says her goals, if elected, are to partner with law enforcement to make sure they have better salaries and training and take a care of Kentucky’s most vulnerable populations.

She says she wants to provide safer communities by tackling Kentucky’s fentanyl problem, by putting drug dealers behind bars.

“No two year old wants to wake up and say ‘I want to be a drug addict. What are we doing? We first have to give them treatment and then put in jail those who are putting drugs into our community. This office has the ability to unite Kentucky, unite the Commonwealth, because every county is affected differently by these issues,” said Col. Stevenson.

The general election is set for November 7th.