Overview

• Robin Webb announced on May 30 that she is leaving the Democratic Party for the GOP after representing Eastern Kentucky in the state legislature since 1999.
• She blamed the Democratic Party’s “lurch to the left” and its failure to address workforce and economic challenges in coal country for her decision.
• Webb’s defection reduces Democratic representation to six of 38 seats, leaving the party largely absent from rural Senate districts.
• Governor Andy Beshear has kicked off a grassroots listening tour aimed at restoring rural support ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
• Webb’s deep coal industry ties and gun-rights advocacy highlight the broader conservative realignment in Eastern Kentucky.