Adrienne Southworth (original) (raw)

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Adrienne Southworth

Kentucky State Senate District 7

Tenure

2021 - Present

Term ends

2025

Years in position

4

Predecessor

Compensation

Elections and appointments

Education

Personal

Contact

Adrienne Southworth (Republican Party) is a member of the Kentucky State Senate, representing District 7. She assumed office on January 1, 2021. Her term ended on January 1, 2025.

Southworth (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the Kentucky State Senate to represent District 7. She lost in the Republican primary on May 21, 2024.

Southworth completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Adrienne Southworth lives in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky.[1] Southworth earned an undergraduate degree from Louisiana Baptist University in 2006 and a law degree from the Mitchell Hamline School of Law in 2023.[2] Her career experience includes working as the deputy chief of staff for former Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky Jenean M. Hampton, a music instructor, a graphic designer, and an attorney. As of 2024, Southworth was affiliated with the Antioch Church in Frankfort, Kentucky.[1][3]

Committee assignments

2023-2024

Southworth was assigned to the following committees:

• Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee
• Natural Resources and Environment Committee

2021-2022

Southworth was assigned to the following committees:

• Economic Development, Tourism and Labor Committee
• Senate Education Committee
• Senate Enrollment Committee
• Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee
• State and Local Government Committee

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Elections

2024

See also: Kentucky State Senate elections, 2024

General election

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Rhonda Davis advanced from the Democratic primary for Kentucky State Senate District 7.

Republican primary election

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Southworth in this election.

2020

See also: Kentucky State Senate elections, 2020

General election

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Joe Graviss advanced from the Democratic primary for Kentucky State Senate District 7.

Republican primary election

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Adrienne Southworth completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Southworth's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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I read my first state legislation in 2007, dedicated seven years as a volunteer voice of regular people in Frankfort, and ended up becoming Lt. Governor Jenean Hampton’s Deputy Chief of Staff in 2015.

Starting from age 16, I had been self-employed as a music instructor, photographer, and graphic designer before full-time public service. I began law school during my first campaign in 2020, and am now an attorney in solo practice when I am not buried in senate work.

My approach to public service has been regular-person-focused, because I was and still am one of the people affected by every move the government makes. My experience in all three branches of government helps me see the end from the beginning more easily, and I use that insight to preempt issues before they happen.

I spend immense time in research and development of tough policy that nobody normally wants to touch. Sowing these seeds for the future has proven rewarding, as I see others continuing my work at various times. I also contribute to many others' work, whether through advising or directly writing legislation or amendments.

I am currently the youngest senator, and live in Lawrenceburg with my husband.

• Protect Life and Liberty. Adrienne has championed individual rights for the least represented, including the unborn. She firmly believes all liberty must be protected in order for any to exist. Adrienne was a staunch opponent of the shutdowns in 2020 and opposes mandates of vaccines and other related life- or liberty-infringing action. She is strong on privacy and supports a justice system that promotes mutual respect for everyone’s life and liberty.
• Defend Constitutional Rights. Whether the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 8th, 10th Amendment, or others, Adrienne believes in no infringement. She is an articulate supporter of the plethora of rights enumerated in the Constitution, including religion, speech, arms, privacy, due process, rights of the accused, and state’s rights. She also upholds the Kentucky Constitution, her favorite passages of which are school choice in Section 5 and no arbitrary power in Section 2. Adrienne is frequently seen on the senate floor reading from the Kentucky Constitution, whether it is to promote getting education issues solved in Frankfort, to oppose balancing the budget with debt, or to call out violations of the legislative rules.
• Stop Corruption. Adrienne frequently notes that concentrations of power are a magnet for corruption, and therefore every potential power must be properly counter-balanced with a competing interest to diffuse power. Adrienne believes in practical application of government of, by, and for the people, and opposes large special interests and legal money laundering that have nearly plunged Kentucky and the nation into the swamp. Adrienne often says with a smile, that so many problems means there is unlimited opportunity to make a difference! Adrienne has been the leading legislative voice for election security in Kentucky, and is also pushing for government transparency and accountability at historic levels.

I really want the public to have better access to their government and ultimately make the government something that can be trusted again as a servant to the public. That means reducing it to a size that can be understood and controlled. This theme is woven through all the topics I study and write on:

Election Security
Child Abuse/CPS
Surveillance
Open Records
Cut red tape

I do not read much outside of the Bible and legislation, but my key verse that describes my philosophy is Proverbs 28:2.

Honesty is the ultimate key. There is so much delusion, confusion, and cloudy presentation by everyone vying for their own interests, that the first step to sorting through it all is to be honest with self and others about what we know and what is conjecture or sales pitching.

First I think is to read the bills and vote intelligently in the best interest of the public. Second, develop bills to make progress further than others have accomplished. Third, be a resource to the constituents to navigate government at whatever level, since it is impossible for people at this point to do directly.

One of my earliest memories of world events was the election of Bill Clinton. I knew my parents were voting for Bush, but really did not understand much past that. I would have been almost 5.

I was self-employed as a music teacher. My sisters already had a studio together, and I was the last to join. I taught guitar for 10 years.

Kentucky has a Constitution that supports very separated branches of government. I love learning the separation of powers in Kentucky, but it has historically not been practiced correctly. I think ideally, the legislature would truly be in the driver's seat to make policy, and the governor would figure out how to do it all. But in order for the legislature to make good policy, they need to have insight on what it would look like to implement, and therefore I think there is a place for the governor to advise the legislature on the executive experience in order to preempt issues. However, strong ethics must be present to be sure the governor is self-limiting rather than self-serving with that kind of input across to another branch.

We are on auto-pilot in so many areas, and that should lead us to more frustration with government as the years go by. Our spending is completely unsustainable, and our practices are not transparent nor accountable.

I love the concept of government of, by, and for the people, to where no experience is necessary. However, the government has become so bloated that it is now impossible to keep up with much of it without being completely immersed in it. I think in order to gain an advantage to get things turned back around, we are going to need people who can lead instead of learn on the job, and that makes it tough because there are not many that are truly in tune with the people who also have the required skillset. My life experience was learning these things as a volunteer at first, before going into full-time service, and I think I highly recommend that approach so that the right balance may be achievable for future legislators.

It is impossible to not build relationships. They are built one way or the other simply through proximity. The quality of the relationship I think is determined by understanding over time. The Frankfort meetings can be their own bubble, so it's important to keep hitting a personal reset button to stay grounded in what the people are wanting at home and how they think. However, understanding the people in Frankfort better helps me craft a path forward when I am looking to accomplish something drastic. I can tailor my approach to each person according to their interests.

Ron Paul's advice to me when I first got involved in public work was that everyone is your friend on something, nobody is your friend on everything. I find characteristics from each person I meet to be inspiring and something I would like to add to my personal collection of models. But nobody sticks out in my mind as a single model of all.

No. I was not interested in this one either, before I ran, but God had other plans in due time. I did not realize I had the toolbox needed for this work, so if God directs me to something else I will be obedient, but it is not something I want.

I am not a fan of our emergency powers, KRS Chapter 39A. However, I do see why there may have been an effort to create that department when it was created. I have introduced a bill to cut out all the extra power and keep the emergency department to planning and immediate obvious response only, instead of expanding any government control over people's lives no matter what the circumstances are. Our current grant of emergency authority is scary and should never exist, such as seizing food supplies.

I have introduced so many bills already! I would re-introduce many of those, but I have committed if reelected to focus my research this year on education bureaucracy, so I would hope a first bill ready for the 2025 session would be something that reduces workload for teachers and administrators so that more time and attention can go directly to kids.

Ky Right to Life
NRA
Drain the Swamp
Make Liberty Win
Jenean Hampton
Many, many more...

I used to spend half my time in the Judiciary committee and assumed I would serve on it when elected. However, I was elected as the only non-attorney in a class of 5 freshmen, so I did not get selected and have never served on it, although I am now a new attorney. Other committees that have been my favorites are statutory oversight committees such as administrative regulations, program review, and contracts. As far as standing committees, I very much enjoyed State & Local Government and the Education committees the most.

I believe the government belongs to the people, so we must treat it as their property. This requires thorough transparency and immediate response as much as possible as the trustee of the public.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2020

Adrienne Southworth completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Southworth's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Adrienne Southworth, former Deputy Chief of Staff for Lt. Governor Jenean Hampton, is seeking nomination for State Senate.

"Experience matters," Adrienne says. For over a decade, Adrienne has been asked to run for various offices, but this year is different. She says, "I realize that I hold value that could be a gamechanger to move my district and our state forward."

Drawing on seven years of volunteering in the legislature and her work touching nearly every state agency through the Lt. Governor's office, Adrienne believes top issues needing attention are stabilizing the pension systems, education innovation, and accountable responsive government.

"Adrienne's ability to quickly read and understand bills is legendary," said Lt. Governor Hampton. "I was blessed to have someone with Adrienne's talents on my team. I'm grateful she voluntarily continued to assist me till the end of my term."

Previously, Adrienne was a self-employed graphic designer and led Take Back Kentucky, a statewide coalition of grassroots groups. Working with legislators since 2009, Adrienne brings a host of insight from the public's perspective. She has particular experience in fiscal resourcefulness, constitutional liberty, and justice reform.

Adrienne lives in Lawrenceburg with her husband. For more information, visit senate7.com.

• Protect Life & Liberty
• Defend Constitutional Rights
• Keep Promises

Known most recently as Deputy Chief of Staff for Lt. Governor Jenean Hampton, Adrienne Southworth embodies government of, by, and for the people.

Adrienne was a member of Take Back Kentucky, a statewide coalition of grassroots groups started in 1996 to pass concealed carry in Kentucky. Upon the founder's passing in 2013, she was immediately requested to become the group's Moderator because of her experience and success in Frankfort.

Working in the Lt. Governor's office expanded Adrienne's reach from the legislative branch to the highest levels of executive branch agencies and policy. Combining experiences has enabled her to unwind the labyrinth of state government for various advanced constituent requests that seem to have no possible solution.

Serving as the Governor's special liaison to the Criminal Justice Policy Assessment Council was the initiative Adrienne was most passionate about. Another behemoth-sized task Adrienne led was a Workforce Development group, which identified the details of the $1.2 billion of estimated annual investment and studied methods for restructuring the system. Adrienne served on a dozen boards for the Lt. Governor spanning the spectrum of public policy concerns including education innovation, bond authorization, and minority business opportunities.

Although familiar with local and federal issues, Adrienne finds state-level policy grasps her attention the most. She looks forward to serving as the 7th district's next Senator!

Wisdom, integrity, and principles.

I am analytical and thorough, but with an understanding heart and compassion for people. Therefore, serving a constituency by handling tough or deep issues naturally fits my passion for righting wrongs and solving problems. I can listen, read between the lines, and distill issues quickly. In a world of 500 different topics flying inside less than that number of days, it is critical that an officeholder be mentally agile and maintain a figurative encyclopedia of people's requests, needs, policies, laws, and procedures to be most effective and avoid mistakes.

I personally believe it is a Senator's duty to read the bills being considered, research the issues both from a constituent impact perspective and an institutional integrity perspective, and then suggest the best amendments and make the best votes accordingly.

I was 5 years old when I first recall becoming aware of the political process. I just remember hearing that the presidential election was happening, and it seemed that I was aware there was a better choice and a worse choice. Obviously at that age, I was for the better choice, but had no idea what it really meant.

I began teaching private guitar lessons when I was 16. I built my music studio and was involved in the performance and event industry for at least ten years.

I have noticed that a live-performed song at the close of a church service stays in my head for days. So weekly, it is whatever that song was.

Our House is made of many more members than the Senate. They represent specific communities of people, serve 2-year terms, and must work together in groups to accomplish tasks. Our Senate serves longer 4-year terms and covers broader regions. While constituents are represented at both levels, the Senate carries a heavier load with regard to institutional knowledge.

I am a firm believer in the wisdom of the common man. Therefore, I love those who come to the seat of government to truly represent the grassroots. However, as a member of the grassroots, I learned that the size and scope of government is so daunting that some hard decisions are made with little to no in-depth knowledge, which can present problems in the end. Therefore, the perfect balance would be some one who has the experience of the inside with the perspective of the people.

Our state has grown, but not in a balanced way. We have more pensions to pay than can be paid on our best day. We are increasing administrative burden rather than streamlining it in so many areas. We have goals to reach and sometimes make a step forward, but elsewhere it is a step backward. Funding needs for upgrades to technology and infrastructure are looming. Meanwhile, our workforce is not on target to meet the current or upcoming needs. Balancing all the needs while creatively solving problems and simultaneously transitioning to a more stable situation is going to require serious decision-making.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Kentucky

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Kentucky scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

2023

2022

2021

See also

External links

• Search Google News for this topic

Footnotes

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Vote Adrienne Southworth, "Home," accessed January 14, 2021
2. ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on January 24, 2020
3. ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on April 19, 2024

Leadership

Senate President:Robert Stivers

Majority Leader:Damon Thayer

Minority Leader:Gerald Neal

Senators

Republican Party (30)

Democratic Party (7)

Vacancies (1)

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