Charles Booker

Why they say you should vote for them

The candidate's own case to voters, summarized from their campaign and public statements.

• Says Kentucky needs a senator who treats poverty as an emergency, citing his own childhood in West Louisville when his family rationed insulin.[1],[2]
• Says his campaign is about health care as a human right, union jobs in every county, and clean water and air.[1]
• Describes his campaign as uniting Kentuckians across race, religion and class "from the hood to the holler."[1]
• Says his campaign is funded by everyday Kentuckians, not corporate PACs.[2]
• Proposes congressional term limits and a ban on members of Congress trading stocks or becoming lobbyists.[4]

Background

• Director, Kentucky Governor's Office of Faith-Based Initiatives and Community Involvement · 2023–2025[11],[10]
• Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Kentucky (lost to Sen. Rand Paul) · 2022[11],[10]
• State Representative, Kentucky House of Representatives (43rd District) · 2019–2021[11],[10]
• Staff, Kentucky Legislative Research Commission · Until 2014[10]

Education

• B.S., University of Louisville[10]
• J.D., University of Louisville School of Law[10]

Where they stand

• Health Care
  Supports restoring Affordable Care Act subsidies, a state-run public insurance option and expanding Medicare drug price negotiation; says health care is a human right.[5]
• Abortion
  Says decisions about pregnancy, contraception, IVF and miscarriage care belong to women and their doctors; supports protecting access to contraception and IVF.[5]
• Energy & Environment
  Supports requiring large data centers to cover their own utility costs and a national moratorium on new AI data centers; supports protecting coal miners' pensions and black lung benefits and an all-of-the-above energy strategy.[6],[12]
• Economy & Jobs
  Supports tax cuts for working and middle-class families and the freedom of workers to organize; would introduce a resolution to end the national emergency used to impose tariffs.[7]
• Foreign Policy
  Supports a War Powers Resolution to end funding for the war in Iran and repealing the 2001 and 2002 military force authorizations; proposes suspending future U.S. military spending and arms sales to Israel until a two-state solution is enacted.[8]
• Public Safety
  Supports funding for police training and recruitment and mental health crisis teams, expanded addiction treatment, and violence prevention and re-entry programs.[9]
• Education
  Opposes cuts to Title I and special education funding and opposes diverting public money to private school vouchers; supports grants for rural teacher recruitment and pay.[13]
• Social Security & Medicare
  Proposes adding oral health, vision and hearing coverage to traditional Medicare and making Medicare drug price negotiation permanent; says he would protect Social Security and Medicare.[14],[7]

Voting record

A selection of notable recorded votes. Not a complete record.

In their words