Betsy Ruhe
Betsy Ruhe (Democratic Party) is a member of the Louisville City Council in Kentucky, representing District 21. She assumed office on January 2, 2023. Her current term ends on January 4, 2027.
Ruhe is running for re-election to the Louisville City Council to represent District 21 in Kentucky. She is on the ballot in the primary on May 19, 2026.[source]
Biography
Betsy Ruhe was born in Louisville, Kentucky. She served in the U.S. Army National Guard from 1986 to 1992. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Louisville in 1985, additional education from Bellarmine University in 1999, and a graduate degree in sustainability from the University of Louisville in 2017. Her career experience includes working as an educator and in retail. Ruhe has been affiliated with Beechmont Neighborhood Association and Kentucky Retired Teachers Association.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: City elections in Louisville, Kentucky (2026)
General election
The primary will occur on May 19, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Nonpartisan primary
Nonpartisan primary election for Louisville Metro Council District 21
Incumbent Betsy Ruhe (Nonpartisan), Savannah Hughes (Nonpartisan), Lonnie Joseph (Nonpartisan), and Ben Spalding (Nonpartisan) are running in the primary for Louisville Metro Council District 21 on May 19, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Betsy Ruhe (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Savannah Hughes (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Lonnie Joseph (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Ben Spalding (Nonpartisan) | ||
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Kimberly Abrams (Nonpartisan)
Endorsements
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2022
See also: City elections in Louisville, Kentucky (2022)
General election
General election for Louisville Metro Council District 21
Betsy Ruhe defeated Stephen Dattilo Jr. and John Witt in the general election for Louisville Metro Council District 21 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Betsy Ruhe (D) | 60.4 | 4,385 | |
| Stephen Dattilo Jr. (R) | 34.6 | 2,507 | ||
| John Witt (Independent) | 4.8 | 347 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 17 | ||
| Total votes: 7,256 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Betsy Ruhe advanced from the Democratic primary for Louisville Metro Council District 21.
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Louisville Metro Council District 21
Stephen Dattilo Jr. defeated Irina Baptiste in the Republican primary for Louisville Metro Council District 21 on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Stephen Dattilo Jr. | 64.3 | 489 | |
| Irina Baptiste | 35.7 | 272 | ||
| Total votes: 761 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
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2022
Betsy Ruhe completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ruhe's responses.
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- Everyone deserves to feel a part of a community. I will work to strengthen neighborhood ties and empower citizens to speak up and generate change from the bottom up.
- I will work to support local businesses and support budding entrepreneurs. Healthy communities have resources to meet their most basic economic needs. You shouldn't have to drive for miles to buy groceries or home repair supplies or find a good restaurant
- We should all feel safe in our communities. We get there by knowing our neighbors, speaking up and stepping up when we see problems, and having effective and engaged police officers
planting trees and pollinator gardens,Supporting efforts to reduce and adapt to climate disruption
empowering citizens to work together to achieve long-lasting change
long-term, big picture view
creativity
Good listener
Beauty, housing, strong communities
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.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on June 14, 2022
