Todd Kelly (Kentucky)

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Todd Kelly

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

May 21, 2024

Personal

Birthplace

Lexington, Ky.

Religion

Quaker

Profession

Farmer

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Instagram

Personal Facebook

Todd Kelly (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Kentucky's 6th Congressional District. He lost in the Democratic primary on May 21, 2024.

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

Biography

Todd Kelly was born in Lexington, Kentucky. His career experience includes working as a farmer.

Elections

2024

See also: Kentucky's 6th Congressional District election, 2024

Kentucky's 6th Congressional District election, 2024 (May 21 Democratic primary)

Kentucky's 6th Congressional District election, 2024 (May 21 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Kentucky District 6

Incumbent Andy Barr defeated Randy Cravens in the general election for U.S. House Kentucky District 6 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Andy Barr (R)	63.4	220,883
		Randy Cravens (D)	36.6	127,536

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 348,419
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 6

Randy Cravens defeated Todd Kelly, Shauna Rudd, Jonathan Richardson, and Don B. Pratt in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 6 on May 21, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Randy Cravens	26.0	9,305
		Todd Kelly	25.4	9,104
		Shauna Rudd	24.1	8,627
		Jonathan Richardson	12.4	4,433
	Submit photo	Don B. Pratt	12.1	4,335

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 35,804
= 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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Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Andy Barr advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 6.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Kelly in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

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

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

For twenty-five years I have been a nurseryman and small business owner. I am a former co-clerk of Lexington Friend's Meeting (Quakers)

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Women's Health and Abortion Women should control the fate of their own health. Decisions about abortion is not the domain of politicians and demagogues.
• Folks who rely a paycheck for sustenance should not be taxed at a higher rate than people who enjoy the ownership of assets, dividends, interest and rents.
• Single payer health care would prevent health care companies from enriching themselves through the denial and rationing of care.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Fiscal Policy

Health Care
Employment

Progressive Taxation

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

in theory, it is the broadest form of representation.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

no

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

a sustainable and fair exercise of institutional structure

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

no

What are your thoughts on term limits?

good idea

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

absolutely

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

I view the US dollar as a public utility to be spent for public purposes.

How should the U.S. House use its investigative powers?

wisely

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.

Note: Kelly submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on January 12, 2024.

Show past responsesHide past responses

January 10 submission

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I have owned a wholesale nursery for 25 years. Former Co-clerk of Lexington Friend's Meeting (Quakers) Married with two children.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Women should control their own body and should not be at the mercy of demagogues and politicians.
• Folks that rely on paychecks and income to put food on the table should not be taxed at a higher rate than own assets and capital.
• Single payer health care eliminates the abuses of health insurance companies. I can explain how to pay for it.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Abortion Rights

Fiscal and monetary policy

Health Care

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.

Note: Kelly submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on January 10, 2024.

Campaign website

Kelly’s campaign website stated the following:

“	Todd's Platform We have more in common than we have differences. The United States of America is a great country, BUT our current Congress is broken and continues to fail us, over and over again, to act in the public interest. Corporate money flows around Washington DC, and works to distort what our priorities should be. The Rights of Women -Humane reproductive laws will protect and improve the lives of Kentucky women and families (see Todd's op-ed on the website). -Our nation's reproductive laws should recognize women as individuals and protect their constitutional right to privacy. -All women, with the guidance of their doctors, make the best choices for themselves and their families. Healthcare -Adoption of single-payer healthcare is the consensus of the country, but it will not pass given the current makeup of Congress. -The Affordable Care Act (Obama Care) should be protected, coverage expanded, and out-of-pocket costs reduced. -Since 2012, health insurance company revenues have increased by 300% and profits have increased by 287%. -Health insurance companies use 20-30 cents of every healthcare dollar for marketing, salaries, administrative costs, and commissions. -Kentucky families are hurt when health insurance companies ration and deny care. Fair Taxation and Protection From the Financial Sector -80% of Kentucky families live paycheck to paycheck. -The poverty rate of the 16 counties of Kentucky's 6th Congressional District is 16%, and our child poverty rate is 23%. -To reduce their cost of living, Kentuckian families should be able to deduct a portion of their rental payments from their income taxes. -In 2021 consumers were charged $14.5 billion in credit card late fees. Kentuckians should be protected from excessive fees and penalties. -Payday lenders and the interest that they charge should be strictly watched and regulated. -For Kentucky families to thrive, individuals needing an income, or wages to pay their monthly bills, should not pay a higher tax rate than those who enjoy capital gains, dividends, or interest income. The Environment -The transition to renewable energy is in the public interest and should be a national priority. -Burning fossil fuels pollutes the environment, warms the planet, and makes the average American hostage to Saudi Arabia and its oil monopoly. Decriminalization of Cannabis -The disproportionate enforcement of cannabis laws has unnecessarily wrecked the lives of many Black Americans and their families. -The decriminalization of cannabis is the only course in a state where bourbon is the signature industry and where gambling is legal. Gun Control -There are more guns than people in the United States, and we should have common sense gun laws that protect us. LGBTQ+ Folks -Our gay and trans friends deserve as normal a life as anyone. -Democrats should lead by example when it comes to the safety and rights of LGBT+ folks. The will of our country is clear: Women want control over their own bodies: No one should suffer and be left out of our healthcare system: We want protection from financial predators; We want a fair tax system; We want a clean environment; We want sensible gun laws; We want to rectify the harm that criminalizing cannabis laws have inflicted in our Black community; We want our LGBTQ+ ommunities to live without fear and intimidation. This is my idea of patriotism and love of country. Il you agree then please join us.	”
—Todd Kelly’s campaign website (2024)

Campaign finance summary

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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.

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Todd Kelly campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	U.S. House Kentucky District 6	Lost primary	$59,681	$51,379
Grand total			$59,681	$51,379
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

See also

2024 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. President U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

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External links

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Candidate

U.S. House Kentucky District 6

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Footnotes

[show]

Kentucky's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Mitch McConnell (R)

Rand Paul (R)

Representatives

District 1

James Comer (R)

District 2

Brett Guthrie (R)

District 3

Morgan McGarvey (D)

District 4

Thomas Massie (R)

District 5

Hal Rogers (R)

District 6

Andy Barr (R)

Republican Party (7)

Democratic Party (1)