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R. Travis Brenda
R. Travis Brenda (Republican Party) was a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives, representing District 71. He assumed office on January 1, 2019. He left office on December 31, 2020.
Brenda (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the Kentucky House of Representatives to represent District 71. He lost in the Republican primary on June 23, 2020.
Biography
R. Travis Brenda was born in Cartersville, Kentucky. He earned a bachelor of arts in math education, a master's degree in math education, and a master's degree in instructor leadership from Eastern Kentucky University. Brenda’s career experience includes working as a teacher with the Rockcastle Board of Education.[1]
Committee assignments
2019-2020
Brenda was assigned to the following committees:
- House Education Committee (decommissioned)
- Economic Development & Workforce Investment Committee
- House Natural Resources and Energy Committee
Elections
2020
See also: Kentucky House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
General election for Kentucky House of Representatives District 71
Josh Bray won election in the general election for Kentucky House of Representatives District 71 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Josh Bray (R) | 100.0 | 19,879 |
| Total votes: 19,879 | |||
 = 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
Republican primary for Kentucky House of Representatives District 71
Josh Bray defeated incumbent R. Travis Brenda in the Republican primary for Kentucky House of Representatives District 71 on June 23, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Josh Bray | 50.2 | 4,107 |
 | R. Travis Brenda | 49.8 | 4,077 | |
| Total votes: 8,184 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2018
General election
General election for Kentucky House of Representatives District 71
R. Travis Brenda defeated Mary Renfro in the general election for Kentucky House of Representatives District 71 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | R. Travis Brenda (R) | 78.5 | 13,172 |
 | Mary Renfro (D) | 21.5 | 3,613 | |
| Total votes: 16,785 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = 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
Democratic primary for Kentucky House of Representatives District 71
Mary Renfro advanced from the Democratic primary for Kentucky House of Representatives District 71 on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Mary Renfro |
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Kentucky House of Representatives District 71
R. Travis Brenda defeated incumbent Jonathan Shell in the Republican primary for Kentucky House of Representatives District 71 on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | R. Travis Brenda | 50.7 | 4,239 |
 | Jonathan Shell | 49.3 | 4,118 | |
| Total votes: 8,357 | |||
| = 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
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
R. Travis Brenda did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
R. Travis Brenda completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Brenda's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
1. Make sure that the state pension systems are financially sound, and the public schools are supported. 2. Continue the work to address the drug epidemic. 3. Improve infrastructure and job growth.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
I believe that a strong public school system, reducing the drug crisis, improving the infrastructure, and growing jobs are all connected. We must work to improve each of these areas together.
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
I believe that people in general, not just elected officials, should be able to engage in a civil discussion of issues without resorting to name calling and throwing insults at others.
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
As a high school math teacher, I teach all of the students that walk into my classroom. It does not matter where they came from, what they look like, what their opinions are about issues, etc. Instead, we have to work together to make sure that they learn and achieve as much as possible. As an elected official, I must do the same; represent all of my constituents while working with the other elected officials.
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
As an elected official, I must represent all of my constituents while working with the other elected officials.
What legacy would you like to leave?
I want others to say that I did what I could to make a positive impact on the world around me.
What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?
The historical event that stands out in my mind is the explosion of Challenger shortly after liftoff in 1986 when I was 11 years old. I was home from school on a snow day watching t.v. when the news came in that the shuttle had just exploded. The rest of the day was spent watching replays of the liftoff and listening to news reports.
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
My first job was working in tobacco, hay, and with cattle on the family farm. I still have that job, but we no longer raise tobacco.
What is your favorite holiday? Why?
I love Christmas. First and foremost, it is the time to celebrate the birth of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Second, it is a time to celebrate giving to others without expecting anything in return.
What was the last song that got stuck in your head?
The last song that got stuck in my head was the quadratic formula set to the tune of "Pop Goes the Weasel" because I always share that with my classes to help them remember.
Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?
I do not believe that it is important for legislators to have previous political experience. Our founding fathers wanted ordinary people representing their neighbors in leading this country and state. I believe that it Ronald Reagan that talked about being a "citizen politician". We have too many career politicians.
Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.
It is important to build relationships with the other legislators. If elected, I will be one of 100 voices in the Kentucky House. I will not be able to accomplish anything on my own. It will require communicating with the other 99.
Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?
I have no plans to try to climb a political ladder.
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.
Scorecards
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.
2020
In 2020, the Kentucky State Legislature was in session from January 7 to April 15.
- Legislators from the Louisville area are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the Kentucky General Assembly was in session from January 8 through March 29.
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See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jonathan Shell (R) |
Kentucky House of Representatives District 71 2019–2020 |
Succeeded by Josh Bray (R) |
