Run, Attica, Run

Yeah, Andy Beshear's a good candidate, and with a teacher as his running mate plus his history of fighting Gov. I Got Mine Fuck You at every turn, he can probably beat him.

But young as he is he's still a representative of the White Guy Caucus that's been running this state for 226 years (Martha Layne Collins was one of them, too.)

How about someone really different?  Someone who has been fighting for progressive Kentucky values her entire adult life? Someone who can light Democrats aflame and get the stay-at-home non-voters out to the polls with a vengeance?

Democrats of Kentucky, I give you Attica Scott.

Democratic state Rep. Attica Scott said Thursday she is leaning toward what would be a historic run for Kentucky governor in 2019 after months of encouragement from supporters.

"I've definitely had a lot of people from across Kentucky, whether rural, urban or suburban and Appalachia, asking me to run and I'm seriously considering it," she said.

Scott, a Louisville Democrat, gained national recognition two years ago for being the first African-American women elected to the state legislature in nearly two decades. That earned her a place among Essence Magazine's "Woke 100 Women" list that featured black women trailblazers in politics, business and entertainment.

In that short period of time Scott has been one of the more outspoken members of the House's minority caucus. Mostly recently she questioned the Kentucky State Police for keeping demonstrators from the Poor People's Campaign out of the Capitol Building.

The attorney general said in an opinion that such an action was illegal.

Scott, who previously served on the Louisville Metro Council, said she would likely announce her gubernatorial campaign intentions after November. She doesn't face a challenger in the general election for her District 41 seat, which stretches from parts of western Louisville into the St. Matthews area.

"If, and when, I decide to run it's going to be a serious campaign based on uplifting the issues that people across Kentucky have said are important to them," Scott said. "And making sure we're building a base of support of people who often feel they're not part of the processes because they're often done by people in the status quo, establishment or their families have been part of politics for decades in Kentucky."

There is going to be a metric fuckton of Democratic candidates in the gubernatorial primary next year, but none of them will look or sound like Attica Scott.

The first time I heard Attica Scott speak, I had just been discussing with several other people the utter dearth of decent Democratic candidates to challenge Bevin. Then she spoke.  And on our feet, cheering, we looked at each other, thinking the same thing.

There she is.