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Fred Nesler introduces Overly, his former House colleague.

Rep. Sannie Overly and Holly Erwin

Sannie Overly and Jesse Wright

Berry Craig interviews candidate for union publication.

(Mayfield KY - July 7, 2015) - Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor Sannie Overly visited Mayfield on this gloomy Tuesday, meeting with elected officials and supporters in Graves County. Shepherded around by her friend, former House Representative Fred Nesler, Overly made stops at the Graves County Courthouse and a local restaurant, where she spoke to supporters before moving on to Paducah for a fundraiser with her running mate, Jack Conway.

Overly is the first woman to serve as Democratic caucus chair, the first woman in leadership in the House of Representatives. One of the several committees that Overly serves on is the agriculture and small business committee. That is where she met Fred Nesler who represented Graves County for years before his retirement.

In her visit to agrarian Graves County, Overly emphasized her rural roots growing up in Bourbon County. Her family had a tobacco farm and her mother was a county extension agent for forty four years.

Overly graduated from the University of Kentucky with a degree in civil engineering then went on to night school at the University of Louisville to earn a law degree in 1993. She won a special election in 2007 and came to the House of Representatives in 2008. In her seven years of service, she rose quickly through the ranks to join leadership.

In her remarks, Overly promised to be a strong voice for small towns. She also is a strong supporter of preschool education, saying that teachers tell her that "too many kids show up for first grade unprepared to learn." She told the crowd that Matt Bevin, the GOP candidate, wants to do away with Headstart and preschool programs. The GOP proposal to offer vouchers so students can attend private and parochial schools will have a devastating effect on public education.

Overly said that she wants to work with higher education to craft ways to offer students training in jobs that require more than high school, but less than a full blown college education. A manufacturer of washing machine parts in Northern Kentucky pays its 50 employees salaries of $100,000 a year. Employees must be able to do higher math than taught in high school. The employer has said that while it would like to hire more workers, that they do not have skills the employer needs. It is just this sort of disconnect that Overly said a Conway/Overly administration would address.

Jesse Wright, who ran unsuccessfully for the House seat in Graves County, was on hand to meet with the candidate. Wright spoke at the Fancy Farm Picnic in 2014 and said it was an "experience like no other."

Overly agreed and said that while she has been to the Picnic and said on the stage with other elected officials, she looks forward to speaking at the 2015 event. "It is a rite of passage for politicians."
In an interview after her public remarks, I had to ask Rep. Overly the question that led to a furor in Allison Lundergan Grime's campaign to unseat Sen. Mitch McConnell

- "Who did you vote for in the presidential election?"

Overly smiled and said "I am a Democratic elected official. I voted for the President. Now let's move on."

And after touring the room and greeting each supporter, stopping for photo opps along the way, that is just what she did.

She moved on.