Josh Hicks — a rural Kentuckian, veteran, and police officer — is going to flip this Central Kentucky district by building on the urban base and turning out rural Democrats.
He grew up on a farm in the rural part of the district and joined the United States Marine Corps at the age of 18. There, he was trained as a radio operator and cryptographic custodian. He rose to the rank of Sergeant and completed two deployments with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
Upon leaving the military, he joined the Maysville Police Department in Kentucky, and served on the Emergency Response Team, finishing his undergraduate degree at the same time, and then attending law school.
Now, he is running for Congress against an incumbent who won 51-48% in 2018. Democratic prospects in the state are looking up, after they recaptured the governorship of Kentucky in 2019 and with recent polling showing Trump and McConnell both trailing their Democratic challengers by double digits in the sixth district.
Hicks will be a strong proponent of a progressive national security policy; he favors extending the New START nuclear treaty by five years and ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
As a former United States Marine who has seen firsthand the positive and negative effects of U.S. troop presence in foreign countries, he believes our foreign policy should be focused on diplomatic efforts first.