57 Days
I officially announced my candidacy on September 3rd, 2025. Now 201 days later, we are at the final sprint of this campaign. And I couldn't be more excited to share with you how it's going.
57 days to canvass. 57 days to burn up the phones. 57 days to raise more money. 57 days to get out to all 16 counties again to meet with voters. 57 days until the primary election.
Kentucky’s 6th congressional district is an interesting one. We are labeled as an R+7 district, meaning that a Democrat could win. However, I actually believe that rating isn’t quite accurate, and we are a few more points to the left. That number was determined in November 2025, and to say we live in a different world than then is an understatement. Our current representative, Garland Hale Barr IV (or Andy, I guess), has assaulted our airwaves with hateful commercials playing a fake woe-is-me-to-be-a-white-guy fiddle, and expressing sheer glee over ICE agents beating our neighbors in the streets. And our home, our people, our state, and our country deserve better. At the very minimum, they need someone with more empathy and less disdain for humanity. The “Barr,” if you will, is in hell.
I am not only offering a leader with empathy, but a leader with experience and a real platform. For a quick rundown, here are my candidate superlatives (we are going to switch to the third person for a moment, so bear with).
Erin Petrey is the only candidate running for the 6th district who:
Has publicly committed to not taking corporate PAC or AIPAC money, and has signed public pledges to rein in Citizens United. She is also the only candidate who has publicly committed and signed a pledge to ban Congressional stock trading, enact term limits on the House and Senate, put a moratorium on elected officials becoming lobbyists, enact an enforceable judicial code of ethics for the U.S. Supreme Court, combat Citizens United, and introduce articles of impeachment against anyone who has abused their office and violated their oath of office.
Has extensive international experience, including studying, living, and working abroad. She is the only candidate who has actively engaged in and shaped foreign policy, international trade, and cross-cultural programs. She is also the only candidate with extensive experience in the Middle East, an area of constant turmoil, especially right now.
Is not bound by party talking points and is openly a proud progressive. This means she supports Medicare for All, a living wage, renewable energy, ending private prisons, taxing billionaires and corporations so they pay their fair share, abolishing ICE, eliminating Gerrymandering, and protecting civil rights for all. Erin does not look to the DNC or DCCC for permission to speak out on issues we care about - instead, she leads with honest and authentic responses and clear policy positions.
Has the most extensive private sector experience, with years of working to create good jobs in multiple industries and states for over a decade. Erin is also the only one who has managed over $1B in critical infrastructure deployment, managing programs that built hospitals, manufacturing facilities, renewable energy generation, and ports.
Is the only one who has almost died at the hands of our broken healthcare system. After fighting for months for a diagnosis, Erin ended up in the hospital with complications from her Crohn’s disease that nearly ended her life. But despite being near death, she fought the insurance companies and the doctors who wouldn’t take her seriously and recovered. She is a strong advocate for those with disabilities - especially invisible ones - and for a healthcare system that listens to patients. She will fight for better healthcare, so no one has to endure what she did. Healthcare is, after all, a human right.
Now that you are reacquainted with who I am, let’s reflect on the campaign. As someone who doesn’t have much of an ego, I sometimes feel dirty being a self-promoter. But that is the name of the game. So I had to get over it. Political campaigns are made up of three core pillars: money, message, and field. You need enough money to get your message out to the field - aka, the voters. It is a rule of ABC: Always Be Campaigning. So let’s dive in.
Money
The rudest awakening of this entire campaign was the inordinate amount of time a candidate is expected to spend on fundraising. I’ve opined on this before, and folks, it does not get better. In a time when the economy continues to backslide, gas has shot up over $1 a gallon, the stock market is exhibiting signs of schizophrenia, and we are bleeding out billions every single day on an illegal boondoggle in Iran, giving away your hard-earned cash to a politician seems, well, stupid. But until we change those in charge of making the decisions that impact our ability to live a decent life, nothing will change. And that is why I always ask for money.
And here is what I actually do with that money. While other candidates admit they have an “army of consultants,” I do not. I keep my operation lean, just as I did in project management and building companies and programs. More people, retainers, and software do not make you a winner; it only makes your bills higher. I do have a small but trusted team of advisors, some who I pay and some who I don’t. I also have one full-time staffer and one part-time staffer, along with a gaggle of over 100 volunteers. (If you’d like to volunteer, sign up here!) But I want to be clear that I also have skin in the game. I’ve invested over $50K in my own savings into this race because I don’t want to just be reliant on other people. I am putting my own cash on the line and forgoing a paycheck while doing so. I believe in this not just with my whole heart, head, and soul, but my life savings, too.
I am very selective how I spend money, but certain expenses are fixed. For example, in order to access voter information for canvassing, I must pay the state party $1750. I do not spend an inordinate amount of money purchasing every single email and phone list, but I do some. That runs me $400 a month. The software to manage my donors that’s $350 a month. Then there are the standard costs, such as website, email, and P.O. box. And of course, the literature for canvassing, yard signs, bumper stickers, and postcards. All of those add up. And that isn’t even taking into account the price of gas and the 20K miles I’ve put on my car. This isn’t a woe-is-me moment, but an act of transparency.
So if you are able, please consider donating to my campaign here. Every dollar helps me reach voters, pay my Kentucky staff, and buy ad space on TV and digital.
Message
The message is what you want everyone to know. It is what makes people listen to you, remember you, and vote for you. I always give clear and direct responses to any questions on any topic - from data centers to Gaza to healthcare - I don’t like to work in shades of grey. Certainly, issues can be nuanced, but I know that people are tired of doublespeak, something I’ve worked to try to avoid myself, but know I can fall victim to. You are never going to please everyone, so the best tack is to just be yourself. And frankly, that is one of my superpowers.
My energy is unmatched on the trail, and my message is certainly a different one. I like to keep the “T” word out of my mouth as much as possible because I want to give people something to vote for because at this point, we all know what we are against. And that message is resonating.
When I knock doors and tell people I am a progressive Democrat, they respond with, “thank God” or “it’s about time!” or “you’ve absolutely got my vote.” Because when we fail to say something as a candidate, we fail to show how we will be a leader. Real leaders do not waffle or offer ho-hum responses to gnarly international problems. They should not just say things to respond to incidents, but to educate, to guide, to, well, actually lead.
Forgive the low quality - the speech is worth it!
So here is my message:
My name is Erin Petrey, the only Progressive Democrat running to flip Kentucky’s 6th congressional district blue. I grew up on a farm in Lawrenceburg, am a proud graduate of Kentucky public schools, and have Kentucky roots stretching back to before the Revolution.
I am running for Congress because in November 2024 I had a decision to make: sit around and complain or do something about it. So I did something about it. Because we need leaders who are ready to shake up the status quo, challenge our leaders - not just in this administration but especially in the Democratic Party, and not accept that the way things are is just how it is. The Democratic Party has not been who we should be for a long time now. This must change if we want something different. I also entered this race to reinvigorate and revitalize the Democratic Party because we have been asleep at the wheel and it is time to wake up and make waves.
My campaign is based on three core pillars: affordability, access, and opportunity. From raising the minimum wage and scaling it to a living wage (especially for our teachers) to establishing Medicare for All and reducing mass incarcerations to expanding rural healthcare and securing investment for good jobs and opportunity for our people, our work ahead is long and hard but we must reshape our society. Kentucky has been left behind by its represenatives in Washington for too long and I am determined to fix that. I don’t owe anything to any politicians or big donor networks, and only will work for you, the voter.
But it is also a campaign about accountability. Of bringing order and balance back to our government. Passing term limits, banning Congressional stock trading, putting a moratorium on lobbying by elected officials, overturning Citizens United, and enacting a code of ethics for the Supreme Court. Restoring the value of the individual vote once and for all. Every voice deserves to be heard, regardless of how much cash is behind.
As a kid, I dreamed of being a diplomat - going around the world and telling people how amazing America is, how amazing our democracy is. That led me to earning an undergraduate degree in International Affairs from The George Washington University and a master’s in Diplomacy and International Commerce from the Patterson School at the University of Kentucky. Upon graduation, I ended up in a job market similar to today’s: the opportunities were sparse, and just did not pay enough. So I moved to Daegu, South Korea for a year and taught English in a public elementary school in a poor part of town.
After Korea, I moved back to DC because job prospects were still slim in Kentucky. My first job was as the Special Assistant to the Ambassador at the Embassy of Libya. My job was to help rebuild the relationship between post-revolutionary Libya and the United States. My third day on the job was Benghazi and it did not slow down from there. I was on the frontlines of managing diplomacy with the Departments of State, Defense, Justice; intelligence community; White House; Congress; and more. I know how DC works and am particularly talented with cutting through bureacracy and red tape to get things done.
After the embassy, I led a diverse career with a consistent throughline: tackling big problems and delivering real results. I’ve directly worked in expanding renewable energy capacity, exporting $100Ms in U.S. goods and services, building manufacturing facilities in the U.S. South, and working to make data centers more sustainable and less of a burden on the environment. And I’ve spent 15 years writing about and promoting Kentucky’s signature bourbon industry.
I am in this race to be a loud and unapologetic voice for the people of Kentucky. Someone who will care and fight, not quit, when things get tough or a better opportunity comes along. My name is Erin Petrey and I am fighting to make the American Dream the American Reality again.
And the message resonates. People are tired of candidates in a can, people who don’t say anything, and people who are out of touch with reality. This is the kind of message that resonates broadly, and of course, I tailor and expand or shorten based on my audience.
So will you help me get my message out? Share this article with your friends or on social media. Or, of course, you can always help financially.
Field
Since I entered the race, it seems I am on the road more than I am at home. I’ve logged over 20K miles on my 2009 sedan. We’ve knocked doors in multiple counties in sunny weather and in below freezing temps and snowstorms. I’ve attended events in nearly every single one of the 16 counties (the missing ones have events planned!). I’ve called people in every county and left thousands of voicemails. I’ve given speeches in bowling alleys, churches, high school gyms, libraries, union halls, gay bars, breweries, retirement homes, and on street corners. And I’ve eaten more McDonald’s Egg McMuffins in the past 6 months than I have in my entire life. (You need to add the hashbrown, though - it takes it to an 11.) I learn something at every single campaign stop, with every single conversation, with each and every connection I make. No event is too small, because every vote counts. The only vote that doesn’t count is the one that isn’t cast.
Let’s be clear: if you are someone who burns out easily, don’t run for office. It takes your undivided attention and a lot of it. You will piss off your family, your friends, and random people on the street. You will irritate your network calling them asking for donations (sorry, I have to). You will flood everyone’s social media feeds with your campaign updates. Folks will not be kind at times. Don’t take it personally and ask those you care about for grace. (And to my friends and family, I am asking for your grace. I promise to be a better friend when the polls close.) My dog is probably even mad at me for spending so much time away from home. I am so sorry, Lila. I really am.
The field is where the rubber meets the literal road, the soles meet the sidewalk, and we meet the voters. Thank you for being on this journey with me. If you live in or know anyone in the 6th district, please share this with them. If you want to help a grassroots progressive break out in Kentucky, then please support us here. And if you’re just along for the ride, we will catch you in the next issue. Thank you for being here with us, with me, with Kentucky. It will take all of us to make a change, but that change is well worth it.