WKU Public Radio | By Dalton York
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Kentucky House Democratic Caucus / Left to Right: House Minority Whip Rachel Roberts, Minority Leader Derrick Graham, Minority Caucus Chair Cherlynn Stevenson.

Democrats in the Kentucky House of Representatives have elected new leaders ahead of the 2023 legislative session.

Representative Derrick Graham of Frankfort will serve as minority floor leader, replacing outgoing caucus leader Joni Jenkins of Louisville.

He’ll be the first Black legislative caucus leader in the commonwealth’s history.

Northern Kentucky Representative Rachel Roberts will be the minority whip after current Whip Angie Hatton lost her bid for re-election in an increasingly Republican-leaning eastern Kentucky district.

Graham’s former post of minority caucus chair will be filled by Lexington Representative Cherlynn Stevenson.

Twenty Democrats will make up the House Democratic Caucus in January, a decrease of five seats after Republican gains in the November elections.

The 2023 session of the General Assembly begins January 3.

Dalton York is a Morning Edition host and reporter for WKYU in Bowling Green. He is a graduate of Murray State University, where he majored in History with a minor in Nonprofit Leadership Studies. While attending Murray State, he worked as a student reporter at WKMS. A native of Marshall County, he is a proud product of his tight-knit community.