Steven Rudy
{{Short description|American politician (born 1978)}}{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Steven Rudy
| office = Majority Leader of the Kentucky House of Representatives
| 1blankname = Speaker
| 1namedata = David Osborne
| term_start = January 5, 2021
| term_end =
| predecessor = Bam Carney
| successor =
| state_house1 = Kentucky
| district1 = 1st
| term_start1 = January 1, 2005
| term_end1 =
| predecessor1 = Charles Geveden
| successor1 =
| birth_name = Steven Jack Rudy
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1978|8|9}}
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = Republican
| residence = Paducah, Kentucky
| education = West Kentucky Community and Technical College
Murray State University (BA)
| image = Rep. Steven Rudy.jpg
| committees = Committee on Committees
Rules
Enrollment
Banking and Insurance
}}
Steven Jack Rudy (born August 9, 1978) is an American politician and agribusiness owner who has served as a Republican member of the Kentucky House of Representatives since January 2005.{{Cite web |title=Legislator-Profile - Legislative Research Commission |url=https://legislature.ky.gov/Legislators/Pages/Legislator-Profile.aspx?DistrictNumber=1 |access-date=2024-05-29 |website=legislature.ky.gov}} He represents Kentucky's 1st House district, which includes Ballard, Carlisle, Fulton, and Hickman counties as well as part of McCracken County.
He has served as the House Majority Leader since 2021.{{Cite web |title=GOP-dominated Kentucky House presses forward with legislative goals |url=https://spectrumnews1.com/ky/louisville/in-focus-shows/2024/01/26/steven-rudy-on-in-focus |access-date=2024-09-09 |website=spectrumnews1.com |language=en}}
Early life
Steven Jack Rudy was born to parents Jack and Jeanette Rudy of Ballard County on August 9, 1978. Rudy was educated in the Ballard County School system, and graduated from Ballard Memorial High School in 1996. Rudy attended college at the former Paducah Community College (now West Kentucky Community and Technical College) and graduated from Murray State University in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts in agriculture education. While at Murray he was a member of the Future Farmers of America.{{cite journal | title=The Shield Yearbook | journal=Murray State University Yearbooks | publisher=Murray State University | issue= | year=2000 | url=https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/yearbooks/11/ | access-date=December 9, 2021 | page=212}}
Political career
= Nuclear Energy =
In the 2008 session of the Kentucky General Assembly, Rudy introduced legislation that would allow for nuclear plants to be built in Kentucky without having a permanent waste disposal facility, in an attempt to end the state's moratorium on nuclear power plants. The legislation did not pass.{{Cite web |title=08RS House Bill 542 |url=https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/08rs/hb542.html |access-date=2024-09-09 |website=apps.legislature.ky.gov}}
In the 2009 regular session of the Kentucky General Assembly, Rudy refiled legislation to lift the moratorium on nuclear power plants. The General Assembly adjourned sine die that year without the matter passing the house,{{Cite web |title=09RS House Bill 376 |url=https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/09rs/hb376.html |access-date=2024-09-09 |website=apps.legislature.ky.gov}} but the moratorium was later lifted during the 2017 regular session with the passage of the Robert J. Lepper Act. Rudy voted in favor of the bill's passage.{{Cite web |title=17RS Senate Bill 11 |url=https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/17rs/sb11.html |access-date=2024-05-29 |website=apps.legislature.ky.gov}}
= Elections =
- 2004 Rudy was unopposed in the 2004 Republican primary for Kentucky's 1st House district{{Cite web |title=Commonwealth of Kentucky May 18, 2004 Official Primary Election Results |url=https://elect.ky.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Election%20Results/2000-2009/2004/Primary%20Election/STATEwidebyoffice.txt |access-date=September 9, 2024 |website=Kentucky State Board of Elections}} and won the 2004 Kentucky House of Representatives election with 9,749 votes (54.6%) against longtime Democratic incumbent Charles Geveden.{{Cite web |title=Commonwealth of Kentucky November 2, 2004, Official General Election Results |url=https://elect.ky.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Election%20Results/2000-2009/2004/General%20Election/2004statebyoffice.txt |access-date=September 10, 2024 |website=Kentucky State Board of Elections}} Rudy is the first Republican ever elected to the seat.
- 2006 Rudy was unopposed in the 2006 Republican primary{{Cite web |title=Commonwealth of Kentucky May 2006 Official Primary Election Results |url=https://elect.ky.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Election%20Results/2000-2009/2006/Primary%20Election/STATEresultsbyoffice.txt |access-date=September 10, 2024 |website=Kentucky State Board of Elections}} and won the 2006 Kentucky House of Representatives election with 8,226 votes (57.7%) against Democratic candidate Thomas French.{{Cite web |title=Commonwealth of Kentucky November 7, 2006, Official General Election Results |url=https://elect.ky.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Election%20Results/2000-2009/2006/General%20Election/STATEwidebyoffice.txt |access-date=September 10, 2024 |website=Kentucky State Board of Elections}}
- 2008 Rudy was unopposed in the 2008 Republican primary{{Cite web |title=Commonwealth of Kentucky May 20, 2008, Official Primary Election Results |url=https://elect.ky.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Election%20Results/2000-2009/2008/Primary%20Election/STATEwide%20by%20office%20Pri%2008.txt |access-date=September 10, 2024 |website=Kentucky State Board of Elections}} and won the 2008 Kentucky House of Representatives election with 9,753 votes (53.4%) against McCracken County Circuit Clerk and Democratic candidate Mike Lawrence.{{Cite web |title=Commonwealth of Kentucky November 4, 2008, Official General Election Results |url=https://elect.ky.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Election%20Results/2000-2009/2008/General%20Election/STATEwide%20by%20office%20gen%2008.txt |access-date=September 10, 2024 |website=Kentucky State Board of Elections}}
- 2010 Rudy was unopposed in the 2010 Republican primary,{{Cite web |title=Commonwealth of Kentucky May 18, 2010, Official Primary Election Results |url=https://elect.ky.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Election%20Results/2010-2019/2010/off2010pri.pdf |access-date=September 10, 2024 |website=Kentucky State Board of Elections}} and won the 2010 Kentucky House of Representatives election with 8,494 votes (59.4%) against Democratic candidate Mike Lawrence.{{Cite web |title=Commonwealth of Kentucky November 2, 2010, Official General Election Results |url=https://elect.ky.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Election%20Results/2010-2019/2010/off2010gen.pdf |access-date=September 10, 2024 |website=Kentucky State Board of Elections |page=27}}
- 2012 Rudy was unopposed in the 2012 Republican primary{{Cite web |title=Steven Rudy |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Steven_Rudy |access-date=2024-05-29 |website=Ballotpedia |language=en}} and 2012 Kentucky House of Representatives election, winning the latter with 14,080 votes.{{Cite web |title=Commonwealth of Kentucky November 6, 2012, Official General Election Results |url=https://elect.ky.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Election%20Results/2010-2019/2012/2012genresults.pdf |access-date=September 10, 2024 |website=Kentucky State Board of Elections |page=25}}
- 2014 Rudy was unopposed in the 2014 Republican primary and 2014 Kentucky House of Representatives election, winning the latter with 13,017 votes.{{Cite web |title=Commonwealth of Kentucky November 4, 2014, Official General Election Results |url=https://elect.ky.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Election%20Results/2010-2019/2014/2014%20General%20Election%20Results.pdf |access-date=September 10, 2024 |website=Kentucky State Board of Elections |page=24}}
- 2016 Rudy was unopposed in the 2016 Republican primary and won the 2016 Kentucky House of Representatives election with 14,046 votes (70.2%) against Democratic candidate Michael Murphy.{{Cite web |title=Commonwealth of Kentucky November 8, 2016, Official General Election Results |url=https://elect.ky.gov/results/2010-2019/Documents/2016%20General%20Election%20Results.pdf |access-date=September 9, 2024 |website=Kentucky State Board of Elections |page=26}}
- 2018 Rudy was unopposed in the 2018 Republican primary and won the 2018 Kentucky House of Representatives election with 11,050 votes (67%) against Democratic candidate Desiree Owen.{{Cite web |title=Commonwealth of Kentucky November 6, 2018, Official General Election Results |url=https://elect.ky.gov/results/2010-2019/Documents/2018GeneralElectionCertified.pdf |access-date=September 9, 2024 |website=Kentucky State Board of Elections |page=21}}
- 2020 Rudy was challenged in the 2020 Republican primary by former Congressman Carrol Hubbard, who represented Kentucky's 1st Congressional District from 1975 to 1993. Rudy won the primary with 3,258 votes (85.7%){{Cite web |title=Commonwealth of Kentucky June 23, 2020, Official Primary Election Results |url=https://elect.ky.gov/results/2020-2029/Documents/2020%20Primary%20Election%20Results.pdf |access-date=September 9, 2024 |website=Kentucky State Board of Elections |page=30}} and was unopposed in the 2020 Kentucky House of Representatives election, winning with 17,836 votes.{{Cite web |title=Commonwealth of Kentucky November 3, 2020, Official General Election Results |url=https://elect.ky.gov/results/2020-2029/Documents/2020%20General%20Election%20Results.pdf |access-date=September 9, 2024 |website=Kentucky State Board of Elections |page=31}}
- 2022 Rudy won the 2022 Republican primary with 2,176 votes (61%){{Cite web |title=Commonwealth of Kentucky May 17, 2022, Official Primary Election Results |url=https://elect.ky.gov/results/2020-2029/Documents/2022%20Primary%20Election%20results.pdf |access-date=September 9, 2024 |website=Kentucky State Board of Elections |page=25}} and was unopposed in the 2022 Kentucky House of Representatives election, winning with 12,590 votes.{{Cite web |title=Commonwealth of Kentucky November 8, 2022, Official General Election Results |url=https://elect.ky.gov/results/2020-2029/Documents/1.17.2023%20Certified%20General%20Election%20Results.pdf |access-date=September 9, 2024 |website=Kentucky State Board of Elections |page=28}}
- 2024 Rudy was unopposed for the 2024 Republican primary, and won the 2024 Kentucky House of Representatives election with 16,074 votes (76,7%) against Democratic candidate Frederick Fountain.{{Cite web |date=2024-11-08 |title=2024 KY State House General Election Results |url=https://www.courier-journal.com/elections/results/2024-11-05/kentucky/state-house |access-date=2024-11-15 |website=The Courier-Journal |language=en}}
References
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{{s-bef|before=Bam Carney}}
{{s-ttl|title=Majority Leader of the Kentucky House of Representatives|years=2021–present}}
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{{Kentucky statewide political officials}}
{{U.S. State House floor leaders}}
{{Kentucky House of Representatives}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rudy, Steven}}
Category:Republican Party members of the Kentucky House of Representatives
Category:21st-century members of the Kentucky General Assembly