East Kentucky Senator Switches Political Parties
Senator Robin Webb has announced her decision to become a Republican.
Kentucky Senator Robin Webb has announced her political affiliation change from Democrat to Republican on Friday, May 30, 2025. Photo | LRC
By Jeff Jobe, Community Publisher
The Kentucky State Senate has gained another Republican. Senator Robin Webb will no longer be the Democrat from the community in which I grew up, Greenup.
On Friday, May 30, she announced she would be changing her party affiliation. She is leaving the six Democrats now serving with her and joining the thirty-one-member Republican caucus, giving the 38-member body a 32-Republican-to-6-Democrat breakdown.
Webb has served in this position since 2009 and held a position in the Kentucky House of Representatives before the Senate when she was first elected in 1998.
The Eastern Kentucky politician announced her plans to switch parties to become a Republican on Friday in a release from the Republican Party of Kentucky. All remaining Democrats in the Senate serve the areas of Lexington and Louisville. This is a bold move for the communities she serves: Boyd, Carter, Greenup, and Lewis counties.
“While it’s cliché, it’s true: I didn’t leave the party–the party left me,” Webb said in a news release. “The Kentucky Democratic Party has increasingly alienated lifelong rural Democrats like myself by failing to support the issues that matter most to rural Kentuckians.”
The senator also said her former party “continues its lurch to the left and its hyperfocus on policies that hurt the workforce and economic development in my region.”
Webb ultimately says the Democrat party no longer represents her values.
“It has become untenable and counterproductive to the best interests of my constituents for me to remain a Democrat,” she said, adding she plans to continue to be a “fearless advocate” for rural Kentucky and residents in the eastern part of the state.
Senate President Robert Stivers said in a statement, “On behalf of Senate Leadership and the entire Senate Majority, I welcome Sen. Robin Webb to our caucus. With her addition, the Senate Republican Caucus has reached a historic milestone of 32 members. This is a powerful sign that our proven approach to sound, conservative policymaking is winning hearts and minds across the state.”
Stivers said Webb’s policy record speaks for itself:
“Whether it’s her advocacy for Kentucky coal and our energy independence, her support for responsible budgeting, or her commitment to rural infrastructure, workforce development, and judicial matters, she has long worked alongside Republican colleagues to advance the interests of eastern Kentucky.”
This news is welcoming for Southcentral Kentucky Senators David Givens and Max Wise. Both Wise and Givens serve in leadership positions currently.
President Pro Tempore Givens said, “Webb is well respected and will be an asset to our caucus. She has a background in agriculture and law, and she will emerge quickly as a leader among us.”
Wise shared in a social media post: “Robin is an experienced and respected legislator who deeply understands this chamber’s operation,” Wise said. “She has regularly worked with our caucus members on the policies that have charted Kentucky’s course forward and will continue to do so.”
Wise, who is the Senate Majority Floor Leader, said he looks forward to working with Webb in the months ahead during the interim and during next year’s legislative session as Kentucky’s GOP Senate continues its mission to deliver thoughtful, conservative leadership from the Senate floor.
