Ryan Stanford for State Representative

I’m running on caffeine and about 3 hours of sleep most days.

Balancing life as a dad, a coach, a worker and a candidate my schedule is packed from now through the first week of May with not a single day off in between. So why take on anything else right now?

Because I know we’ve got an opportunity in 2026 that wasn’t there in 2024.

And I know this: flipping one or two seats and playing defense everywhere else isn’t going to cut it in Frankfort.

It won’t stop teachers from being bullied.
It won’t better protect our kids.
It won’t expand internet access or bring clean drinking water to our hollers.
It won’t deliver universal Pre-K for working families.
And it won’t protect workers’ rights.

I want to win. But I’m not Superman.. I’m one vote.

If we want real change, we need the numbers.

That’s why I’ve stepped into a new role as County Outreach Chair for the Kentucky Democratic Rural Council

Because it’s going to take coordination, investment, and showing up everywhere not just in a handful of “priority” races.

When we ignore communities, we send a message. And it’s not a good one.

If we truly believe in what we’re fighting for, we’ve got to go all in.

2026 is our window. It may not be there in 2028.

Let’s bring balance back to Frankfort.

The Rural Council is proud to introduce our new County Outreach Chair, Ryan Stanford!

As we look ahead to the critical 2026 elections, strong county-level organization has never been more important. The County Outreach Chair plays a key role in building relationships with local Democratic parties, recruiting and supporting volunteers, and ensuring rural voices are heard loud and clear.

Ryan will be working closely with county leaders and grassroots organizers to expand our reach, energize our base, and lay the groundwork for Democratic victories across rural Kentucky. To help do your part, tag your County Democratic Party in the comments and have them contact [email protected] to get connected with us!

Please join us in welcoming Ryan to his new position. Together, we’re organizing every corner of the Commonwealth for 2026 and beyond!

Kentuckians already spoke!

Voters rejected the constitutional amendment that would have diverted public dollars away from our public schools. Loud and clear.

And now here we are again.

Today, the House Appropriations & Revenue Committee is hearing HB 1… another attempt to push public money toward private education schemes, just repackaged.

You cannot put something on the ballot, watch voters defeat it, and then turn around and try to force it through anyway.

That’s not leadership. That’s ignoring the will of the people.

And let’s be honest—this didn’t start yesterday. Since the teacher walkouts over the pension “sewer bill,” we’ve seen a pattern: undermine public educators, shortchange public schools, then claim the system is broken.

You don’t get to sabotage public education and then use that damage as justification to privatize it.

Rep. Matt Lockett and members of this committee need to hear from their constituents. The people of Kentucky deserve transparency, debate, and RESPECT not backdoor maneuvers from an unchecked supermajority.

Public education is a promise. It’s not a political bargaining chip.

If voters reject something at the ballot box, lawmakers don’t get a do-over because they didn’t like the outcome.

Kentucky families are watching.

Kentucky Democratic Party Jessamine County Democratic Party Fayette County Democratic Party

Erasing the bad and ugly from our history books won’t make us great or even “good again.” It keeps us from understanding how far we’ve come in a short time… and how much further we still have to go.

We were never perfect. But I remember a time when it felt like we were moving forward together.

Black History Month isn’t about guilt. It’s about truth. It’s about recognizing resilience, leadership, innovation, and courage in the face of real opposition.

Today, this week, this month and every single day we should celebrate our Black brothers and sisters. We should celebrate their successes, their contributions, and their impact on this country we all love.

Progress doesn’t happen by pretending. It happens by learning, acknowledging, and choosing to move forward… together.

I know there’s someone in KY SD 22 who’s been waiting for a nudge to run. If you’ve got the heart to serve and the courage to lead, our district needs you. My inbox is open!

Let’s be the change, together!

A few weeks ago, I was reminded why doing the work matters more than getting the attention.

Action over optics.

Some candidates and politicians chase cameras. To be fair, they do bring attention to important issues but how many actually roll up their sleeves and do the work?

If you saw the Jessamine County Community Dinner on the news a few weeks ago, you saw some truly great folks from our community being highlighted throughout the nightly news cycle. These are the people who deserve the camera time. They’re the ones who make these Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners happen for our neighbors.

It’s been a pleasure of mine to serve alongside them the last few years at the Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners hosted by the Jessamine County Homeless Coalition.

I don’t seek the camera.
I roll up my sleeves and get to work.

Join us on December 19th for our commUNITY Christmas dinner with the Jessamine County Homeless Coalition- JCHC from 4-7!

Running as a Democrat in a red area means walking a fine line. If you drift too far toward the middle, you risk losing parts of your base. If you spend all your time attacking the president or questioning those who voted for him, you risk alienating neighbors, friends, and folks whose trust you’ve worked hard to earn.

Last year, we outperformed the top of the ticket in all but two precincts here in Jessamine County. Many people who voted for Donald Trump also crossed party lines and voted for me. I’m incredibly proud of that. It showed that when people know you, when the message reaches them, and when you show up for them, it matters.

That said, I won’t stay silent while the President continues to erode the respect and dignity the office should carry. Division has become the strategy. If turning us against one another doesn’t work, the fallback always seems to be blame— on the left, on President Biden, on “TDS,” or on some external enemy. Tragedies, natural disasters, fires… everything becomes political ammunition, often with little or no credibility behind it.

We’ve disagreed with past presidents from both parties, but it’s hard to find another president in modern history who has governed with this level of open hostility toward their fellow Americans. Calls to violence, reckless rhetoric, and constant scapegoating are not normal and they should never be accepted as such.

A Republican from our own state, Congressman Thomas Massie, recently made a point that stuck with me. He said there are two versions of “Trump Derangement Syndrome”: one where hatred becomes irrational, and another where loyalty becomes so strong that people abandon their own principles to defend him.

I’m choosing to stick to mine.

We deserve leaders who want to unite this country, not pit us against each other. Leaders who represent all of us, regardless of who we voted for. I love this country deeply. I just hope those who represent us love it enough to put it before their own power or political ambitions.

Trump disparages Rob Reiner's political views a day after his murder

Attended the Jessamine County Schools school board meeting last night. A lot of important issues were discussed, but one thing I was excited about was the Read to Achieve (RTA) Grant that 3 of our elementary schools have applied for.

If awarded, this grant would allow each participating school to hire an additional reading teacher and strengthen early-literacy support for struggling readers in grades K-3. That may sound small, but it’s huge… early reading is the foundation for everything else a child learns.

For context:
Kentucky’s statewide reading data shows we have real work to do.
• Only 49% of elementary students are proficient or distinguished in reading on the state assessment.
• On the national NAEP assessment, only 33% of Kentucky 4th graders scored proficient or above in reading.

That means half of our students are not yet reading on grade level. Research shows early reading ability affects every subject, long-term academic success, and even high school graduation rates. When kids learn to read confidently by 3rd grade, they’re far more likely to succeed later on. When they fall behind early, the gap only grows.

That’s why grants like RTA are so important. They give our schools the resources to identify reading challenges early, provide targeted interventions, and support teachers with evidence-based tools. At the end of the day, this is about giving every child in Jessamine County the best shot at success.

Proud of the work our district is doing, and hopeful we’ll see this grant come through. Our kids deserve every opportunity we can give them.