Now that the general election matchup is set, likely voters in Kentucky’s 31st State House District need to see (on broadcast, streaming, and digital) that for the past three years of her term, Representative Susan Witten (R-District 31) has had the opportunity to act on three issues defining this legislative session — and three times, she sided with the Frankfort GOP supermajority instead of Kentucky families. Below is the public record on each, alongside where Governor Andy Beshear has staked out the opposite ground.

PUBLIC RECORD — FOR INDEPENDENT USE. The information below is drawn entirely from public sources: official Kentucky General Assembly bill and vote records, the Governor's public statements, and published nonpartisan research. It is posted here as publicly available information for any organization that wishes to communicate independently about these matters. It is not a request, suggestion, or coordination of any kind, and no one should interpret it as such. Organizations using this material are solely responsible for their own compliance with applicable campaign finance and disclosure laws.

Issue 1: Pre-K for All

The facts

Kentucky's Pre-K for All coalition — 63 county judge-executives, 35 mayors, 93 school superintendents, and 46 local chambers of commerce — backs universal access to pre-kindergarten for the state's four-year-olds. The case is economic as much as educational: proponents project it would grow Kentucky's labor force by 40,000–70,000 workers, put roughly $9,000 more a year in parents' pockets, and save families nearly $7,000 annually in child care costs. (prek4all.ky.gov)

Governor Beshear created the Team Kentucky Pre-K for All Advisory Committee by executive order and has launched pilot programs in several counties on his own authority because the General Assembly won't fund it statewide. After lawmakers left pre-K unfunded, he said plainly:

"Unfortunately, the Republican supermajority refused to fund Pre-K for all this session, turning a no-brainer into a partisan issue. Kentucky's kids deserve better. We'll keep fighting until every child has the strong start they deserve." (LEX 18)

Witten's record

The frame

Susan Witten had two chances to fund Pre-K for All in Kentucky. She voted no both times. Governor Beshear is funding what pilot programs he can by executive order because Frankfort Republicans, including Witten, won't.

Issue 2: Federal Medicaid Cuts Raising Health Care Costs and Costing Kentucky Jobs

The facts

Congress's One Big Beautiful Bill Act will strip people from Medicaid rolls and cut payments to hospitals and providers nationwide. Kentucky already has 35 rural hospitals at heightened financial risk, more than any other state. (kypolicy.org, Medicaid Cut Vulnerability Index)

Governor Beshear has warned the cuts threaten not just care, but jobs: he has cited estimates that the federal cuts could force the closure of roughly 35 rural Kentucky hospitals and cost 20,000 health care workers their jobs statewide. Hospitals are often a community's largest or second-largest employer, meaning the damage ripples out to the local restaurant, coffee shop, bank, and insurance agency next door. (Brookings)

On top of the federal cuts, Kentucky's own state budget continues to underfund Medicaid. Beshear warned the Senate's budget plan could mean successive double-digit cuts to Medicaid providers and services:

"We should be increasing health care access to support the lives of Kentuckians and providing more help to social workers and programs that assist families. Unfortunately, these cuts do the opposite. These cuts are simply unfair, and they will only get worse." (WKYT)

The budget lawmakers ultimately passed still falls $691 million short of fully funding Medicaid's continuing costs over the biennium — Beshear has had to use one-time surplus dollars just to reverse a 4% provider rate cut for a single year. (Kentucky Lantern); (kypolicy.org)

Witten's record

  • HB 500 (2026), the state budget that leaves Medicaid $691 million short of fully funding its costs and forces the Governor to patch a 4% provider cut with one-time surplus money, passed the House 81–18. Witten voted yes. (KY LRC, HB 500 vote history)

The frame

While Washington cuts Medicaid and threatens up to 20,000 Kentucky health care jobs, Frankfort had a chance to fully fund Medicaid at the state level and didn't. Susan Witten voted for a budget that leaves Medicaid underfunded by $691 million, raising costs and risking access to care for the families and workers of District 31.

Issue 3: Data Center Tax Breaks Without Guardrails

The facts

Kentucky's data center sales-tax exemption covers 85–90% of a data center's costs and can run up to 50 years for the largest facilities. Independent analysis projects the exemption could forgo $1.2–2.2 billion\*\* in sales tax revenue from four proposed major projects alone — and as much as \*\*$4.6–8.6 billion if the full pipeline of projects under discussion is built out, dwarfing what the state spends on universities, K-12 schools, and Medicaid combined. The same demand could require 22 gigawatts of power — more than all of Kentucky's total 2024 summer generating capacity. An independent audit in Georgia found 70% of data center projects there would have located in the state without any subsidy at all. (kypolicy.org, Data Center Tax Breaks)

Governor Beshear has moved the other direction. Issuing an executive order requiring data center developers to prove they won't shift costs onto ordinary ratepayers, and, more recently, calling for the tax breaks to be rolled back altogether:

"I don't think data centers need incentives. I don't think we should be providing them, and so I would certainly support rolling back any of that. These are some of the wealthiest companies in human history. They can afford the construction." (WKMS)

"To be clear, this order doesn't say yes to any data center — that's up to the local community. But it does say no to any center not meeting the requirements." (WKYT)

The legislature, however, failed to pass 2026 protections that would stop utilities from shifting data centers' power costs onto other ratepayers' bills. (kypolicy.org)

Witten's record

  • HB 775 (2025), which expanded Kentucky's data center tax exemption statewide, passed the House 61–23. Witten voted yes — before the Governor was even calling for these breaks to be rolled back. (KY LRC, HB 775 vote history)

The frame

Governor Beshear says some of the wealthiest companies on earth don't need Kentucky's help paying for their own data centers, and that ratepayers shouldn't foot the bill for them. Susan Witten voted to expand those tax breaks anyway, with no guardrails to keep utilities from passing data centers' power costs on to everyday Kentuckians.

Source list

  • Kentucky Pre-K for All — prek4all.ky.gov

  • Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, Medicaid Cut Vulnerability Index — kypolicy.org

  • Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, Data Center Tax Breaks — kypolicy.org

  • Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, 2026 Budget Analysis — kypolicy.org

  • KY General Assembly, HB 6 (2024) vote history — apps.legislature.ky.gov

  • KY General Assembly, HB 775 (2025) vote history — apps.legislature.ky.gov

  • KY General Assembly, HB 500 (2026) vote history — apps.legislature.ky.gov

  • LEX 18, "Beshear vows to keep fighting for universal pre-K after lawmakers reject funding" — lex18.com

  • WKYT, "Gov. Beshear slams Kentucky Senate proposed budget, warning of $2.7B Medicaid cuts" — wkyt.com

  • Kentucky Lantern, "Beshear reverses 4% Kentucky Medicaid provider cuts" — kentuckylantern.com

  • Brookings, "Gov. Andy Beshear: How health care powers rural economies" — brookings.edu

  • WKYT, "Gov. Beshear signs executive order increasing requirements for data center developers in Kentucky" — wkyt.com

  • WKMS, "Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear calls for ending state tax incentives for data centers" — wkms.org