Thank you for your interest in STEPP FOR KENTUCKY the campaign to elect me to the U.S. House KY-05 in 2018.
Candidate Profile Questions
1) Tell me about yourself and your background (ie: if you grew up in Kentucky, how long you've lived in your current location, your profession/career path, etc.) My father, Professor James M. Stepp grew up in the mountains of Western North Carolina and came to Kentucky while still a teenager to attend Berea College, from which he was chosen to attend the Ph.D. in Economics program at the University of Virginia. He had his Ph.d. and was a professor by the time he was in his mid-twenties. His sister followed him to Berea College, and his brother followed him to graduate from Berea, and then to graduate with a Ph.D. at the University of Virginia.
After he got his Ph.D. at Virginia in Economics, my Dad migrated to Clemson, where he married my Mom (Vivian Pittman Stepp formerly of Bishopville, South Carolina) and settled down for an approx. thirty five year teaching career at Clemson A & M College, later Clemson College, now Clemson University. They had four sons, Jim, Jr. who, after ten years as an Air Force Officer, taught high school at Union, South Carolina fro the rest of his career; John, who saved silver dollar coins as a child, grew up to be the banker of the family; me, a lawyer in the family; and my brother Ben, the other lawyer in the family and a Federal Assistant Public Defender in South Carolina. All four of us graduated from Clemson University,
During the Viet Nam War, my plans to attend Law School at the University of Virginia (where I had been accepted) were cut short as America's youth was being diverted to Viet Nam. Rather that getting drafted into the Army, I volunteered for the Navy and went to boot camp where I learned marching, Naval Officer Candidate School where I learned more marching, the United States Naval Postgraduate School where I got a Master's Degree in Management, the USS BLAKELY (DE 1072) where I learned about shipboard life, and the Atlantic Fleet Weapons Range, in Puerto Rico, Culebra Island, Vieques Island, and St. Croix Island where I observed and supervised ship and submarine naval gunfire support exercises and tests, torpedo shooting and tracking exercises and tests, and ASROC shooting and tracking exercises and tests.
Finally, I got back on track for my career when I entered University of Georgia Law School in 1973. Graduating from Law School in Georgia in 1976, I worked as an advisor to prisoners at the Georgia Diagnostic Center at Jackson, Georgia for three months, and then moved on to Columbus, Georgia where I worked as an Associate for a lawyer who was also a State Senator. Later, I was a partner in the law firm of Hawkins, Fitt, Messner, and Stepp--I understand Jim Messner is still practicing there. The next twenty three years involved a law practice centered in Inverness, Florida--about seventy miles north of Tampa.
Time in Florida was cut short when a drunk driver slammed into the car I was driving, instantly killing my nine year old son Mark, fatally injuring my first wife Ann who died from her injuries less than a week later, and seriously injuring my eldest son Brian, whose death was hastened by those injuries, causing his death months before he would have turned forty.
Nevertheless, in 1988, I met Wilma who became my wife and moved to Florida from Clay County, Kentucky. People say, "if you marry a Clay County girl, you've got to move to Clay County." Well, finally, in 2002, Wilma and I, and our two sons, made the move, to Kentucky. It was five years after that when we made the move to Clay County, Kentucky--where Wilma and I live with our son Carson, now. My career path has been that of a lawyer since 1976, first a Georgia lawyer, next a Florida lawyer, and finally a Kentucky lawyer being a general practice lawyer in Clay County and the surrounding counties in Kentucky.
2) Do you have a background in politics? If so, what is it?
I have a background in politics. In approx. 1984 I began to get involved in politics as a Democratic county committeeman for the precinct where I lived, attending county-wide precinct committeeman meetings. In 1986, as a Democrat, I conducted a Democratic primary campaign for the Congressional seat then held by Democrat "Buddy" McKay in central Florida. The Democrats re-nominated and re-elected the incumbent.
After the two Republican candidates in that previous campaign had said that I sounded more like them--more like a Republican than a Democrat, I left the Democratic Party and ran as a Republican in the Congressional Primary. That effort was unsuccessful for me, but that race resulted in Democrat "Buddy" McKay being replaced by Republican Congressman Cliff Stearns, who was in Congress for the next twenty years.
My last political race in Florida was a three-way Republican primary for State Commissioner of Education between former governor Claude Kirk, an educator, and myself. The former governor came in first in the primary, I came in second, and the educator came in third; but the former governor was beaten in November by the incumbent Democrat.
After staying out of politics, I moved to Kentucky and got involved in politics again. In most of the recent election years, I have run for Congress. I have won most of the Fifth District Democratic primaries, but have never been able to best Hal Rogers in a general election.
3) If not, what made you decide to get involved in politics?
I have a background in politics.
4) Have you run for office before? If so, where and when?
In approx. 1984 I began to get involved in politics as a Democratic county committeeman for the precinct where I lived, attending county-wide precinct committeeman meetings. In 1986, as a Democrat, I conducted a Democratic primary campaign for the Congressional seat then held by Democrat "Buddy" McKay in central Florida. The Democrats re-nominated and re-elected the incumbent.
After the two Republican candidates in that previous campaign had said that I sounded more like them--more like a Republican than a Democrat, I left the Democratic Party and ran as a Republican in the Congressional Primary. That effort was unsuccessful for me, but that race resulted in Democrat "Buddy" McKay being replaced by Republican Congressman Cliff Stearns, who was in Congress for the next twenty years.
My last political race in Florida was a three-way Republican primary for State Commissioner of Education between former governor Claude Kirk, an educator, and myself. The former governor came in first in the primary, I came in second, and the educator came in third; but the former governor was beaten in November by the incumbent Democrat.
After staying out of politics, I moved to Kentucky and got involved in politics again. In most of the recent election years, I have run for Congress. I have won most of the Fifth District Democratic primaries, but have never been able to best Hal Rogers in a general election.
5) What made you decide to run this year?
I'm dissatisfied about the direction of the Country. It seems ordinary people are the "silent majority" more so now than in the sixties. We are at constant war since 1991, and we should be bringing most of our troops home. We should improve education in the United States. Education is the key to prosperity--yet the presient Congress seems to thing that we should cut the public education budget. The Constitution says "Congress shall declare war." The last few Presidents have usurped Congressional authority as these Presidents have sent American troops into various countries all over the world, to no apparent advantage of the United States. We should have a more traditional foreign policy, and a more progressive educational policy. America should to work toward the advantage of ordinary folks.
6) What would you say are your biggest issues as a candidate?
My biggest issues as a candidate are my belief that we need to bring the runaway federal deficit under control, that we should stand firm against discrimination against racial minorities, that we should stand firm against discrimination against women, that we should keep a strong military, and that we should steer clear of foreign wars in which America has no interest and where there is no direct threat against the United States.
7) What do you stand for?
My biggest issues as a candidate are my belief that we need to bring the runaway federal deficit under control, that we should stand firm against discrimination against racial minorities, that we should stand firm against discrimination against women, that we should keep a strong military, and that we should steer clear of foreign wars in which America has no interest and where there is no direct threat against the United States.
8) What do you stand against?
I'm against Communism and other brands of totalitarianism, racism, sexual discrimination, and having a second-place military.
9) What are you most passionate about?
What I'm most passionate about is the survival of America. We should maintain a strong enough military to survive. If Russia objects, we should follow economic policy concerning Russia that will draw her people out of Russia, and draw her capital out of Russia into investments overseas. We have to do what is in America's best interests.
10) What are your thoughts on the legislative session just ended?
The Congress has put the brakes on many of the Republican changes in the role of government, and held the line against the Republican effort to abolish the Affordable Care Act. I notice that insurance rates have inproved regarding deductible so that our health insurance policy has a five thousand dollar deductible, rather then the ten thousand dollar deductible of a few years ago
11) If you could change one thing in Kentucky, what would it be?
I would shift more economic resources into education. Education, whether at the kindergarten, primary school, middle school, high school, undergraduate, or postgraduate levels is your biggest single source of raising future individual income and ordinary people's standards of living. The three main remedies to poverty in Kentucky are Education, Education, and Education.
12) In 1-2 sentences, tell me why I should vote for you.
I am the candidate most in favor of what's best for the ordinary people of Kentucky. We need better schools--which pay dividends to the general public for decades into the future.
Kenneth S. Stepp
