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Meet Jenean Hampton, Kentucky's New GOP Black Lt. Gov.
Wednesday, November 4, 2015 12:22 PM
By: Loren Gutentag
Matt Bevin's 53 to 44 percent victory in Kentucky is making history in more ways than one, The Washington Post reports.
Bevin's win Tuesday night marks the second time in 48 years that Republicans have won the governor's race, and in addition to that, Bevin's lieutenant governor running-mate, Jenean Hampton, is the first African-American ever to be elected to statewide office in Kentucky.
Though Hampton, a 58-year-old retired Air Force Captain, lacks years of political experience, she was determined to better herself after being raised by a single mom who lacked an education and struggled to provide for the family.
Refusing to live a life in poverty, Hampton joined the U.S. Air Force, where she spent seven years writing code and managing software.
Prior to joining the Air Force, Hampton graduated with a degree in industrial engineering and according to the National Review after retiring from the Air Force, she earned an MBA from the University of Rochester where she landed a job as a plant manager in a corrugated packaging plant for 19 years.
However, after losing her job in 2012, Hampton focused on a career in politics and became active in the tea party.
"Sometimes you're screaming at the TV, you see things that need to be improved, and you're screaming that someone needs do something, well sometimes that someone is you," Hampton told WKU Radio.
The Washington Post reports that in 2014 Hampton ran for her first political office when she challenged the longest-continually serving state representative in Kentucky history, a Democrat.
Despite an endorsement from Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., Hampton lost the race in 2014, but was later chosen by Bevin as his running-mate this year for his long shot election.
"I'm aware of the historical significance. People point it out … Really, I just never think about it," she said, according to the National Review.
"We're different races, different sexes, he grew up in the country, I grew up in the city. We represent a broad range of the Kentucky demographic."
