Republican Growth in Meade County
October 26th, 2026
Opinion | By Mark Burnett
Meade County's Republican growth tells a story. Kentucky's October 9, 2026 registration figures show 12,138 Republicans among 22,575 registered voters. That is 53.8%, nearly 54%. In May 2006, Republicans accounted for 29.0%. In twenty years, our share has climbed almost 25 percentage points.
The recent trend is just as clear: 49.2% in July 2022, 51.6% in June 2024, and 53.1% in July 2025. The Republican Party has moved from a minority of registered voters to a majority.
As county chairman, I believe an important reason is the distance between our community's values and the socialist direction promoted by a visible wing of the Democrat Party. People who believe in private ownership, personal responsibility, and the freedom to build a better life have good reason to question that direction.
We do not have to rely on Republican descriptions of socialism. The Democratic Socialists of America's program, launched in July 2026, calls to “Establish public ownership of the largest corporations and essential industries.” Those are the organization's own words. Its stated vision reaches well beyond helping someone through a difficult season.
This movement has recognizable political voices. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani openly identified himself as a Democratic socialist in his January inaugural address. Here in Kentucky, DSA endorsed Robert LeVertis Bell for House District 43, identifying him as a democratic socialist and Louisville DSA member.
My objection is straightforward. When government takes ownership of major industries, political decisions increasingly determine how those industries operate. I would rather customers, workers, and competing businesses shape those decisions through their choices. A business should earn its place by serving people, not survive because politicians protect it from failure.
Calling an agenda “democratic socialism” does not answer my concerns about concentrating economic power. I see this push away from private ownership as a step toward communism, whatever reassuring language its advocates choose. Americans should examine what is being proposed, not simply accept the label on the package.
Republicans should answer with a clear commitment to opportunity, private property, and government that serves rather than manages our lives. Our growing numbers also bring responsibility: we must earn people's trust through our conduct and our work.
There is room in our Republican big tent for neighbors who feel their former party no longer represents them. You do not have to surrender your principles to keep a party label. Come join us. We will leave the light on.
About the registration data
The graphics connect 187 available county registration snapshots from 1978 through October 9, 2026; reporting intervals vary. “All others” adds the reported Independent, minor-party and other/no-preference categories. It is not calculated by assigning unexplained differences to other voters. The May 1984 reported total exceeds the sum of its party categories by five voters; the charts preserve the reported category counts. A missing November 2014 Meade County page is not estimated. Registration is not turnout or a forecast of election results.
References
2022 registration figures. Report dated July 15, 2022. Meade row on page 2.
2024 registration figures. June 2024 county registration report.
2025 registration figures. July 2025 county registration report.
DSA economic program. The source of the quoted public-ownership proposal.
DSA program launch. July 17, 2026 account identifies the July 14 launch.