Rep. Martha Jane King will seek state Senate seat and a former congressional candidate runs for House

State Rep. Martha Jane King, D-Lewisburg, confirmed to Pure Politics Monday that she would run for the newly-created 27th state Senate District covering five counties southern Kentucky counties and part of Warren County.

King, who is finishing her second term in the House, said the district is a competitive one for Democrats with Muhlenberg, Logan, Todd and Simpson counties. The other full county, Allen County, is more Republican, as are the precincts in southern Warren County.

But King said her strong ties to much of the district attracted her to the race. She was born in southern Logan County and represents it and Todd County in the House. She also lives near the Muhlenberg County line, and her husband works in the county. Plus, that county has been staunchly Democratic, voting for some of that party’s candidates even as they got blown out elsewhere in the state, such as 2011 candidate for agriculture commissioner Bob Farmer.

King could end up facing a fellow state representative in the fall general election. Republican Rep. Jim DeCesare, R-Rockfield, told Pure Politics last week that he would run for the seat and planned to file his candidacy papers Monday.

The new House map placed DeCesare in a new district with two other incumbent Republicans. But the new 27th district reached far enough into Warren County to include DeCesare’s home precinct.

Former GOP congressional candidate announces for new House seat

Todd Lally, a commercial airline pilot, announced Sunday evening that he would run for the Republican nomination in the newly-created 10th House District that covers eastern Jefferson County.

Lally won a four-way race for the Republican nomination for Congress in 2010 but lost the general election in the 3rd Congressional District to Democratic U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth of Louisville.

The new state House map eliminated a district in western Kentucky and moved the 10th District to eastern Jefferson County — an area that looks to favor Republicans.

Lally also spent 24 years in the military and served as a combat pilot in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan.