Wingfield kicks off campaign tour in Cave City
CAVE CITY, Ky. (WNKY) — Congressional candidate Megan Wingfield kicked off her campaign tour Monday at Ace Coffee Company in Cave City, where she outlined why she believes voters in Kentucky’s 2nd Congressional District should consider a change in representation.
Making her case to voters
Wingfield is challenging Congressman Brett Guthrie and said his time in office is one reason she wants voters to take a closer look at the race.
“The congressman has been in office for 16 years, and we have not seen very much improvement here in our state,” Wingfield said. “Our infrastructure is not getting any better. Our health care certainly is not getting any better. And our wages are stagnant.”
For Wingfield, the argument goes beyond any one issue. She said long-serving members of Congress can become part of a system where new ideas have a harder time gaining ground.
“The problem with incumbents who stay in office for decades upon decades is that, you know, we tend to stagnate,” she said. “Progress doesn’t really happen when we have people with the same ideas running around the hill for 20 years, 40 years.”
Where she says the candidates differ
Wingfield drew several policy contrasts with Guthrie during the interview, including healthcare, organized labor and data centers.
“Beyond the data center conversation, I support a moratorium nationwide, he does not. I support universal health care. He does not. I’m very pro-union and pro-labor, and his voting record is very anti-worker,” Wingfield said. “And my approach overall is to make myself accessible to people and to really listen to their voices.”
Health care access is one area she said needs more attention. Wingfield said some people in the district have to drive an hour or more to reach a specialist, while others are seeing facilities close in their communities.
She also pointed to infrastructure and broadband. In some areas, she said, clean water remains an issue, while expanded internet access has become increasingly important because Wi-Fi is now a necessity rather than a luxury.
A focus on accessibility
Wingfield said she wants voters to notice a difference not only in policy, but in how she would approach the job.
If elected, she said she would return to the district during congressional recesses, hold regular town halls and community events, and talk with residents about issues coming before Congress.
That effort, she said, would include reaching people in rural communities who may feel their concerns have gone unheard.
“We want folks who have felt unheard for a long time to have a voice again,” Wingfield said.
Wingfield said she is also hearing from some people who have supported Guthrie in the past. Her pitch to those voters is simple: look beyond party affiliation and pay attention to what a candidate stands for.
“I would just encourage folks to focus less on what letter is beside somebodies name and what they stand for, and whether or not they listen to you while you’re sitting there,” she said.
