Col. Pamela Stevenson, a retired U.S. Air Force veteran and current floor leader in the Kentucky General Assembly, is urging Kentuckians to listen more deeply to one another and unite behind the foundational promise of America, which she says is “being shredded right now.”
“I served 27 years in the United States Air Force,” Stevenson said during a recent stop in Hopkinsville. “And we know a lot of people that were willing to give their life for the promise of America. And that promise is being shredded right now.”
Stevenson, a lifelong Kentuckian who retired as a colonel before entering public service, said government must return to listening to the needs of its citizens.
“We’re not listening to what people need nor want to have their life work,” she said. “If this government is to continue to be for the people, by the people, to serve the people, then we must get the people’s input into what they need. And we’ve not been doing that.”
Her visit to Hopkinsville was part of a broader tour to engage directly with Kentucky residents.
“We were able to come to Hopkinsville and listen to some of the different groups and organizations that are really trying to make a change and grow Hopkinsville,” Stevenson said. “I like the Riverwalk. I think it’s a beautiful town.”
In her remarks, Stevenson emphasized that most Kentuckians are less concerned with partisan issues and more focused on economic stability and the well-being of their families.
“They’re more concerned about their child doing better than they do,” she said. “They’re more concerned about the economics of their family. And they certainly are concerned about how do I make the difference I want to make with the one life I have.”
After retiring from the military, Stevenson said she returned to Kentucky with the same mission she had in uniform: to protect and serve the promise of liberty and justice for all.
“We often say the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. And we say one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. That was our job to make that come true,” she said. “And I said, when I retired from the Air Force, I was going to come back home… and do the same thing for Kentucky.”
Stevenson said Kentucky has the talent and the heart to lead the nation, but needs unity to move forward.
“Kentucky has everything we need to be at the top of all the lists,” she said. “We just need to unify and move the state forward.”
She emphasized the importance of civil discourse and finding common ground across political divides.
“We can talk about anything and put it on the table without calling each other names,” Stevenson said. “The more common ground we find, the more Kentuckians prosper.”
In her message, Stevenson pointed to fear and instability as major concerns facing American families.
“People are afraid. People don’t know if they’re going to have a job. People don’t know how they’re going to take care of their family,” she said. “It is very, very difficult to live your life in fear and not knowing.”
As a U.S. Senate candidate, Stevenson drew a sharp contrast between her record and that of longtime Senator Mitch McConnell and his political allies.
“That seat has not been open for 40 years, and Mitch McConnell has two clones that would like to have that seat,” she said. “They will make the same decisions that Mitch McConnell has made for corporations and for their personal wealth. What I say is we need a public servant to go to that seat and work for the people. I have a history of doing that.”
Stevenson said that a key part of her campaign is rooted in listening to what matters to everyday Kentuckians—from the environment to healthcare, veterans’ benefits, and tax fairness.
“If they have questions and they want answers… that’s how I know it’s important to them,” she said. “They come all the way from their home to an event to ask me about the environment. That’s important to that person. So we must take it seriously and find out what’s needed.”
She advocated for revising the tax code to better serve low- and middle-income families.
“If you’re making below $50,000 a year, you shouldn’t be paying more taxes than someone that’s making $300,000 a year,” she said.
She also called for preserving vital programs such as Social Security and Medicare, which she said were promised to Americans who paid into the system during their working years.
“They’ve done the things they needed to do when they were working so they can relax when they’re older,” Stevenson said. “We must protect that at all costs.”
For veterans, Stevenson said the government must keep its promises.
“It is terrible that the people who say, ‘I will die for the promise of America,’ are now being pushed aside,” she said. “If you continue to reduce the benefits… who’s going to protect America?”
Throughout her remarks, Stevenson returned often to the themes of purpose and compassion.
“Everybody’s got to do something,” she said. “Democracy works when we engage, not just for presidential elections, but year-round.”
As an ordained minister, Stevenson ended on a note of faith and hope.
“Find something you love and love it,” she said. “Love and hate are very hard to exist in the same space. And for almost every faith that I know… they say in some form or another that love never fails. Love never fails.”
Voters can learn more about her campaign by visiting stevensonforsenate.com <https://stevensonforsenate.com>.
