Chris Harris, who currently serves as State Representative for Pike and Martin County, is seeking support from local voters in his bid to become 7th District Kentucky Supreme Court Justice.
“I saw it as a great opportunity to be a voice for the people of eastern Kentucky on the Supreme Court,” Harris said, citing a history of public service including six years as a state representative and service as a Pike County magistrate.
Harris said voters want a Supreme Court Justice who “has integrity and shows respect for their constitutional rights” at the state and national level alike.
“My career has been about bringing transparency and accountability to government. That’s part of what I want to do as a Supreme Court Justice,” he said. “I want to expand the transparency of the judicial branch.”
A resident of Forest Hills, near Belfry, Harris has worked “25 years as a Kentucky lawyer at every level of court from District to Supreme Court. I even won a case before the Supreme Court a couple of years ago.” he said.
“My opposition was appointed to a political position before I graduated law school,” Harris said, adding his opponent was cited three times for ethics violations within recent months.
Harris said his campaign has focused on one-to-one meetings with voters, and avoiding large gatherings. People have shared their thoughts about what they expect of a Kentucky Supreme Court Justice, he said.
“They want someone who’s going to apply the law fairly to everyone without regard to political views or wealth. They want someone who will apply the law with judicial temperament – regardless of your health on a particular day.”
Harris described himself as a gun owner and supporter of 2nd Amendment rights.
“I gave up my NRA rating and quit filling out their questionnaire after the shooting in (Parkland) Florida. I was A rated but I gave that up so I could participate in the discussion of 2nd Amendment rights,” he said.
Harris has been married to his “high-school sweetheart”, Leslie, for 24 years and they have two sons, 20 and 21, and a daughter, 16. They have a cat named Charles and a dog named K.C. He is a lifelong member of the First Presbyterian Church of Williamson and Kiwanis member.
Harris is also a private pilot and a former underground coal miner. “I was a belt man,” he noted. He also served as a former president for Kentucky Association of Counties (KACO) “where I implemented landmark ethics reforms that transformed the organization into what it is today.”
Harris has received support from groups including Laborer’s Local 1445 UMWA Local 1440 Kentucky State Building & Construction Trades Teamsters Local 783 Teamsters Local 189 United Food & Commercial Workers United Auto Workers Better Schools Kentucky.
