This week a petition was filed calling for the impeachment of a Republican member of the Kentucky House.
Robert Goforth represents the 89th District which covers Laurel, Jackson, and part of Madison County. Goforth is also known for running against Bevin for Governor in the 2019 primaries.
10 people have filed the petition against Goforth, including former Berea City Councilwoman Emily Ladouceur, who told LEX18, "it's a small group who actually signed the petition but there are tons who wish they had."
It says Goforth should be impeached for several things including "acts of violence upon women."
Goforth was reelectedin November despite being indicted and chargedwith strangulation, assault, and terroristic threatening. These allegations stem from an incident at his home in April. Police say Goforth tried to hog-tie his wife and threatening to kill her over a cell phone dispute, while their three small kids were reportedly in the home. He has pled not guilty to the charges.
It's important to note that one of the 10 names on the petition is Mike VanWinkle. VanWinkle was the Democratic candidate for Goforth's seat in the 2020 election.
"To that, I would say everything is political. It's not just Mike Vanwinkle, it's Kelly Smith who also ran for that seat against Goforth, and there are so many of us in the 89th district who feel grossly misrepresented. He's an embarrassment to where we are from," says Ladouceur.
LEX18 spoke to Goforth about the petition earlier in the week in Frankfort, he told us this, "I think I was reelected in the general election by about 80 percent of the voters in my district. That's all I know; I'm here doing my job as the state representative for my district and I will continue to do so for the term I was reelected for."
He also released this statement:
“The voters of my district overwhelmingly re-elected me last November despite a nearly constant assault upon my character. I am focused on the work of this session that the people who sent me here expect me to fulfill. Any citizen can submit a petition such as was delivered today targeting me against any elected official. I expect we will see a variety of frivolous impeachment petitions filed against officeholders in both parties considering the amped-up political climate we are currently in.”
