LOUISVILLE, Ky. (LEX 18) — Democrat Craig Greenberg has won the Louisville, Kentucky, mayor's race after surviving a shooting at his campaign office months ago that bolstered his resolve to tackle gun violence.
Greenberg, a 49-year-old businessman and political newcomer, defeated Republican Bill Dieruf, the mayor of a small city incorporated inside the boundaries of Louisville's Metro area.
Greenberg escaped the attempt on his life unharmed, but a bullet grazed his sweater. A local social justice activist was charged in the shooting and remains in federal custody. The suspect has been charged with attempted murder.
In a victory speech Tuesday night, Greenberg alluded to the shooting while thanking his campaign team, some of whom were with the candidate when the suspect opened fire with a handgun.
“We as a team have been through so much together,” Greenberg said. “Far more than most campaign teams ever want to go through together. To each of you, thank you for what you’ve given every day to this campaign.”
He said the attempt on his life in February strengthened his determination to reduce gun violence in Louisville, Kentucky’s largest city.
At the time, Greeberg was at his campaign office with four colleagues when a man appeared in the doorway with a weapon.
“When we greeted him, he pulled out a gun, aimed directly at me and began shooting,” Greenberg said at a news conference hours after the attack.
The person closest to the door managed to get the door shut, he said. The staffers barricaded the door using “tables and desks,” and the suspect fled, he said at the time.
During the campaign Greenberg announced a plan to have guns seized by police rendered inoperable before they are given to Kentucky State Police for auction. State law requires confiscated guns to be sold at auction, with proceeds used to buy equipment for police. Greenberg said taxpayers spend millions to take illegal guns off the street but many end up back in the hands of criminals.
While campaigning, Greenberg also pledged to build affordable housing units, improve public safety and restore transparency and confidence in government after the March 2020 Louisville police shooting of a Black woman, Breonna Taylor, prompted months of racial justice protests.
Greenberg secured an endorsement from Gov. Andy Beshear, a fellow Democrat.
Louisville and Jefferson County merged governments in 2000. Since then, there have been two Democratic mayors, outgoing Mayor Greg Fischer and Jerry Abramson.
As a businessman, Greenberg helped start the Louisville-based 21c Museum Hotels, which now have locations in several states.
