FRANKFORT, Ky. — A fourth leader in Frankfort is leaving. Kentucky House Democratic Caucus Leader, Derrick Graham, announced he will not seek reelection for the 57th District, which serves Frankfort.

What You Need To Know

  • Rep. Derrick Graham, D-Frankfort, will retire at the end of his current term

  • He is currently the House Democratic Caucus Leader

  • Graham has always been a public servant. He's been a high school teacher, a city commisioner and a state representative

  • Graham says he and his wife plan to enjoy retirement<

Graham, joins State Senator Denise Harper Angel, D-Louisville, Rep. Kevin Bratcher, R-Louisville, and Rep. Josie Raymond, D-Louisville, in announcing he won’t be returning to Frankfort.

In a statement, Graham said after 30 years, he felt the time was right to move on.

“However, I feel strongly that now is the time to give someone else the chance to be our next state representative, a job I have loved since first being elected in 2002. Whether in office or out, I will never stop doing all I can for the community I love and that made me who I am today. There’s no better place to work, live and—as I’ll soon find out—retire,” he said.

For over two decades, Graham has served as Franklin County’s state representative and in the 1990s he was a Frankfort city commissioner. A lifelong member of Franklin County, Graham was also a social studies teacher at Frankfort High School. Last year, he made history, becoming the first African-American to lead a legislative caucus in the Kentucky House of Representatives.

Graham also previously served as House Democratic Caucus Chair and, from 2013 to 2016, he chaired the House Education Committee.

“I’ve been fortunate to work with a lot of great people to make Frankfort and Franklin County the success we see happening today,” he said. “We’re revitalizing our downtown while preserving its rich history; we’ve built new state government buildings that will serve us and all of Kentucky’s taxpayers well for decades; and we’ve established a diverse and growing economy that has been recognized as one of the best in the nation among communities our size.”

Graham is retiring at the end of his term and says he and his wife, Mildred, plan to enjoy retirement. He said, “I promised my wife that I would begin to scale that back so we can truly enjoy our retirement, and this decision will fulfill that goal.”  

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