WASHINGTON — Rep. Morgan McGarvey, D-Louisville, knows about being outnumbered.
Before he was elected in 2022 and serving as Kentucky’s only Democrat in Congress, he was a Kentucky state senator in Frankfort, where Republicans have held the majority for years.
He said it was great training for Washington, where the pace is faster.
“This seat belongs to the people of Louisville,” McGarvey said. “That's how we've treated it every day since being here. That's how we're going to continue to treat it.”
McGarvey, who was reelected to represent Louisville in Nov. 2024, is counting the wins from his first term.
“I was the first freshman Democrat in the country to pass a bill through the House,” he said. “I was the first freshman Democrat in the country to pass two bills through the House. President Biden just signed one of my bills into law, which makes sure that our veterans get the education benefits they deserve.”
McGarvey said his lowest point in Congress came just months into his first term, when a gunman opened fire at the Old National Bank in Louisville, killing five people.
“To then get the call as I was heading to the airport, that in fact, one of my friends was shot and killed in that, to put your arms around your community, to hurt and to grieve, while also knowing that we are not doing enough on gun control,” he recalled.
McGarvey has picked up some new responsibilities in the new Congress, in addition to his seats on the House Veterans Affairs and House Small Business committees.
He’ll serve as a Chief Deputy Whip, a vice chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and co-chair for communications of the Future Forum Caucus, which is focused on issues important to younger Americans. In the months ahead, McGarvey said he hopes to pass legislation aimed at supporting veterans, increasing access to nutrition for premature infants and restoring the Ohio River.
Though Republicans now control the House, Senate and soon the White House, McGarvey said he sees opportunities for bipartisanship.
“You might not get to something where you 100% agree, but you can get to something that possibly works for everybody,” he said. “We've got a lot of really big problems to work on.”
McGarvey has collaborated with Kentuckians across the aisle, partnering with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., on the Justice for Breonna Taylor Act, which would ban law enforcement agencies that receive federal funding from executing no-knock warrants.
He also co-chairs the Congressional Bourbon Caucus with Rep. Andy Barr, R-Lexington.