Kentucky’s coronavirus response, issues with unemployment insurance, a one-year state budget and possible limits to the governor’s emergency powers top the list of priorities for local Republican candidates who emerged as apparent victors in their state House races Tuesday.

In House District 22, where Democrat incumbent Rep. Wilson Stone announced in 2019 he would not seek reelection, Republican contender Shawn McPherson of Scottsville won 2,235 votes – 73% of the total 3,033 ballots cast, unofficial election results show.

Ballots will continue to be counted until Friday, but McPherson said Wednesday he was “humbled and overwhelmed” with his sizable lead over Democrat opponent David R. Young, who appeared to have captured 798 votes (26%).

“Rep. Stone, who I go to church with and have known for 30 years here, has just set the bar really high” with his community involvement, McPherson said. “I’m going to try to do the same. I will say that I think the people have spoken, and they’re ready for Republican representation. I will say that my opponent, David Young – I’ve been friends with him for a long time – and I appreciate the fact that we were able to run a clean race. There was nothing negative said either way to anybody.”

McPherson also looked ahead to advancing his platform priorities in Frankfort.

“My message all the time had been just that this was about our rights,” McPherson said. “I think our right to defend the unborn, our right to defend ourselves and our right to defend our jobs.”

McPherson was among the Kentucky House candidates who helped pick up seats for the Republicans in Frankfort, adding to their 62-seat supermajority in the chamber. Republicans were on track Wednesday to expand that total to 72 seats in the state House, with the possibility of widening it to 75 once other races are called, the Courier-Journal in Louisville reported.

McPherson saw those victories as a direct message to Gov. Andy Beshear, whose executive orders amid the coronavirus pandemic have drawn criticism from Republicans. Reevaluating the scope of the governor’s emergency powers will be a top legislative priority, McPherson said.

“I think you’re going to see a bill that limits the governor’s powers, maybe not limits the powers, but limits the time that he has to exercise those powers without having to call us back into session,” McPherson said, adding that he anticipates lawmakers enacting a 15- to 30-day window to exercise emergency powers.

For long-term crises, “he would have to call us back into session and we would be allowed to represent like we are elected to do.”

McPherson was critical of Beshear’s actions to close “nonessential” businesses and direct state police to record the license plates of Easter Sunday church service attendees for quarantine orders.

Like McPherson, Republican state Rep. Michael Meredith said reexamining the governor’s emergency powers will be a top legislative priority during next year’s session.

Meredith, the incumbent, appeared to have won 9,602 votes (65%), beating back Democrat challenger Daniel Wayne Johnson, who captured 5,181 votes (35%).

“I think that’s something we have to be careful about,” Meredith said of revising the governor’s emergency powers. “I think there will be revisions to those powers, and I think there needs to be because I don’t think anybody ever envisioned those powers being in effect for a period of six, seven months.

“ … But I also think we can’t take it too far because we need to provide emergency powers in those truly emergency situations and we need to let them operate when necessary,” said Meredith, who shared the expectation that such a law would center on limiting the duration of emergency powers while the legislature is out of session.

Regardless, lawmakers will have plenty to do when they convene Jan. 5 for the start of a short 30-day session, with a crucial one-year state budget crowning the agenda.

Incumbent state Rep. Steve Riley, R-Glasgow, appeared to win reelection Tuesday by earning 156 votes (78%) over Democrat Steve Johns’ 42 votes (21%) and Libertarian Til Filback’s 2 votes (1%).

Riley, a retired educator, will continue to play a big role in shaping education funding in Kentucky as chairman of the House’s Budget Review Subcommittee on Primary and Secondary Education and Workforce Development.

“I’ll be very involved in that,” Riley said. “When you go from a 60-day session to a 30-day, that very much condenses the time that you have to work on that. That’s going to take up a good portion of our time.”

– Follow education reporter Aaron Mudd on Twitter @BGDN_edbeat or visit bgdailynews.com.