Kentucky State Senator Damon Thayer
17th District

Legislative

In 2008, Senator Damon Thayer was re-elected with nearly 62% of the vote, carrying all four of the counties in the 17th district. It was his largest victory so far and demonstrates his popularity and effectiveness in the district.

Senator Thayer was first elected to the Kentucky State Senate in a special election on January 28, 2003. Senator Thayer, a Republican, defeated Democrat Charles Wells by a margin of 56 to 44 percent. He was sworn in as a Kentucky Senator on February 4, 2003. Thayer was re-elected to a four-year term in 2004, defeating Democrat Cliff Wallace with 56% of the vote.

Senator Thayer's first win was historic as he became the 22nd Republican Senator, creating what was at that time the largest Republican Senate majority in Kentucky's history. There are currently 15 Democrats in the Kentucky Senate, with 22 Republicans and one Independent, who caucuses with Republicans.

Senator Thayer, of Georgetown in Scott County, represents more than 133,000 citizens of the 17th District, which encompasses Scott, Owen, Grant and southern Kenton counties. He is a member of the following legislative committees: Transportation, Licensing and Occupations, and Agriculture. He is Senate chairman of the subcommittee on Horse Farming, and chairman of the influential Senate State and Local Government Committee.

In his time in the Kentucky Senate, Thayer has been a champion of the people in the 17th District and the entire Commonwealth. As co-sponsor of the pro-marriage amendment and the fetal homicide legislation, he has worked to maintain the traditional Kentucky values that distinguish our state. He has also worked to protect and strengthen the agriculture and small business sectors of Kentucky, as both are vital to state and local economies. Finally, Senator Thayer not only supports the 2nd Amendment's right to bear arms, but he also strongly believes in, supports, and fights for the ideas created by the founding fathers in the US Constitution, Bill of Right and the Kentucky Constitution.

In his time in office, Senator Damon Thayer has helped secure millions of dollars of economic development funds that have improved the quality of life for residents of the 17th District. Click here for more information.

Political

Senator Damon Thayer moved to Kentucky in 1992 and quickly became involved in Republican grassroots politics. Before being elected to the Senate, he was Vice Chairman of the Republican Party of Kentucky from February 20, 1999, until February 22, 2004, where he was involved with the party's efforts in candidate recruitment, fund-raising, grass-roots organization and campaign strategy. Previously he held the offices of Fourth Congressional District GOP Chairman (1997-99) and Treasurer of his (then) hometown county party, Grant County, 1995-99. He has been involved in a variety of races at all levels in Kentucky.

Professional

Senator Thayer, a 1989 graduate of Michigan State University, formed Thayer Communications and Consulting LLC on July 1, 2007, after eight years as a senior executive with Breeders' Cup Ltd. in Lexington.

Thayer worked at racetracks in Michigan, Ohio and Maryland from 1985 through 1992. In Maryland, he coordinated media efforts for the 1992 Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Visa Triple Crown. From 1992 until mid-1999 he served as Director of Communications at Turfway Park, located in Florence, Kentucky. He joined the Breeders' Cup as Director of Marketing in July 1999 and was promoted to Vice President on January 1, 2001.

As Vice President of Event Management for Breeders' Cup Ltd., Thayer was responsible for marketing and event operations for the Breeders' Cup World Championships, horse racing's season-ending championship with (then) 11 races worth $23 million in purses.

Thayer Communications and Consulting LLC - www.thayercc.com - provides marketing, consulting, brand management and event management for a variety of clients.