Retired kindergarten teacher faces off with former student in Ky. state House race

Linda Story Edwards (D), a retired educator from Kentucky, is facing off against her former kindergarten student, Chris Freeland (R), in the race for a Kentucky General Assembly House seat, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Despite their competitive race, both Edwards and Freeland say they hold each other in high regard. 

Edwards said she remembers Freeland “as a nice, quiet five-year-old.”

“I’m proud of the fact that I was Chris’s teacher and I hope he’s proud of the fact that he was my student,” Edwards told the Herald-Leader.

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“I have nothing but respect for Chris and his entire family and we want our race to be run like that, total respect for each other,” she added.

Freeland shared the warm sentiment by saying he hopes the election is friendly and that he doesn’t want to “get into the mudslinging.”

“She and I both get along great and hopefully that will stay that way. And other people surrounding the candidates will also behave like we are going to,” Freeland said. “Hopefully it will be a friendly election and issue-based.”

Freeland is friends with Edwards’s sons and his mother also taught with Edwards, according to the Herald-Leader.

Both candidates won their closed primary elections last week.

For Edwards, the key issue of the campaign is how the state budget funds are allocated. She said she was angered by attacks on “public education, teachers and public sector pension funding,” according to the Herald-Leader.

Freeland prefers a more conservative government with a hands-off approach.

“I’m a limited government guy. People ought to be able to keep more of their money and businesses ought to be able to keep more of their money and not have to give it all into taxes and regulations and things of that nature,” he said.

The 6th District state House seat is opening up because current Rep. Will Coursey (D) is stepping down to run for Marshall County Judge Executive.