J.P. Lyninger pulled off an upset in the Metro Council District 6 primary in May when he defeated Louisville Council Member Philip Baker by more than 500 votes. Lyninger earned a decisive 49% of the vote in a three-way race.
While campaigning, Lyninger leaned into his affiliation with the Democratic Socialists of America, an organization that Lyninger has been a member of since 2019.
Rather than shy away from identifying as a Democratic Socialist, which some residents might have seen as radical, Lyninger embraced it.
“That was on all of the literature,” Lyninger said during a recent interview with LPM News. “If I was at a candidate forum, I said, ‘I’m a socialist, I’m a movement organizer and I’m proud of these things.’”
Lyninger’s campaign focused on the need for more affordable housing in the district and addressing what he sees as the root causes of the city’s gun violence crisis.
“I have a political analysis that is maybe a little different from some people,” Lyninger said. “I believe that a lot of problems we face are a lack of democracy in our lives … And I think that a lot of our problems stem from the needs of the working class being entirely neglected.”