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Candidates › KY-05 race › 2025–2026
Mikel Wein
I Independent nominee for U.S. House, KY-05
Has not served in Congress
- On the ballot
- Lost the general electionNov 3, 2026 · 6,748 votes (2.5%) · 3 of 4
- Where to vote
- Find your polling place (opens in a new tab) · More ways to vote
- Top priorities
- Community and Environment
- Jobs and Pursuit of Happiness
- Healthcare
- Wealth Inequality
- Politics and Corruption
- Money
- $4.3K raised, $1.3K spent, $2.9K cash on hand (through Oct 14, 2026). Where it comes from
- Who gives
- 100% of individual money from donors at $200 or less
6 priorities from weinforky5.com, in the order they are listed there. Every heading and the text under it is copied exactly, as one passage for each page it is from, and links to that place on the page; hover a source to see which passage it opens.
The Issue ↗ (opens weinforky5.com/futures at this heading)
It’s no secret that the long history of speculating in eastern Kentucky’s natural resources has left a few people richer, a lot of people poorer and sicker, and the land and communities vulnerable to natural disasters – especially floods. Eastern Kentucky is a beautiful place to live. It’s time to confront our legacy problems and give local communities the resources and means to heal themselves and craft their own better future:
Addiction: Past methods of addressing drug addiction have not worked. As was pointed out in a 2023 report, the ‘war on drugs’ actually made drugs more dangerous and sent too many people to jail. Newer public health solutions, such as better access to treatment and recovery services and programs that address the needs of affected communities, show promise, but have been severely cut back by the Trump administration. We need to reinstate these programs. I believe we also need to fund ‘community networks’ of professionals, agencies, and organizations who can identify specific needs and bring coordinated efforts to heal addiction within communities.
Crime and Violence: Any approach to the addiction crisis must also tackle drug-related and general crime in our communities. As illustrated by fentanyl in 2023, reducing trafficking will require federal, state, and local coordination to security ports of entry and dismantle distribution networks within the U.S. Approaches such as Campaign Zero also advocate for legislation to provide funding, support, and training for local law enforcement – citizen partnerships, including mental health personnel, that would be able respond most effectively to situations. These approaches also free up law enforcement to respond to crime where needed to keep our communities safe. I believe adopting legislation to support Campaign Zero would help lower crime in our communities.
Resilient Communities: In eastern Kentucky and across the nation, cuts to FEMA have hurt communities. We need to strengthen FEMA and expand federal insurance programs to include natural disasters beyond flooding. Beyond these, we need new legislation to help communities be able to – literally - weather coming storms; in short, we need a Resilient Community Corps (RCC) initiative. Modeled on programs like the Works Progress Administration and Civilian Conservation Corps, which brought us out of the Great Depression, the RCC would provide government funding for communities to identify and prioritize needs, then organize local groups, including non-profits, individuals, small businesses, and local government, who would implement training, jobs, and logistics toward solutions. For example, eastern Kentucky needs ‘higher ground’ housing, but progress is hindered by a legacy of corporate land ownership and failure to get funds and resources to where they are most needed. RCC County level coalitions could forge a pathway to higher ground housing through an updated land ownership survey to identify suitable house sites; innovative partnerships to return land to local control; and construction of sustainable housing. To secure federal funding, each coalition would be required to have a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA), which is a negotiated legal agreement to gain benefits to the community, such as commitments from contractors and developers to pay union wages, hire directly from the local community, create community-labor training partnerships, offer paid on-the-job training opportunities, and make contributions to trust funds for everything from affordable housing to child care. Other RCC coalitions could be formed to address disaster response, clean energy prodction, and other community needs. The RCC initiative thus provides a means for communities to solve their own problems, build trust and security in the community, and give eastern Kentuckians the ability to stay in their communities and have the future they deserve.
A Livable Environment: Like many, my family’s land tells the story of past farming, logging, and mining in eastern Kentucky. During the 2022 flood, the old deep mines above our house filled up with water and blew out, scouring out the holler, backing up the creek, and completely blocking the culvert and road under about five feet of coal, water, rocks, small trees, and dirt. There was a slide along the old strip mine road across from our house. It’s no secret that logging, mining, and clearing has left our land vulnerable. It’s time to heal our land and water. We need to continue funding the Abandoned Mine Land Program and revise the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) to include specific enforceable reclamation timeframes so that reclamation does not continue to lag and reclaimed land can be used faster for housing, recreation, or other purposes. We also need to strengthen incentives, including RCC funding and tax breaks, for conserving and restoring lands, including wetlands, stream buffers, and upland forests. It's also time we funded education, such as new Appalachian Environmental Studies, that would spur jobs and small businesses here at home to help heal our land.
Background Info ↗ (opens weinforky5.com/futures at this heading)
WEKU article by Curtis Tate on declining coal production in KY in 2024
Appalachian Citizens Law Center 2025 report on delayed and slow strip mine reclamation in Kentucky
Book: Who Owns Appalachia Landownership and its Impact ↗ (opens weinforky5.com/futures at this heading)
Center for American Progress 2023 report on tackling the opioid addiction crisis
Drug Policy Alliance tracker for federal cuts to overdose prevention and addiction treatment
WEKU article by Shepherd Snyder on revitalizing community spaces to reverse decline
Center for American Progress plan to lower housing costs for all
Toward Just Transitions Visions for Regenerative Communities in Appalachia edited by Shaunna Scott and Kathryn Engle
Pending and Passed Legislation ↗ (opens weinforky5.com/futures at this heading)
H.R.469, FEMA Act of 2025 fixes and strengthens FEMA
H.R.2483, SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025 reauthorizes and revises Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) programs that address substance use disorders, overdoses, and mental health
H.R.894, Keeping Drugs Out of Schools Act of 2025 authorizes grants for eligible entities to implement school-community partnerships for preventing and reducing substance use and misuse among youth
H.R.6060, SAFE Taps Act, EPA grants to units of local governments, drinking water systems, and federally recognized Indian Tribes for the replacement of lead, galvanized steel, and iron service lines and lead drinking water mains
S.351, STEWARD Act of 2025, improves recycling accessibility
S. 2110, REUSE Act of 2025, requires an EPA report on reusable / refillable systems
Actions Needed Immediately ↗ (opens weinforky5.com/futures at this heading)
Fully fund FEMA, EPA, USDA, and watchdog groups
Revitalize American Climate Corps
Revitalize the Infrastructure and Jobs Act
Revitalize the Inflation Reduction Act
Strengthen the federal Abandoned Mine Lands Program
Strengthen the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act to facilitate timely reclamation
Strengthen addiction treatment, rehabilitation, and post-recovery support programs
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The Issue ↗ (opens weinforky5.com/jobs at this heading)
In his January, 1944, State of the Union address, President Franklin D. Roosevelt described the single most important piece of American legislation that was never passed into law, his Economic Bill of Rights. This Bill recognized and provided for the social fabric that underpins a vibrant economy and the American dream: the right to earn enough to provide adequate food, clothing, and recreation; a decent home; and a good education. Still today, a majority of Americans across the political divide support a federal job guarantee.
FDR’s goal was to address a looming crisis: laws that "proved inadequate to assure us equality in the pursuit of happiness." He was right then, and he is even more right today. Every element of the American dream is under attack. In Kentucky’s 5th congressional district, nearly 25% of people live at or below the poverty line and count on federal assistance to survive. The BBB cuts funding for SNAP and programs that support healthy food for schools, food banks, and seniors. Tariffs are increasing the price of everything; the rising costs of food and clothing are particularly worrisome. Housing has become unaffordable nationwide. Although average home prices in Kentucky’s 5th district are lower than the national average, the average worker’s salary of under $45,000 (much less than the national average) means a home is out of reach for most. Worse, there is a lack of affordable homes on high ground. And even if families can afford to buy a home, a single large expense or rising costs of living can mean default on a mortgage or limit options for improving lives. For example the rising cost of childcare can mean that parents opt to stay home rather than pursue a career, while eliminating funding for broadband internet makes it harder to work or learn from home. Across the country, there is broad support for the federal and state governments to do more to address homelessness, build affordable housing, and fight hunger.
One traditional key to higher-paying jobs and prosperity - education - is especially under attack. The Department of Education is being dismantled. Federal funds for early-childhood and K-12 education are being cut or eliminated. Rising costs, reductions in federal student loans and grants, and cuts to federal programs that funded childcare on college campus mean that most families can no longer afford college, graduate school, or professional school, or will view these as not worth the cost. Narrowing who can get an education, along with censoring the material taught in the classroom and cuts to federal programs that fund academic research, will stifle innovation and degrade the workforce for a long time. It’s time to treat education as a human right at the federal level, as it is in every state's constitution. It's time to pass legislation that guarantees free tuition to public schools from early childhood through graduate, trade, or professional school. Further, it’s time to support education to benefit local communities by increasing funding for broadband internet, expanding federal education grants for ‘return to community’ service, and ending student loan debt.
Background Info ↗ (opens weinforky5.com/jobs at this heading)
MSNBC story about America’s housing crisis points to deregulation in the 1980’s and 1990’s as setting the stage for a handful of elites controlling housing supply and the cost of homes today. Solving the housing crisis will require taking on “corporate consolidation, private equity speculation, and policies that favor monopolies over families.”
Center for American Progress report on federal-community contracts to build affordable housing and provide relief for renters
ZNetwork story about business opposition to social programs
Tariffs ↗ (opens weinforky5.com/jobs at this heading)
S.1272, H.R.2665, Trade Review Act of 2025 requires the International Trade Commission to report on economic impact of proposed tariffs to congress 60 days before action takes effect.
H.R.2712, Reclaiming Congressional Trade Authority Act of 2025 requires the president to submit any proposed Trade Expansion Act of 1962 section 232 tariff to Congress for approval
S.348, Stable Trade Policy Act requires the president to get congressional approval to impose new or additional tariffs on allied countries
S.J.Res.88, Joint Resolution Terminating the National Emergency Declared to Impose Global Tariffs (2025) terminates emergency Trump declared to impose tariffs
Housing ↗ (opens weinforky5.com/jobs at this heading)
S.2651, Renewing Opportunity in the American Dream (ROAD) to Housing Act of 2025 to increase affordable housing
Education ↗ (opens weinforky5.com/jobs at this heading)
H.R.3543, College for All Act (2025) provides for tuition-free community college and public 4-yr college without loans (up to $300K parent income), doubles Pell Grants, triples TRIO funding, and doubles GEAR UP funding
Actions Needed Immediately ↗ (opens weinforky5.com/jobs at this heading)
Re-fund the Department of Education and existing federal education programs
Pass pending legislation to control tariffs, increase affordable housing, and provide tuition-free public college
Re-fund and expand agencies and institutes that fund academic research and teaching
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The Issue ↗ (opens weinforky5.com/healthcare at this heading)
In the U.S. today, between 45,000 and 60,000 people die each year from lack of accessible, affordable, medical care. Approximately 500,000 people face bankruptcy each year because of medical debt. Unfortunately, under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, these numbers will only grow, and even more Americans will be forced to choose between their health and their ability to pay rent or buy groceries. Furthermore, the already serious shortage of rural hospitals is about to get worse, and it is likely that Kentucky’s 5th will be affected. More patients with severe illnesses or injuries will have to drive or be transported for long distances to reach facilities that can treat them. Finally, cuts to Medicaid and telehealth will be devastating for behavioral and mental health, both of which have been neglected for too long. Though efforts have been made in recent years, we need to include physical and mental healthcare into any comprehensive healthcare program. People in eastern Kentucky depend on government-subsidized health services so they can continue to work or take care of their families, but still receive the care they need. To make a long point short, we need to restore funding for existing healthcare and more; we need a government run, universal, comprehensive healthcare system that is free at the point of service, paid for by U.S. tax dollars, and provided to everyone regardless of their background. The Medicare for All Act of 2025 has been proposed but is unlikely to advance in the current Congress. We need representatives and senators who would advocate and vote for this legislation.
Background Info ↗ (opens weinforky5.com/healthcare at this heading)
Kentucky Center for Economic Policy reports that hospitals in Whitesburg, Harlan, and Middlesboro are among those at risk of closing due to Medicaid cuts in the BBB
Fact sheet for Medicare for All (2023 version)
Options to pay for Medicare for All
Pending Legislation ↗ (opens weinforky5.com/healthcare at this heading)
House and Senate (S. 1506, H.R. 3069) Medicare for All Act (2025) to establish national health insurance
We Deserve Action / Actions Needed Immediately ↗ (opens weinforky5.com/healthcare at this heading)
Repeal cuts to Medicaid and ACA tax exemptions
Pass Medicare for All
We Deserve Action / Longer-Term Actions ↗ (opens weinforky5.com/healthcare at this heading)
Pass comprehensive national health care; eliminate medical debt
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The Issue ↗ (opens weinforky5.com/wealth at this heading)
Today’s economy is broken. The top 1% have more wealth than the bottom 93% of earners. One person, Elon Musk, owns more wealth than 52% of Americans; enough to buy the presidency and further enrich himself and his fellow billionaires. Ordinary people are working two or three jobs just to afford necessities, while multinational corporations directly profit from keeping their workers in perpetual financial insecurity. Our nation’s founders agreed that we needed fundamental laws to protect citizens from government overreach. It is time we were honest about the need to approach workers in this country the same way, and establish legislation to protect them from government and corporate greed. Put differently, the American people need to recognize that a class war has already begun, and so far, we have refused to fight back. Eastern Kentucky has a strong history of fighting back, and we need to re-gain the tools that would help us reclaim our share of the wealth: a vibrant National Labor Relations Board, stronger laws that protect worker’s rights, and renewed ability to form unions.
Background Info ↗ (opens weinforky5.com/wealth at this heading)
Two Sides to Everything by Shaunna Scott tells the story of working class consciousness in Harlan county
Feb 2025 study found almost $80 trillion redistributed from bottom 90% to top 1% between 1975 and 2023, including $3.9 trillion, or enough to give people a $32,000 raise, in 2023 alone.
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Report on how AI and automation could destroy nearly 100 million U.S. jobs in a decade
Pending Legislation ↗ (opens weinforky5.com/wealth at this heading)
S.1332, Raise the Wage Act (2025) raises the minimum wage to $17.00 by 2030
S.381, H.R.1944 Bipartisan 10% Credit Card Interest Rate Cap Act (2025) caps credit card interest rates at 10% for 5 years
H.R.2550, Protect America’s Workforce Act (2025) reverses executive order limiting collective bargaining for federal employees
S.770, H.R.1700, H.R.1046, Social Security Expansion Act (2025) increases annual benefits ($2,400), eliminates the wage cap and requires all income (earned and unearned) to pay into social security, restores student benefits up to age 22, switches to a more accurate inflation measure for cost-of-living adjustments, and (some versions) combines the trust funds.
H.R.2909, You Earned It You Keep It Act ends federal income taxes on social security benefits and, to pay for it, removes the payroll cap so that high income earners pay into social security on all their wages
H.R.2912, Oppose Limitless Inequality Growth and Reverse Community Harm (OLIGARCH) Act (2025) to tax the wealth of the ultra-rich and billionaires
S.2818, H.R.5298, Tax Excessive CEO Pay Act (2025) to rein in the disparity between CEO and worker pay by requiring tax increase for CEOs who make more than 50x worker pay.
We Deserve Action / Actions Needed Immediately ↗ (opens weinforky5.com/wealth at this heading)
Repeal tax cuts for the wealthy in the BBB
Support pending legislation to redistribute wealth back to workers
Re-fund the NLRB and other offices that protect workers
We Deserve Action / Longer-Term Actions ↗ (opens weinforky5.com/wealth at this heading)
Oppose bailouts to tech and other large corporations
Support legislation to rein in bank interest rates
Support legislation tax capital gains as income
Support aggressive anti-monopoly legislation
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The Issue ↗ (opens weinforky5.com/integrity at this heading)
Today, wealthy donors fund nearly every level of our government through a mixture of large private donations, PACs, and even outright bribery. Under our current system, access to, and influence on a political leader or issue often is directly tied to the contents of the donor’s wallet. Most of us cannot afford to send our representatives a thousand dollars, let alone donate $ 250,000,000 to buy the level of influence that super-wealthy people like Elon Musk enjoy. Without doubt, this administration is one of the most corrupt in our history; it has engaged in cryptocurrency scams; forced its way into the Social Security database to steal the data of millions of Americans; accepted “gifts” from foreign governments; manipulated markets; and sold NFTs and merchandise for personal profit. The lack of ethics is apparent from the bottom to the very top. Further, corruption is not a partisan issue. In the end, many of our politicians serve the wealthy who can afford to buy them. Reforming the system in any meaningful way will likely be a long-term project, but it is important that we start immediate action, especially for emerging technology such as cryptocurrency and AI. To emerge from our challenging times with a stronger and more vibrant government, we must eliminate as much of the corruption as we can, and fight to ensure that we codify into law that our leaders may never again forsake their constituents for donor interests.
Background Info ↗ (opens weinforky5.com/integrity at this heading)
According to Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, Hal Rogers has earned four “Most Corrupt Members of Congress” titles from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics.
According to factually.co (Nov 5, 2025), corruption in the Trump administration includes roughly $3.4 billion in personal / family profits, a rise in patronage of Trump properties, and a conspicuous fall in U.S. standings on corruption indices.
October 15, 2025 report by campaignlegal.org tracked Trump’s most egregious ‘pay to play’ transactions with people, organizations, and even governments.
Pending Legislation ↗ (opens weinforky5.com/integrity at this heading)
S.2838, the Senate Protecting our Democracy Act (2025) restores checks and balances and limits presidential over-reach
House End Corruption Now legislative package (2025) is a suite of proposed legislation to clean up government by preventing executive branch officials, including the President, and Congress from personally benefiting from their offices
H.R.253, the bipartisan Restoring Faith in Government Act (2025) prohibits members of Congress from investing in certain financial instruments, such as individual stocks
Three amendments have been proposed to overturn the Citizens United v. FEC Supreme Court decision, which opened the gates to exorbitant campaign contributions by corporations and unions:
S.J.Res.54, (2025) proposes “We the People” Amendment to reverse Citizens United and end corporate personhood
The Democracy for All Amendment (2025) overturns Citizens United and allows Congress and the States to set reasonable limits on campaign contributions and election spending
House, Senate Citizens over Corporations Amendment (2025) overturns Citizens United
We Deserve Action / Actions Needed Immediately ↗ (opens weinforky5.com/integrity at this heading)
Congressional inquiries into corruption in the executive, legislative, and judicial branches
Support passing pending anti-corruption legislation
We Deserve Action / Longer-Term Actions ↗ (opens weinforky5.com/integrity at this heading)
Revive past anti-corruption legislation, such as the Stop Wall Street Looting Act to curb private equity firms from investing in healthcare (hospitals) and public institutions (e.g., university athletic programs)
Legislation to strongly regulate AI, including AI liability laws and improved whistleblower protections, parental controls, and ‘watermarks’ for AI content
Legislation to regulate dynamic pricing and limit personal data gathering by rewards and pricing algorithms
Legislation to expand voter access and for publicly-funded elections
Legislation to move federal judges to non-voting advisory roles after 25 yr service or age 75
Amendment for term and age limits for federal judges, congress, president, and vice-president
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The Issue ↗ (opens weinforky5.com/security at this heading)
Millions of Americans wake up afraid that they might get sick and lose their job, be unable to send their child to childcare or a good school, pay rent or utility bills, or afford food. Women in many states are afraid they cannot get the reproductive healthcare they need. Along with these fears, people are terrified the government might actively target them for arrest or deportation. Or that our country might suddenly attack a sovereign nation without approval by Congress. We have even become afraid to protest or voice an opinion, however true, that goes against the accepted narrative for fear of reprisal. Even worse, lies and disinformation are being used to fabricate false narratives that target those who have no or little voice, enhancing fear of the very government that is supposed to be protecting us. Each of these fears is an issue in and of itself, but taken as a whole they are something much worse. They are the root of a slow, but inevitable, collapse of our society. History warns us that people who live in fear are willing to go to extremes to feel safe again or protect those they love. In effect, fear is a radicalizing element; given enough time and propaganda, fear can make even the most sober and stable among us unreasonable. Perhaps the biggest threats, though, are malicious people who act or create tools to keep us afraid. Billionaire, Peter Thiel, for example, is responsible for the largest expansion of surveillance technology being used to track Americans today through his company Palantir Technologies. Thiel is also J.D. Vance’s mentor and financial backer. A truly scary thought is a future in which J.D. Vance is president and Peter Thiel, like Elon Musk, becomes a dominant, unelected voice in our government. We need immediate and long-term legislation to protect us from executive branch overreach that keeps us afraid.
Background Info ↗ (opens weinforky5.com/security at this heading)
Article by Thom Hartman in the Nov 20, 2025, Hartman Report on stochastic terrorism as a weapon
Bipartisan letter calling on social media platforms to combat foreign bot farms that encourage political violence
Two studies by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that live births and infant deaths were higher than expected across 14 states that banned abortion between Sept. 2021 and Aug. 2022
Oct 13, 2025 NPR Morning Edition article on ICE using more violent tactics
Pending Legislation ↗ (opens weinforky5.com/security at this heading)
H.R.3908, the National Emergencies Reform Act of 2025 provides Congress power to limit prolonged “national emergencies”
H.R.3245, the American Privacy Restoration Act (May 2025) to fully repeal the USA PATRIOT Act;
H.R.4176, No Secret Police Act of 2025 requires law enforcement officers and DHS agents engaged in border security or immigration enforcement to display insignia and provide identification
H.R.4004, No Anonymity in Immigration Enforcement Act of 2025 prohibits ICE agents conducting immigration enforcement operations from wearing facial coverings
H.R.4298, ICE Badge Visibility Act of 2025 requires ICE agents to display a badge number on their person while questioning, arresting, or detaining any individual
We Deserve Action / Actions Needed Immediately ↗ (opens weinforky5.com/security at this heading)
Rollback ICE funding for 2026
Support legislation to unmask ICE and increase federal officer accountability
Support legislation to strengthen the War Powers Act of 1973 and limit presidential Article II, Section 2 power to initiate conflict
We Deserve Action / Longer-Term Actions ↗ (opens weinforky5.com/security at this heading)
Revive H.R.3755, the Women’s Health Protection Act of 2021, which prohibits federal restrictions on women's reproductive healthcare
Revive S.4973, the No Kings Act of 2024, to nullify the Supreme Court ruling that presidents are immune from criminal prosecution and reassert Congress's authority to determine applicability of U.S. criminal laws
Support investigations and consequences for government officials and private companies who incite violence or violate our constitutional rights in ways that increase fear
Support investigation into bots spreading disinformation and inciting violence through the internet and social media
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