Colmon Elridge, a senior staff member in Gov. Steve Beshear's office who spent some of his formative years homeless in central Kentucky is among a group of black Kentuckians trying to make electoral history in 2015.
Elridge is considering a run for state treasurer. It would be only the second time in recent memory an African-American has attempted to win statewide office in Kentucky. His potential candidacy comes as state Senate Democrats last month elected a black state senator to a leadership position for the first time in the General Assembly's 222-year history. And at least two black lawmakers are seeking a leadership post in the House of Representatives.
A black person has never won statewide office in Kentucky, a state with a minority population of less than 10 percent.