LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Craig Greenberg and Shameka Parrish-Wright comfortably took the top two spots in Tuesday night's Louisville mayoral primary, setting up a faceoff in general election in November.

Greenberg finished with 52% of the vote, and Parrish-Wright receive about 26%. The next-closest candidate got 10%.

Parrish hopes to raise more money before the general election to help spread the word about her campaign. For reference, she raised $45,000 ahead of the primary election. Greenberg raised a little more than $1.5 million.

Elected mayor in 2022, Greenberg has centered his mayorship and re-election campaign around public safety and affordable housing, along with a focus on downtown redevelopment and revitalization of the city’s lower-income areas.

"I think people have seen what we've able to accomplish," Greenberg said Wednesday. "Through challenging times, leadership matters, that we can bring the community together — whether it's natural disasters or violent crime or whether it's solving real challenges that are created because the federal government is making cuts."

Greenberg and his administration pushed several major development projects during his first term, including the proposed Slugger Field entertainment district, the reimagined Belvedere project and redevelopment efforts tied to Louisville Gardens and the Humana Tower.

During his campaign, Greenberg has also frequently pointed to job creation and increased housing throughout the city. Additionally, he boasts a decrease in crime and homelessness in Louisville on his campaign website.

"There are some very significant differences between the two of us — just our focuses on improving public safety, for example," Greenberg said Wednesday. "I'm going to continue to support our police department, our fire department and our EMS."

Parrish-Wright currently serves on Louisville's Metro Council, representing the city’s 3rd District after being elected in 2023. She is also the executive director of VOCAL-KY, an advocacy group focused on homelessness, criminal justice reform and ending the AIDS epidemic.

"I know what it means to meet people where they at, no matter their background, and work across those lines of difference," Parrish-Wright said Wednesday. "Because it goes back to those issues that unite us." 

She entered the mayoral race in January. Her campaign has focused on community-driven solutions to public safety, housing affordability, infrastructure and economic opportunity. She also said she hopes to restore trust in government and ensure the leadership works for everyone. This is evident from her proposals highlighted on her campaign website, where she proposed the creation of a Department of Neighborhood and Small Cities Affairs and an Office of Government Accountability and Performance.

As a councilwoman, she has often criticized Greenberg for focusing too much on business and development interests, and in turn separated herself as a more progressive candidate with a grassroots approach to investments into Louisville neighborhoods. She said a lot of the changes in Greenberg's term were already in place before he took office.

"There's a difference: I am a Democrat from the working class people. Mayor Greenberg is a cover-up," she said. "Democrat for him is a fundraising strategy. For me, it's a about the theories, the policies, the things that we need that matter." 

Parrish-Wright's political career is rooted in local activism. She was one of the most recognizable activist voices during the 2020 protests following the police killing of Breonna Taylor. She served as co-chair of the Kentucky Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression during that time.

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