Mitra Subedi wins Democratic primary for Kentucky House seat, beating incumbent Daniel Grossberg

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Mitra Subedi won the Democratic primary for the Kentucky House's 30th District, nearly doubling the vote total for incumbent Daniel Grossberg, who faced numerous sexual harassment and assault allegations.

The Associated Press called the race for Subedi around 9:45 p.m. Tuesday over fellow candidates Grossberg and Cassie Lyles. As of 10 p.m., Subedi had 44% of the vote with 99% percent of precincts reporting. Grossberg was in third place with just 23% of the vote.

No Republican candidates ran in the primary election.

Just five days ago, another challenger for the nomination, Max Morley, suspended his campaign after he was caught on video stealing another candidate's flyer from a mailbox. In a statement on social media May 13, Morley said he was dropping out of the race "after much reflection."

"District 30 deserves a Representative they can trust and believe in," Morley said.

On Monday, Morley officially withdrew from the race.

The announcement came just days after a video posted on social media showed Morley removing another candidate's campaign flyer from a mailbox.

Doorbell camera footage shows Morley walking onto a homeowner's porch and ringing the doorbell. While waiting, he takes another candidate's campaign flyer from the mailbox and places it in his back pocket.

"Campaigns can be demanding and deeply personal, and along the way I lost sight of what mattered most," Morley said after dropping out of the race. "... for that, I sincerely apologize to those I disappointed or let down."

Stealing mail is a federal felony. It is unclear whether Morley will face any charges.

Allegations against Grossberg

Earlier this month, according to a report from the Lexington Herald-Leader, a former college classmate of Grossberg alleged he assaulted her during their time at Grinnell College more than two decades ago. The woman, Christina Ross, told the Herald-Leader Grossberg grabbed her wrist and tried to stop her from leaving her dorm room in 2005 after she repeatedly rejected his requests for sex.

Ross was an 18-year-old freshman at the time, while Grossberg was a 26-year-old senior.

In a social media post May 8, the Kentucky Democratic Party called on Grossberg to resign, saying this new report shows a pattern of credible accusations.

"Rep. Grossberg's inappropriate and coercive behavior toward women is part of a pattern that clearly makes him unfit to serve," the party said in its statement. "Once again, we are calling on him to resign — but since he hasn't, we hope voters will do that for him later this month."

And those weren't the first allegations brought against Grossberg. Several women have accused him of sexual harassment since 2024. They claim he sent inappropriate text messages about their appearance and reached out to them late at night.

Grossberg is also banned for life from Foxy Lady Gentlemen's Club on Berry Boulevard in Louisville for inappropriately touching a dancer. Staff members said he was a regular, and often got aggressive with the dancers when he was drunk.

Members of the state's Democratic Party, including Gov. Andy Beshear, have repeatedly called for his resignation since these allegations, which Grossberg has also denied, surfaced.

"Nobody should face harassment in their place of work, in the capitol anywhere across the commonwealth," Beshear said during a news conference in 2024. "And when it appears a state rep is engaging in that type of conduct we just need to speak in one clear voice that it is absolutely unacceptable."

In February of this year, the Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission gave Grossberg a public reprimand and ordered him to pay $2,000 to end the probe into the allegations.