Joni Jenkins

{{Short description|American politician (born 1958)}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = Joni Jenkins |image = Joni Jenkins.jpg |office = Minority Leader of the Kentucky House of Representatives |term_start = December 20, 2019 |term_end = January 1, 2023 |predecessor = Rocky Adkins |successor = Derrick Graham |state_house1 = Kentucky |district1 = 44th |term_start1 = January 1, 1995 |term_end1 = January 1, 2023 |predecessor1 = Jim Yates |successor1 = Beverly Chester-Burton |birth_date = {{birth date and age|1958|12|6}} |birth_place = |death_date = |death_place = |party = Democratic |education = University of Kentucky (BA) |website = {{url|electjonijenkins.com|Campaign website}} }} '''Joni Lynn Jenkins''' (born December 6, 1958) is an American politician and a former Democratic member of the Kentucky House of Representatives, representing District 44<ref name="PVS">{{cite web |url= http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/4104 |title= Joni Jenkins' Biography |publisher= Project Vote Smart |access-date= May 5, 2014}}</ref> from 1995 until 2023.<ref name="KYH">{{cite web |last=Barton |first=Ryland |date=January 26, 2022 |title=Ky. House Democratic leader Joni Jenkins won't run for reelection |url=https://www.lpm.org/news/2022-01-26/ky-house-democratic-leader-joni-jenkins-wont-run-for-reelection |accessdate=March 9, 2023 |website=Louisville Public Media |publisher= |location=Louisville, Kentucky}}</ref> She also served as Minority Leader in the House from December 2019 until January 2023.

==Education== Jenkins earned her BA from the University of Kentucky.

== Political career == In the 2000s, Jenkins began caucusing with other female legislators (including Susan Johns, Ruth Ann Palumbo, Eleanor Jordan, Mary Lou Marzian, Kathy Stein, and more) to track legislation in their individual fields of expertise and work together to affect legislation more easily than they could have done alone. One early victory involved "building statewide opposition to a bill that, before their organized effort, likely would have gone unnoticed and passed easily, [...] removing the requirement that educational institutions offer women's softball as well as men's baseball, violating the spirit if not the letter of Title IX."<ref name=":5">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t5FrAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA33|title=Violence Against Women in Kentucky: A History of U.S. and State Legislative Reform|last=Jordan|first=Carol E.|date=2014-04-28|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|isbn=9780813144931|pages=33|language=en}}</ref>

==Elections== {{prose|section|date=August 2025}} *2012 Jenkins was unopposed for the May 22, 2012 Democratic Primary<ref>{{cite web|url=http://elect.ky.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Election%20Results/2010-2019/2012/2012offpriresults.pdf |title=Commonwealth of Kentucky May 22, 2012 Official 2012 Primary Election Results |page=25 |publisher=Secretary of State of Kentucky |location=Frankfort, Kentucky |access-date=May 5, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141103152601/http://elect.ky.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Election%20Results/2010-2019/2012/2012offpriresults.pdf |archive-date=November 3, 2014 }}</ref> and won the November 6, 2012 General election with 11,810 votes (70.1%) against Republican nominee Gail Powers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://elect.ky.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Election%20Results/2010-2019/2012/2012genresults.pdf |title=Commonwealth of Kentucky November 6, 2012 Official 2012 General Election Results |page=38 |publisher=Secretary of State of Kentucky |location=Frankfort, Kentucky |access-date=May 5, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140611025244/http://elect.ky.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Election%20Results/2010-2019/2012/2012genresults.pdf |archive-date=June 11, 2014 }}</ref> *1994 Jenkins won the 1994 Democratic Primary and was unopposed for the November 8, 1994 General election. *1996 Jenkins was unopposed for both the 1996 Democratic Primary and the November 5, 1996 General election. *1998 Jenkins was unopposed for the 1998 Democratic Primary and won the November 3, 1998 General election against Republican nominee James Maxfield. *2000 Jenkins was unopposed for both the 2000 Democratic Primary<ref>{{cite web |url= http://elect.ky.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Election%20Results/2000-2009/2000/00Pri_Statewide%20by%20Office.txt |title= 2000 Primary Election |publisher= Kentucky State Board of Elections |location= Frankfort, Kentucky |access-date= May 5, 2014}}</ref> and the November 7, 2000 General election, winning with 11,221 votes.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://elect.ky.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Election%20Results/2000-2009/2000/00Gen_Statewidebyoffice.txt |title= 2000 General Election |publisher= Kentucky State Board of Elections |location= Frankfort, Kentucky |access-date= May 5, 2014}}</ref> *2002 Jenkins was challenged in the 2002 Democratic Primary, winning with 2,578 votes (69.3%)<ref>{{cite web |url= http://elect.ky.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Election%20Results/2000-2009/2002/Primary%20Election/pristatebyoffice.txt |title= 2002 Primary Election |publisher= Kentucky State Board of Elections |location= Frankfort, Kentucky |access-date= May 5, 2014}}</ref> and was unopposed for the November 5, 2002 General election, winning with 8,741 votes.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://elect.ky.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Election%20Results/2000-2009/2002/General%20Election/2002statebyoffice.txt |title= 2002 General Election |publisher= Kentucky State Board of Elections |location= Frankfort, Kentucky |access-date= May 5, 2014}}</ref> *2004 Jenkins was unopposed for both the 2004 Democratic Primary<ref>{{cite web|url=http://elect.ky.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Election%20Results/2000-2009/2004/Primary%20Election/STATEwidebyoffice.txt |title=2004 Primary Election |publisher=Kentucky State Board of Elections |location=Frankfort, Kentucky |access-date=May 5, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141224165808/http://elect.ky.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Election%20Results/2000-2009/2004/Primary%20Election/STATEwidebyoffice.txt |archive-date=December 24, 2014 }}</ref> and the November 2, 2004 General election, winning with 12,782 votes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://elect.ky.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Election%20Results/2000-2009/2004/General%20Election/2004statebyoffice.txt |title=2004 General Election |publisher=Kentucky State Board of Elections |location=Frankfort, Kentucky |access-date=May 5, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141224121418/http://elect.ky.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Election%20Results/2000-2009/2004/General%20Election/2004statebyoffice.txt |archive-date=December 24, 2014 }}</ref> *2006 Jenkins was unopposed for both the 2006 Democratic Primary<ref>{{cite web |url= http://elect.ky.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Election%20Results/2000-2009/2006/Primary%20Election/STATEresultsbyoffice.txt |title= 2006 Primary Election |publisher= Kentucky State Board of Elections |location= Frankfort, Kentucky |access-date= May 5, 2014}}</ref> and the November 7, 2006 General election, winning with 9,309 votes.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://elect.ky.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Election%20Results/2000-2009/2006/General%20Election/STATEwidebyoffice.txt |title= 2006 General Election |publisher= Kentucky State Board of Elections |location= Frankfort, Kentucky |access-date= May 5, 2014}}</ref> *2008 Jenkins was unopposed for both the 2008 Democratic Primary<ref>{{cite web |url= http://elect.ky.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Election%20Results/2000-2009/2008/Primary%20Election/STATEwide%20by%20office%20Pri%2008.txt |title= 2008 Primary Election |publisher= Kentucky State Board of Elections |location= Frankfort, Kentucky |access-date= May 5, 2014}}</ref> and the November 4, 2008 General election, winning with 13,911 votes.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://elect.ky.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Election%20Results/2000-2009/2008/General%20Election/STATEwide%20by%20office%20gen%2008.txt |title= 2008 General Election |publisher= Kentucky State Board of Elections |location= Frankfort, Kentucky |access-date= May 5, 2014}}</ref> *2010 Jenkins was unopposed for both the May 18, 2010 Democratic Primary<ref>{{cite web |url= http://elect.ky.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Election%20Results/2010-2019/2010/off2010pri.pdf |title= Commonwealth of Kentucky May 18, 2010 Official 2010 Primary Election Results |page= 25 |publisher= Secretary of State of Kentucky |location= Frankfort, Kentucky |access-date= May 5, 2014}}</ref> and the November 2, 2010 General election, winning with 8,459 votes<ref>{{cite web |url= http://elect.ky.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Election%20Results/2010-2019/2010/off2010gen.pdf |title= Commonwealth of Kentucky November 2, 2010 Official 2010 General Election Results |page= 43 |publisher= Secretary of State of Kentucky |location= Frankfort, Kentucky |access-date= May 5, 2014}}</ref> when Republican challenger Gail Powers did not qualify.

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *[https://legislature.ky.gov/Legislators/Pages/Legislator-Profile.aspx?DistrictNumber=44 Official page] at the Kentucky General Assembly *[http://electjonijenkins.com/ Campaign site]{{CongLinks | congbio = | votesmart = 4104 | fec = | congress = }} *[https://ballotpedia.org/Joni_Jenkins Joni Jenkins] at Ballotpedia *[https://www.opensecrets.org/officeholders/joni-jenkins/summary?cycle=2021&id=13000688 Joni L. Jenkins] at OpenSecrets

{{s-start}} {{s-par|us-ky-hs}} {{s-bef|before=Rocky Adkins}} {{s-ttl|title=Minority Leader of the Kentucky House of Representatives|years=2019–2023}} {{s-aft|after=Derrick Graham}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, Joni}} Category:1958 births Category:21st-century members of the Kentucky General Assembly Category:21st-century American women politicians Category:Democratic Party members of the Kentucky House of Representatives Category:Living people Category:Place of birth missing (living people) Category:Politicians from Louisville, Kentucky Category:University of Kentucky alumni Category:Women state legislators in Kentucky Category:20th-century members of the Kentucky General Assembly Category:20th-century American women politicians