Daniel Grossberg (born September 30, 1978)[1] is an American politician who has served as a Democratic member of the Kentucky House of Representatives since January 2023. He represents Kentucky's 30th House district, which includes part of Louisville.[1]
Daniel Grossberg | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from the 30th district | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Tom Burch |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 30, 1978 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence | Louisville, Kentucky |
| Education | Grinnell College (BA) |
| Profession | Realtor |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | U.S. Army |
| Years of service | 2006-2007 |
Background
editGrossberg graduated from Teaneck High School in 1996, and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in general science from Grinnell College in 2006. He served in the U.S. Army from 2006 to 2007.[1][2]
While currently employed as a realtor, Grossberg has previously served as president of the Louisville Metro Democratic Club, a member of the Kentucky Democratic Party's central committee, and member of the Louisville Jewish Community Relations Council.[2][3]
Political career
editSexual harassment allegations
editOn July 30, 2024, the Lexington Herald-Leader published a story regarding allegations of sexual harassment against Grossberg. According to four independent sources, three of whom were alleged female victims, the Legislative Research Commission had begun an investigation into Grossberg earlier that summer. According to the alleged victims, he had often texted each of them late in the evening with "weird" and "creepy" messages. Grossberg denied the allegations, and has continued to deny them throughout the investigations.[4][5]
90 minutes after the story was published, Kentucky House Democrats released a statement in which they requested that Grossberg not attend any caucus meetings until the conclusion of the LRC investigation.[5] The next morning, the House Minority Caucus voted to temporarily suspend Grossberg from the caucus and called for an additional investigation to be conducted by the Legislative Ethics Commission. Colmon Elridge, chair of the Kentucky Democratic Party (KDP), also released a statement in which he called the allegations, "unsettling."[6] On August 1, the Kentucky Young Democrats became the first to call for Grossberg to resign from office.[7]
On August 8, the Herald-Leader published an article on Grossberg which delved into his time at Grinnell College. While at Grinnell, Grossberg was the author of a column featured in their school's satirical newspaper. Titled "Sketchy Dan," the column was a reference to Grossberg's reputation on campus as someone who made women feel uncomfortable. In this column, he would respond to letters from men on campus who described themselves as creepy, horny, or lonely and give them advice regarding their situations. Anna Whites, Grossberg's attorney, responded to this article by stating that Grossberg has a neurodivergent diagnosis that placed him on the autism spectrum and gave him a lack of social skills.[8] On August 15, in response to new information revealed to members of house minority leadership, Grossberg was removed from his committee assignments.[9]
On August 20, the Herald-Leader published another article in which three more women came forward with new allegations against Grossberg. Identified in the article as Woman A, B, and C, each stated that Grossberg had either messaged them or spoken to them in an inappropriate and sexually charged manner.[10] The next day, Governor Andy Beshear, Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman, the Louisville Democratic Party, and others spoke out against Grossberg's alleged conduct.[11] On August 29, Beshear made a more forceful statement and said, "I hope Rep. Grossberg is giving serious thought and having discussions with family members about whether a public office is the best or most appropriate place for him to be at this time."[12] The same day, the Louisville Democratic Party barred Grossberg from attending any party events until after the conclusion of the LRC's investigation.[13]
On September 19, the Herald-Leader published an article written by Emma Curtis, vice president of the Kentucky Young Democrats and candidate for Lexington City Council. In this article, Curtis revealed that she was "Woman A" from the August 20 Herald-Leader story.[14] It was also revealed in another article published by the Herald-Leader that Grossberg was a regular of Foxy's Gentlemans Club, located in Louisville. However, he received a lifetime ban from the establishment after offering a dancer $5,000 to have sex with him, and two weeks later inappropriately touching another dancer and threatening the manager.[15] These two stories started a flood of condemnations with Governor Beshear, Lt. Governor Colemon, U.S. Representative Morgan McGarvey, and KDP chair Colemon Eldridge all officially requesting for Grossberg to resign.[16]
The next morning, the Kentucky House Democratic caucus voted and chose to permanently expel him from the caucus and call for his resignation. Allison Wiseman, president of the Kentucky Young Democrats, revealed on X that she was "Woman C" from the August 20 Herald-Leader story, and also called for his resignation.[16]
Throughout the investigations, Grossberg has steadfastly denied all allegations and has repeatedly said that he will not be resign from office.[5]
Elections
edit- 2015 Grossberg was defeated in the 2015 Democratic primary for Kentucky State Treasurer, garnering 18,284 votes (11.2%) against a crowded field of candidates.[17]
- 2018 Grossberg was unopposed in both the 2018 Democratic primary for Jefferson County Commissioner District A[2] and the 2018 Kentucky general election, winning the latter with 200,905 votes.[18]
- 2020 Grossberg was defeated in the 2020 Democratic primary for Kentucky's 30th House district, garnering 3,290 votes (41.2%) against incumbent Tom Burch.[19]
- 2022 Grossberg won the 2022 Democratic primary for Kentucky's 30th House district with 1,840 votes (44.9%), unseating incumbent Tom Burch.[20] He was unopposed in the 2022 Kentucky House of Representatives election, winning with 8,015 votes.[21]
- 2024 Grossberg won the 2024 Democratic primary with 1,629 votes (50.8%)[22] and will be unopposed in the 2024 Kentucky House of Representatives election on November 5.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Legislator-Profile - Legislative Research Commission". legislature.ky.gov. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
- ^ a b c d "Daniel Grossberg". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
- ^ a b Chottiner, Lee (2020-02-28). "We and us: Daniel Grossberg makes run for state representative". Jewish Community of Louisville. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
- ^ Acquisto, Alex; Horn, Austin (July 30, 2024). "Sources: KY representative under investigation for inappropriate interactions with women". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ a b c Acquisto, Alex; Horn, Austin (September 10, 2024). "Recapping the sexual misconduct investigation of Rep. Daniel Grossberg". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ Acquisto, Alex (July 31, 2024). "Top KY Dems suspend Rep. Daniel Grossberg from caucus, call for ethics investigation". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ Acquisto, Alex; Horn, Austin (August 1, 2024). "Kentucky Young Democrats call on Grossberg to resign amid misconduct investigation". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ Acquisto, Alex; Cheves, John (August 8, 2024). "20 years ago, KY lawmaker under investigation penned 'Sketchy Dan' column in college". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ Horn, Austin (August 15, 2024). "Rep. Daniel Grossberg removed from committees amid scrutiny of interactions with women". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ Acquisto, Alex; Horn, Austin (August 20, 2024). "'Deeply uncomfortable & increasingly unsafe': Women allege harassment by KY lawmaker". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ Acquisto, Alex; Horn, Austin (August 21, 2024). "Beshear says Grossberg allegations 'very concerning;' other Democrats call for resignation". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ Acquisto, Alex; Horn, Austin (August 29, 2024). "Gov. Beshear: Grossberg should give 'serious thought' to resigning amid harassment reports". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ Acquisto, Alex; Horn, Austin (August 29, 2024). "Louisville Dems bar state representative accused of sexual harassment from party events". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ Curtis, Emma (September 19, 2024). "I'm one of Rep. Grossberg's victims. I don't want anyone else to suffer like I have". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ Acquisto, Alex; Horn, Austin (September 20, 2024). "Grossberg banned from strip club after inappropriate touching; also sought sex from dancer". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ a b Horn, Austin; Acquisto, Alex (September 20, 2024). "Who all has called on Rep. Daniel Grossberg to resign? See the growing list". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ "Commonwealth of Kentucky May 19, 2015, Official Primary Election Results" (PDF). Kentucky State Board of Elections. p. 30. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ "Commonwealth of Kentucky November 6, 2018, Official General Election Results". Kentucky State Board of Elections. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ "Commonwealth of Kentucky June 23, 2020, Official Primary Election Results" (PDF). Kentucky State Board of Elections. p. 32. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ "Commonwealth of Kentucky May 17, 2022, Official Primary Election Results" (PDF). Kentucky State Board of Elections. p. 29. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ "Commonwealth of Kentucky November 8, 2022, Official General Election Results" (PDF). Kentucky State Board of Elections. p. 42. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ "Commonwealth of Kentucky May 21, 2024, Official Primary Election Results" (PDF). Kentucky State Board of Elections. p. 26. Retrieved September 20, 2024.