A Hopkinsville school teacher has filed as a Democrat for the 8th District state representative seat held by Republican Walker Thomas.
Pam Dossett filed her papers and announced her candidacy Thursday.
“The last few years haven’t been easy for teachers or our public schools, but at the same time, this adversity has shown us just how strong we actually are and what we can achieve when we’re united,” Dossett said in a news release. “I’m proud to be part of that effort and am eager to build on that work as a legislator. When our schools succeed, all of Kentucky succeeds.”
Dossett, who has never before sought elected office, told Hoptown Chronicle she began thinking about a run after Thomas defeated Democrat Jeff Taylor in the 2018 general election.
“That night we were sitting there going through the results,” she said, “And I thought, this is something I want to do. I want to figure out what is it going to take to have a Democrat represent this district.”
Dossett is currently at Sinking Fork Elementary school, where she has taught second and fifth grades and served as a teacher representative on the school’s site-based decision-making council. Previously, she taught at Holiday and Highland elementary schools in Christian County. From 1990 to 2002, she taught in Dallas and Louisville.
“To me, the 8th House District symbolizes Kentucky better than any other in the state,” Dossett said. “It is an agricultural leader; it has rich cultural history; it has played an outsized role when it comes to serving our country; and it has an ideal rural-urban mix that gives us the best of both worlds. I’m proud of all that we have achieved, but I am convinced even better days lie ahead. I’m running to help make that dream possible.”
House Minority Floor Leader Joni Jenkins, D-Shivley, praised Dossett’s decision to run.
“Pam is exactly the type of legislator we need more of,” Jenkins said. “She’s smart; she understands how to tackle the challenges and opportunities Kentucky faces; and, to put it simply, she cares. The people of Christian and Trigg counties couldn’t have a better person to serve on their behalf in the Kentucky House.”
Dossett is a National Board Certified teacher in literacy, which means she earned an advance teaching credential in a voluntary program that sets national standards for high-performing educators. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Western Kentucky University and her master’s in reading and writing from Murray State University. She is vice president of the Christian County Education Association and a parent representative on the Hopkinsville High School site-based decision-making council.
Dossett and her husband, Nelson, have four daughters; two are college age and two are in high school. A member of First United Methodist Church, she is a Sunday school teacher.
Dossett is also a member of the Christian County Democratic Woman’s Club.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. She spent 30 years as a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition.
