The DeVone Holt Show

DeVone and political strategist Denise Bentley finish the race-by-race election predictions they started last week, working through the remaining Kentucky Senate and House races, national races worth watching (Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed, Georgia’s Keisha Lance Bottoms, Ohio’s contentious Ramaswamy-Acton governor’s race), Kentucky’s competitive 6th Congressional District, and Louisville’s own 3rd Congressional District. 

They close the show — as promised — with their prediction for the mayoral race between incumbent Craig Greenberg and challenger Shameka Parrish-Wright, where DeVone and Bentley land on opposite sides. 

Along the way, DeVone opens up about his own flirtation with running for Congress last year, what he learned about gatekeeping and loyalty in Louisville politics, and why he walked away from it.

Also featured: a reminder that this year’s non-partisan ballot requires voters to separately mark their mayoral, Metro Council, school board, and judicial picks even if voting a straight party ticket, and notes on the statewide constitutional amendment on the ballot.

Lastly, this is the first episode of The DeVone Holt Show recorded away from the WLOU studios — and the first filmed as a live video stream rather than a radio broadcast. DeVone broadcasts from Louisville’s new Presley Post co-working space downtown, with production support from Blue Beak Branding and longtime partner Maxwell Mitchell of Stay Live Streams, who made the jump with him. DeVone offers a personal reflection on the transition, thanking the team that helped rebuild the show in a new format and a new home.

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The DeVone Holt Show found a new home — streaming live for the first time from the Presley Post in downtown Louisville. 

This week, Dr. Trinidad Jackson joins DeVone to break down a day of organizing Black men ahead of the Nov. 3 election, which included a rally at the mayor’s office, a march to the polls, and a literature drop across the city. The movement he is helping to lead is all built around one argument: Black men deserve to be courted on the issues, not assumed as a voting bloc. They dig into predatory policing, the school-to-prison pipeline, and the roots of political apathy, and preview a direct sit-down between Black men and mayoral candidate Shameka Parrish-Wright.

Also, Jasmine Presley, founder and CEO of the Presley Post, talks about building a coworking space for entrepreneurs after being let go from her corporate job — and what it means that Black women are the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs in America even as the community has lost 600,000+ jobs over the last two years.

Plus: DeVone’s take on why the President’s off-the-cuff comments are a distraction tactic, the three-year-old soccer phenom who got the police called on him for being too good, and a Jay-Z vs. Tupac debate that gets heated fast.

Listen, watch, or catch up on past episodes at DeVoneHolt.com.

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This week, DeVone welcomes longtime political strategist Denise Bentley for a “no endorsements, just predictions” breakdown of the November 3rd election, which is Jefferson County’s first year with non-partisan mayoral and Metro Council races. 

In this first of a two-part episode, they go race by race breaking down: 

·      The surprise upset in the sheriff’s primary that knocked out the presumed frontrunner 

·      Five newly-established JCPS school board districts

·      Key state legislative races including a DSA-backed candidate heading to Frankfort unopposed

·      A stack of Louisville Metro Council contests — including three Democratic-held seats (Districts 7, 17, and 21) that Republicans are targeting to flip. 

DeVone and Bentley split on several calls and agree on others, with a running bet on who buys dinner when they’re proven wrong. They ran out of time before reaching the U.S. House, U.S. Senate, and mayoral races — so this conversation continues next week in Part 2. 

This episode’s Community Voice Hotline opened a different question: who are you voting for, and why? Listeners called in with their picks across the sheriff’s race, Metro Council District 5, and the judicial races, including several callers hoping to help elect Jefferson County’s first Black sheriff.

Bentley also flags a critical warning for voters: because the ballot is non-partisan this year, voting a straight-party ticket at the top will NOT register a vote in the mayoral or Metro Council races — voters have to intentionally mark those separately, and roughly 30% of voters historically skip flipping the ballot to the judicial races altogether.

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This week, DeVone explores why people don’t vote with former Louisville Metro Council member Jecorey Arthur. The two engage in a deep, unflinching conversation about why so many people — especially Black voters — have checked out of the political process. They dig into the real data (nearly 356,000 registered Jefferson County voters sat out the 2022 election and close to 280,000 skipped the 2024 presidential election), the “triple evils” of classism, racism, and militarism that Arthur says breed the hopelessness behind non-voting, and why he argues politics is neutral — “whether you vote or not, politics will do you.”

Their conversation is set up by the Community Voice Hotline, where listeners called in — unfiltered — with their own reasons for not voting, which include distrust in both parties, disillusionment with the system, sovereign-citizen beliefs, and a belief that voting hasn’t changed conditions on the ground. DeVone and Arthur respond directly to several of those calls.

DeVone also revisits last week’s commentary on the viral road rage incident in Louisville. After Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell’s press conference and additional surveillance footage showing the confrontation started miles earlier — and that the woman got out of her car, grabbed a steering wheel lock, and attempted to tase the man — no charges were filed against either party. DeVone says the fuller picture changes his read of how the incident started, but he still can’t justify the scale of violence used against a woman that size, and the bystanders who didn’t intervene are still cowards in his book.

Also featured in this episode is Antonio “T-Made” Taylor, co-founder of Hip Hop Into Learning and creative director of the Real Young Prodigies. He previews “Youth Voices Speak,” a youth-led civic engagement forum happening on Saturday, Oct. 17 at the Baxter Avenue Community Center — where JCPS students old enough to vote will question mayoral and Metro Council candidates directly.

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DeVone sits down with Blake Gerstner, the newly installed chair of the Jefferson County Democratic Party, for a wide-ranging conversation on what it actually means to be a Democrat in 2026. Their discussion ranged from the party's "big tent" tension between traditionalists and Democratic Socialists, the 36,585 registered Democrats Jefferson County has lost since 2021, to the fight to protect three Metro Council seats (Districts 17, 7, and 21) and flip a fourth. Gerstner doesn't dodge the hard questions about why Black voters are walking away from the party, how Louisville's new non-partisan ballot is designed to confuse voters in red-leaning districts, and why the party endorsed Craig Greenberg for mayor in the primary while working to stay neutral now that he faces fellow Democrat Shamika Parrish-Wright in November.

Before the interview, DeVone also addresses the viral video of 20-year-old mother Tanaya Stanford being dragged from her car and beaten with a steering wheel lock on Preston Highway and the fact that not a single bystander got out of their car to help. DeVone calls out the apathy head-on, questions why an arrest still hasn't been made, and issues a direct challenge to Louisville's elected leaders to lead or step aside.

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DeVone sits down with Don Fitzpatrick, Chair of the Jefferson County Republican Party, for a candid conversation about what it actually means to be Republican in 2026. They discussed individual freedom versus big government, the party's evolution and how Fitzpatrick's team engineered a stunning shift on Louisville’s Metro Council from a 19-7 Democratic advantage just a few election cycles ago to a near-even 13-12-1 split today, in the bluest county in Kentucky. Fitzpatrick opens up about opposing Frankfort's move to non-partisan mayoral and Metro Council elections, why his Republican party won't endorse in the all-Democrat mayoral race and his direct appeal to Black voters who are frustrated with the Democratic Party but hesitant to make a home with Republicans. DeVone also plays Community Voice Hotline calls from residents explaining why they vote Republican.

Also in this episode: an update on ElderServe following last week's conversation with Tim Findley and Councilwoman Tammy Hawkins' call for the community to step up — which it did. DeVone also revisits his "Black people do not hang themselves from trees" commentary with major updates in the Tajah Fortune and Nolan Wells cases, plus news of the week covering a JCPS board ballot shakeup, ICE detaining a Kentucky State University athlete, and $235 million in redirected minority-serving institution funding. 

DeVone previews next week's episode with the chair of the Jefferson County Democratic Party for a balanced view ahead of November 3rd.

📞 Community Voice Hotline (sponsored by Harper Slade): 502-800-5432
🔗 More at DeVoneHolt.com

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Pastor Tim Findley joins DeVone for a candid conversation about stepping down as CEO of ElderServe, why he says raising money for Black-led nonprofits in Louisville is "more than hard, it's a beast," and the looming "silver tsunami" of an aging population without the systems in place to support it. Findley doesn't hold back on the optics of a $75,000 city check to ElderServe that arrived just 48 hours after his resignation — timing that, as DeVone points out, conveniently carries ElderServe past the mayoral election.

Then, Ja'Ree Gardner, candidate for Louisville Metro Council's District 1 seat, joins to talk about what residents in her district actually need, her opposition to hyperscale data centers being built in her own backyard, and why she says she's running to serve, not seek a title.

Also in this episode: DeVone reflects on his birthday week and some surprising podcast analytics (shoutout to listeners in Japan, South Africa, Bangladesh, and Hong Kong), plus news of the week covering campaign finance numbers in the Louisville mayoral race, a major update in the Lindsay Clancy case, Louisville's data center zoning debate, a $250 million medical debt relief program from Governor Beshear and this year's Emmy diversity controversy. 

DeVone also announces a District 5 council debate he'll moderate on September 28th between incumbent Donna Purvis and challenger Ray “Sir Friendly C” Barker.

📞 Community Voice Hotline (sponsored by Harper Slade): 502-800-5432

 🔗 More at DeVoneHolt.com

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DeVone welcomes WAVE 3 Sports Director Kendrick Haskins for a deep dive into college athletics — UK and UofL football's early season, why the transfer portal hits mid-tier high school prospects hardest, how NIL money is reshaping who plays where and whether Louisville could finally support an NBA or NFL franchise after years of near-misses. Haskins also shares candid insight on Mark Pope's tenure at Kentucky, U of L's breakout freshman class and the disconnect between former Cardinal stars and the program.

Also this episode: Aukram Burton, Executive Director of the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage, previews Jubilation: Ambassadors on a Sacred Journey — a new exhibit on the Fisk Jubilee Singers opening September 18th and running through February. 

DeVone also opens the show reflecting on the 25th anniversary of 9/11, sounding the alarm on an underreported warning from AI researchers about existential risk and calling out President Trump's promise of $5,000 checks tied to the midterms for exactly what it is.

📞 Community Voice Hotline (sponsored by Harper Slade): 502-800-5432

 🔗 More at DeVoneHolt.com

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This week, DeVone continues last week's conversation on youth violence with Metro Councilwoman Tammy Hawkins of District 1, who made headlines declaring Louisville "is not safe" after 16-year-old Dannady Greene was shot and killed at a bus stop while trying to run from a fight she didn't want. 

Hawkins doesn't hold back on (1) the trouble with Kentucky refusing to destroy recovered firearms, (2) why grassroots organizations doing real prevention work get buried in red tape while the city's budget leans overwhelmingly toward policing, (3) why people with lived experience (including police records) are often blocked from being part of the solution, and (4) her practical proposal to move school bus stops closer to churches. DeVone also presses her on what actually solved the Dannady Greene school-bus-shooting case — a flock camera, or people in the community — and gets a clear answer.

Also this episode: DeVone reflects on Labor Day and the 600,000+ Black women who've lost jobs since the current administration took office, celebrates the diversity on display at Louisville's WorldFest and welcomes debut author Ronnie Dickerson Stewart, who joins from Atlanta to talk about her new book Work Life Remix ahead of its Louisville launch event on September 16th at the University Club.

📞 Community Voice Hotline (sponsored by Harper Slade): 502-800-5432

🔗 More at DeVoneHolt.com

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This week's show centers on the conversation cities can no longer afford to avoid: youth violence. Days after a 15-year-old girl was shot at a Jefferson County Public School bus stop in Louisville, DeVone sits down with Anthony Smith, Executive Director of Cities United and the architect of Louisville's first violence prevention office, to talk about what's actually driving the numbers up and why. 

Smith (1) makes the case that Louisville's public safety budget still overwhelmingly favors policing over prevention, (2) breaks down the real dollar cost of every homicide and shooting, and (3) lays out concrete steps residents can take right now to become part of the solution. 

DeVone also shares raw Community Voice Hotline calls from Antonio T-Made Taylor and Kimberly Moore, both frontline voices in this fight, plus reaction from JCPS Superintendent Dr. Brian Yearwood's press conference this week.

Also in this episode: DeVone remembers Dolly Parton and what her legacy meant to Kentucky kids, addresses the troubling pattern of Black Americans found hanging in Southern states this year, welcomes Dr. Keith Look to the JCPS board, and has a few things to say about a certain NFL team owner's very bad week.

📞 Community Voice Hotline (sponsored by Harper Slade): 502-800-5432

 🔗 More at DeVoneHolt.com

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