| Melinda Gibbons Prunty | |
| State House: | Kentucky |
| District: | 15th |
| Term Start: | January 1, 2017 |
| Term End: | January 1, 2023 |
| Birth Date: | 5 December 1957 |
| Spouse: | Marshall E. Prunty |
| Children: | 3 |
| Residence: | Belton, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Mawards: | is not set --> |
Melinda Gibbons Prunty (born December 5, 1957) is a Republican politician who represented Kentucky's 15th legislative district in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 2017 to 2023. She did not seek reelection in 2022.
Prunty earned a bachelor's degree in physical therapy from the University of Kentucky in 1979.[1] She also holds a Master of Theological Studies degree from Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in Saint Meinrad, Indiana, which she completed in 2010.
Prunty and her husband, Marshall, have three daughters - Kaci, Lindsay, and Hillary. Marshall Prunty, a doctor, was unsuccessful in three attempts to capture the 15th district seat in the Kentucky House.[2]
Prunty was raised in the Methodist church, but converted to Roman Catholicism as an adult.[3] [4] She served as director of the Office of Youth Ministry for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Owensboro, resigning in 2016 to seek public office.
In 2016, Prunty filed as a Republican to challenge incumbent Democrat Brent Yonts for his seat representing Kentucky's 15th district in the state House of Representatives. She said her primary impetus for running was "getting pro-life legislation passed". Her other stated priorities as a candidate were to reduce regulations, particularly those affecting small businesses and the coal industry; improving the quality and lowering the cost of healthcare, especially for veterans; reforming adoption law; and strengthening protections for religious freedom and gun rights.
In the November 8, 2016, general election Prunty defeated Yonts by a vote of 10,597 to 7,973.[5] Yonts told The Messenger-Inquirer, "It wasn't me, it was Trump", noting that over half of the 15th district voted a Republican straight ticket, with presidential candidate Donald Trump at the top of the ballot.[6] Prunty's election was part of a Republican landslide in Kentucky that saw the party take control of the state House for the first time since 1921.[7] Including Prunty, 17 Republican challengers unseated Democratic incumbents in the election, turning a 53–47 Democratic majority into a 64–36 Republican majority.