Daniel Grossberg

Daniel Benjamin 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]

Grossberg 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]

He is Jewish.^[3]

Grossberg began his political career in Jefferson County, Kentucky, where he served on the County Commission from 2015 to 2023,^[4] working on infrastructure improvements, affordable housing, public education, and community healthcare access.^[5]

Since Grossberg has held the position of Kentucky State Representative in 2023, he has been involved in a variety of efforts focus on public safety, civil rights, and healthcare. In 2023, he co-sponsored a bill with Senator Gerald Neal to establish a hate crime law in Kentucky. The proposed legislation aimed to extend prison sentences for crimes motivated by factors such as race, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity.^[6]

In 2024, Grossberg, along with many others, supported legislation in to protect IVF services in Kentucky. The bills that he supported aimed to shield healthcare providers from criminal liability related to IVF procedures, ensuring continued access to reproductive services.^[7]

Grossberg also played a role in the formation of Kentucky's antisemitism task force, which focuses on proactive measures to prevent hateful acts. The task force emphasizes education at K-12 and collegiate levels about Jewish identity and related issues.^[8]

In 2025, Grossberg introduced House Bill 258, proposing the installation of cameras at approximately 9,000 Jefferson County Public Schools bus stops. This initiative was motivated by incidents of assault on immigrant students at bus stops, aiming to enhance student safety through surveillance.^[9]

On 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.^[10][11]

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.^[11] 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."^[12] On August 1, the Kentucky Young Democrats became the first to call for Grossberg to resign from office.^[13]

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.^[14] On August 15, in response to new information revealed to members of house minority leadership, Grossberg was removed from his committee assignments.^[15]

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.^[16] The next day, Governor Andy Beshear, Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman, the Louisville Democratic Party, and others spoke out against Grossberg's alleged conduct.^[17] 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."^[18] The same day, the Louisville Democratic Party barred Grossberg from attending any party events until after the conclusion of the LRC's investigation.^[19]

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.^[20] 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 to shut down the establishment using his legislative connections.^[21] 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.^[22] 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.^[22] Following this, Grossberg stated that he was in treatment for his impulsive behavior.^[23]

In early June 2025, Grossberg denied a plea deal offered by the Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission, wherein he would admit to two violations of the state ethics code and would receive a public reprimand, be forced to pay a $4,000 fine, enroll in mental health treatments, and waive his right to legal action against the commission.^[24] On June 17, 2025, the Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission held a six-hour closed door hearing, where members heard witness testimony regarding Grossberg's alleged offenses. Grossberg had attempted to delay the proceedings by filing a lawsuit against the commission, but his injunction was denied the day prior by Judge Thomas Wingate of the Franklin County Circuit Court.^[25] On July 8, the ethics commission voted and found probable cause on three counts of Grossberg possibly violating the state ethics code.^[24]

Throughout the investigations, Grossberg has steadfastly denied all allegations and has repeatedly said that he will not be resign from office.^[11] On December 18, 2024, education advocate Max Morley announced his intentions to challenge Grossberg in the 2026 Democratic primary, and Grossberg announced his intentions to seek reelection in 2026.^[26]

• 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.^[27]
• 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.^[28]
• 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.^[29]
• 2022 Grossberg won the 2022 Democratic primary for Kentucky's 30th House district with 1,840 votes (44.9%), unseating incumbent Tom Burch.^[30] He was unopposed in the 2022 Kentucky House of Representatives election, winning with 8,015 votes.^[31]
• 2024 Grossberg won the 2024 Democratic primary with 1,629 votes (50.8%)^[32] and was unopposed in the 2024 Kentucky House of Representatives election, winning with 10,125 votes.^[33]