Robert Stivers

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Robert Stivers II is an American attorney and Republican politician who has led the Kentucky Senate as its president since 2013. He has represented Kentucky’s 25th Senate district since 1997 and is the longest-serving senate president in the state’s history.

Stivers was born December 24, 1961, in London, Kentucky, to Bertram and Joan Stivers. His father was an attorney and judge, and his mother was a Harvard graduate who led Sue Bennett College from 1988 to 1991. He grew up in London, graduated from Laurel County High School in 1980, earned a Bachelor of Science in industrial management and a minor in economics from the University of Kentucky, and earned a Juris Doctor from the Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville. He worked as an assistant commonwealth attorney beginning in 1989, and after a failed run for Commonwealth Attorney in 1993, he won a state senate seat in 1996 when the 25th district opened due to redistricting.

Stivers is known as a center-right, pro-economic development leader who supports tax incentives to attract business and deregulation to boost Kentucky’s economy. In 2009, he became the Republican Majority Leader, a position he held until he became president of the Senate in 2013 after the previous president resigned.

Over the years, Stivers has had clashes with governors from both parties. He opposed some moves by Governor Matt Bevin, including vetoes of the budget and a pension reform bill, and he called for a federal review of Bevin’s late-term pardons. With Governor Andy Beshear, he initially sought a cooperative relationship but tensions arose after Beshear asked the legislature to adjourn early during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As Mitch McConnell prepared to retire in 2026, Stivers was discussed as a possible future leader of the Kentucky Republican Party. He lives in Manchester, Kentucky, with his wife Regina, who has served in the Kentucky Tourism, Arts, and Heritage Cabinet. He also runs a private law practice.