Ray Stanley Jones II (born October 6, 1969) is an American attorney and politician who has served as judge/executive of Pike County, Kentucky since January 2019. He previously served as a Democratic member of the Kentucky Senate, representing Kentucky's 31st Senate district from 2001 to 2019. During his senate tenure, he served as minority leader from 2015 to 2019.
Ray Jones II | |
|---|---|
 Jones in 2018 | |
| Judge/Executive of Pike County | |
| Assumed office January 7, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Bill Deskins |
| Minority Leader of the Kentucky Senate | |
| In office January 6, 2015 – January 7, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | R. J. Palmer |
| Succeeded by | Morgan McGarvey |
| Member of the Kentucky Senate from the 31st district | |
| In office January 1, 2001 – January 7, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Gary C. Johnson |
| Succeeded by | Phillip Wheeler |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 6, 1969 Whitesburg, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Paula Ashby |
| Education | Eastern Kentucky University (BA) University of Louisville (JD) |
Early life and education
editJones was born in Whitesburg, Kentucky in 1969. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Eastern Kentucky University in 1991, and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Louisville School of Law in 1994.[1]
Career
editJones was first elected to the Kentucky Senate in 2000 for a term starting in 2001.[1] Jones served on the Appropriations and Revenue, Transportation, Natural Resources and Energy, and Judiciary committees.[2] In 2018, Jones ran for and won the position of Pike County judge/executive, replacing the outgoing incumbent Bill Deskins. He was sworn in on January 6, 2019, and assumed office the following day.[3][4]
On November 4, 2025, Jones stated that he would not seek re-election to a third term.[5]
References
edit- 1 2 "Senator Ray Jones II". Project Vote Smart.
- ↑ Abshire, Chad (July 17, 2013). "Jones Gets Key Committee Assignments". Williamson Daily News. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ Josh Little (December 29, 2018). "Current fiscal court meets for last time". Appalachian News-Express. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
- ↑ Shannon Deskins (December 4, 2018). "Pike County Judge Executive-Elect addresses issues". EKBTV. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
- ↑ May, Terry L. (November 4, 2025). "Pike Judge-Executive Jones not seeking third term". Appalachian News-Express. Retrieved November 11, 2025.