In 1975, Mayor Atkins launched his candidacy for Kentucky state auditor, which was being vacated by incumbent Mary Louise Foust.
[1][2] In 1983, Atkins ran for Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky, but was defeated by Steve Beshear in the Democratic primary election.
There, he helped lead Humana's 1990 lobbying efforts to weaken legal limits on potential Humana-owned hospital expansions in Louisville, Kentucky.
The bill narrowly passed the Kentucky Senate by one vote, thanks to a deciding yes vote by state Senator Patti Weaver (D-Walton) after Atkins privately agreed to help Weaver obtain a job in state government in exchange for her support of the legislation.
He was sentenced by federal magistrate Judge Joseph Martin Hood to 24 weekends in prison, 400 hours of community service, and $10,000 in fines.