Elections in Kentucky |
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Government |
A general election was held in the U.S. state of Kentucky on November 3, 2015. All of Kentucky's executive officers were up for election. Primary elections were held on May 19, 2015.
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Turnout | 30% | |||||||||||||||||||
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County results Bevin: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Conway: 40–50% 50–60% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Incumbent Democratic Governor Steve Beshear was term-limited and could not run for re-election to a third term in office.
In Kentucky, gubernatorial candidates pick their own running mates and they are elected on shared tickets in both the primary and general elections.
The candidates for the Democratic nomination were Attorney General of Kentucky Jack Conway and his running mate State Representative Sannie Overly; [1] and retired engineer and 2014 Congressional candidate Geoff Young and his running mate Jonathan Masters. [2] Conway and Overly easily defeated Young and Masters in the primary election for the Democratic Party nomination. [3]
For the Republicans, businessman and candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2014 Matt Bevin ran on a ticket with Tea Party activist and 2014 State House candidate Jenean Hampton; [4] Agriculture Commissioner of Kentucky James Comer ran on a ticket with State Senator Christian McDaniel; [5] [6] former Louisville Metro Councilman and nominee for Mayor of Louisville in 2010 Hal Heiner ran on a ticket with former Lexington-Fayette Urban County Councilwoman and nominee for Kentucky State Treasurer in 2011 K.C. Crosbie; [7] [8] and former Associate Justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court Will T. Scott ran on a ticket with former Menifee County Sheriff Rodney Coffey. [9] [10] Bevin held an 83-vote lead over Comer in the primary election, with both Heiner and Scott conceding. The Associated Press, referring to the race between Bevin and Comer a "virtual tie", did not call the race in favor of either candidate. In addition, Comer refused to concede and stated that he would ask for a recanvass. [11] The request for recanvass was filed with the Kentucky Secretary of State's office on May 20, 2015, with Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes ordering the recanvass to occur at 9:00 a.m. local time on May 28, 2015. [12] [13] Upon completion of the recanvass, Grimes announced that Bevin remained 83 votes ahead of Comer. Grimes also stated that should Comer want a full recount, it would require a court order from the Franklin Circuit Court. [14] On May 29, Comer announced he would not request a recount and conceded the nomination to Bevin. [15]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
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Republican | Matt Bevin/Jenean Hampton | 511,771 | 52.5 | |
Democratic | Jack Conway/Sannie Overly | 426,827 | 43.8 | |
Independent | Drew Curtis/Heather Curtis | 35,627 | 3.7 | |
Total votes | 974,225 | 100.0 | ||
Republican gain from Democratic |
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Beshear: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80-90% Westerfield: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80-90% | |||||||||||||||||
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Incumbent Democratic attorney general Jack Conway was term-limited and could not run for re-election to a third term in office. He instead ran for governor.
The candidate that would go on to be elected Attorney General was Andy Beshear, the son of retiring governor Steve Beshear.
In 2016, Steve Beshear's former personal cabinet secretary, Tim Longmeyer, was marred in controversy when he was exposed on bribery charges, including redirecting $6,000 of kickbacks into Andy Beshear's Attorney General campaign. [17] Andy Beshear had recently hired Longmeyer as a deputy. However, the prosecutors in Longmeyer's case indicated that there is no evidence to support that Andy Beshear knew what Longmeyer was doing. [18]
Over the next three years, Republican Governor Matt Bevin spearheaded an investigation into former governor Steve Beshear's administration as well as Andy Beshear's Attorney General campaign. Spending approximately $550,000 leading up to the 2019 Kentucky gubernatorial election, the investigation led to no conclusive results regarding the culpability of Steve or Andy Beshear. [19]
Beshear defeated Republican Whitney Westerfield by a margin of 0.2 percent, getting 50.1% of the vote to Westerfield's 49.9%. [20] [21] The margin was approximately 2,000 votes. [22]
Declared
Declined
Declared
Declined
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
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Republican | Whitney Westerfield | 96,581 | 53.38 | |
Republican | Michael T. Hogan | 84,364 | 46.62 | |
Total votes | 180,945 | 100.0 |
Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Andy Beshear (D) | Whitney Westerfield (R) | Other | Undecided |
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SurveyUSA [34] | October 23–26, 2015 | 798 | ± 3.5% | 47% | 35% | — | 17% |
WKU [35] | October 19–25, 2015 | 770 | ± 3.5% | 42% | 36% | — | 22% |
SurveyUSA [36] | September 22–27, 2015 | 701 | ± 3.8% | 38% | 38% | — | 22% |
SurveyUSA [37] | July 22–28, 2015 | 685 | ± 3.8% | 40% | 33% | — | 24% |
Public Policy Polling [38] | June 18–21, 2015 | 1,108 | ± 2.9% | 36% | 41% | — | 23% |
Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Andy Beshear (D) | Luke Morgan (R) | Other | Undecided |
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Gravis Marketing [39] | January 5–6, 2015 | 608 | ± 4% | 42% | 37% | — | 22% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
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Democratic | Andy Beshear | 479,929 | 50.1 | |
Republican | Whitney Westerfield | 477,735 | 49.9 | |
Total votes | 957,664 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic hold |
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Lundergan Grimes: 50–60% 60–70% Knipper: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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Incumbent Democratic Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes was eligible to run for re-election to a second term in office. She had considered running for Governor of Kentucky or for Attorney General of Kentucky. [40] [41] [42] She decided to seek re-election.
Declared
Declined
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
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Democratic | Alison Lundergan Grimes (incumbent) | 131,640 | 73.25 | |
Democratic | Charles Lovett | 48,083 | 26.75 | |
Total votes | 179,723 | 100.0 |
Declared
Withdrew
Declined
Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Alison Lundergan Grimes (D) | Steve Knipper (R) | Other | Undecided |
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SurveyUSA [34] | October 23–26, 2015 | 798 | ± 3.5% | 50% | 37% | — | 12% |
WKU [35] | October 19–25, 2015 | 770 | ± 3.5% | 46% | 35% | — | 19% |
SurveyUSA [36] | September 22–27, 2015 | 701 | ± 3.8% | 46% | 38% | — | 15% |
SurveyUSA [37] | July 22–28, 2015 | 685 | ± 3.8% | 46% | 40% | — | 12% |
Public Policy Polling [38] | June 18–21, 2015 | 1,108 | ± 2.9% | 42% | 47% | — | 12% |
Gravis Marketing [39] | January 5–6, 2015 | 608 | ± 4% | 47% | 46% | — | 7% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
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Democratic | Alison Lundergan Grimes (incumbent) | 493,598 | 51.2 | |
Republican | Steve Knipper | 471,209 | 48.8 | |
Total votes | 964,807 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic hold |
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County results Harmon: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Edelen: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Incumbent Democratic state auditor Adam Edelen had considered running for governor in 2015, even lining up a running mate, but ultimately declined to do so. He instead ran for re-election to a second term in office. [51]
Declared
Declined
Declared
Declined
Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Adam Edelen (D) | Mike Harmon (R) | Other | Undecided |
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SurveyUSA [34] | October 23–26, 2015 | 798 | ± 3.5% | 42% | 34% | — | 22% |
WKU [35] | October 19–25, 2015 | 770 | ± 3.5% | 40% | 35% | — | 25% |
SurveyUSA [36] | September 22–27, 2015 | 701 | ± 3.8% | 35% | 33% | — | 27% |
SurveyUSA [37] | July 22–28, 2015 | 685 | ± 3.8% | 35% | 31% | — | 30% |
Public Policy Polling [38] | June 18–21, 2015 | 1,108 | ± 2.9% | 33% | 39% | — | 27% |
Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Adam Edelen (D) | John Kemper (R) | Other | Undecided |
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Gravis Marketing [39] | January 5–6, 2015 | 608 | ± 4% | 30% | 38% | — | 32% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
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Republican | Mike Harmon | 486,741 | 51.9 | |
Democratic | Adam Edelen (incumbent) | 450,316 | 48.1 | |
Total votes | 937,057 | 100.0 | ||
Republican gain from Democratic |
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Ball: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Nelson: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80-90% | |||||||||||||||||
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Incumbent Democratic State Treasurer Todd Hollenbach was term-limited and could not run for re-election to a third term in office. He had said that he may run for another office in 2015, but did not specify which, and eventually declined to run for another statewide office. [45] He instead successfully ran for an open seat on the Jefferson County District Court, defeating 20 other candidates. [53]
Declared
Declined
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
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Democratic | Rick Nelson | 44,397 | 27.17 | |
Democratic | Neville Blakemore | 36,663 | 22.44 | |
Democratic | Richard Henderson | 32,914 | 20.14 | |
Democratic | Jim Glenn | 31,146 | 19.06 | |
Democratic | Daniel B. Grossberg | 18,284 | 11.19 | |
Total votes | 163,404 | 100.0 |
Declared
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
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Republican | Allison Ball | 84,516 | 46.88 | |
Republican | Jon Larson | 55,712 | 30.91 | |
Republican | Kenny Imes | 40,039 | 22.21 | |
Total votes | 180,267 | 100.0 |
Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Rick Nelson (D) | Allison Ball (R) | Other | Undecided |
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SurveyUSA [34] | October 23–26, 2015 | 798 | ± 3.5% | 35% | 37% | — | 25% |
WKU [35] | October 19–25, 2015 | 770 | ± 3.5% | 32% | 37% | — | 31% |
SurveyUSA [36] | September 22–27, 2015 | 701 | ± 3.8% | 33% | 35% | — | 28% |
SurveyUSA [37] | July 22–28, 2015 | 685 | ± 3.8% | 36% | 33% | — | 29% |
Public Policy Polling [38] | June 18–21, 2015 | 1,108 | ± 2.9% | 32% | 41% | — | 26% |
Gravis Marketing [39] | January 5–6, 2015 | 608 | ± 4% | 32% | 34% | — | 35% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
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Republican | Allison Ball | 571,455 | 60.6 | |
Democratic | Rick Nelson | 372,416 | 39.4 | |
Total votes | 943,871 | 100.0 | ||
Republican gain from Democratic |
Incumbent Republican Agriculture Commissioner James Comer did not run for re-election to a second term in office. He instead ran for governor, and was defeated by Matt Bevin in the Republican primary.
Declared
Declined
Declared
Declined
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
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Republican | Ryan Quarles | 92,700 | 50.39 | |
Republican | Richard Heath | 91,273 | 49.61 | |
Total votes | 183,973 | 100.0 |
Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Ryan Quarles (R) | Jean-Marie Lawson Spann (D) | Other | Undecided |
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SurveyUSA [34] | October 23–26, 2015 | 798 | ± 3.5% | 40% | 33% | — | 24% |
WKU [35] | October 19–25, 2015 | 770 | ± 3.5% | 37% | 30% | — | 33% |
SurveyUSA [36] | September 22–27, 2015 | 701 | ± 3.8% | 34% | 31% | — | 29% |
SurveyUSA [37] | July 22–28, 2015 | 685 | ± 3.8% | 33% | 32% | — | 30% |
Gravis Marketing [39] | January 5–6, 2015 | 608 | ± 4% | 39% | 31% | — | 30% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
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Republican | Ryan Quarles | 563,383 | 60.1 | |
Democratic | Jean-Marie Lawson Spann | 374,402 | 39.9 | |
Total votes | 937,785 | 100.0 | ||
Republican hold |
A non-partisan special election was held along with the May 19, 2015 primary elections to fill the 7th district seat of the Kentucky Supreme Court. [73] The seat was vacated when Justice Will T. Scott resigned to run for governor. [74] The winner of the election was elected to serve the remainder of Scott's term, with the seat coming up for re-election next in 2020.
Declared
Withdrew
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
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Independent | Sam Wright | 40,676 | 51.85% | |
Independent | Janet Stumbo | 37,772 | 48.15% | |
Total votes | 78,448 | 100% |
The 2011 Kentucky gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2011, to elect the governor of Kentucky and the lieutenant governor of Kentucky. Incumbent Democrat Steve Beshear won re-election, defeating Republican challenger David L. Williams, then the president of the state senate, and Gatewood Galbraith, an independent candidate. Statewide turnout in this election was 28%.
The 2011 Kentucky Secretary of State election was held on November 8, 2011, to elect the Secretary of State of Kentucky. Primaries for this election were held on Tuesday, May 17, 2011. In the general election, Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes defeated Republican Bill Johnson.
Alison Case Lundergan Grimes is an American lawyer and Democratic politician who was the secretary of state of Kentucky from 2012 until 2020. Grimes was elected in 2011 after defeating incumbent Elaine Walker in the Democratic primary and Republican candidate Bill Johnson in the general election. She was the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate in 2014, unsuccessfully challenging Republican incumbent and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. She was re-elected for a second term as Secretary of State of Kentucky on November 3, 2015, defeating Republican Stephen Knipper. Term limited in 2019, she was succeeded by Republican Michael Adams.
The 2014 United States Senate election in Kentucky took place on November 4, 2014, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the Commonwealth of Kentucky, concurrently with elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
James Richardson Comer Jr. is an American politician from Kentucky who represents the state's 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. A member of the Republican Party, he has served in Congress since 2016, during the 114th United States Congress. He previously served in the Kentucky House of Representatives and also served as the Agriculture Commissioner of Kentucky.
The 2015 Kentucky gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 2015. Incumbent Democratic governor Steve Beshear was ineligible to run for a third term due to term limits. Primary elections were held on May 19, 2015.
United States gubernatorial elections were held in three states in 2015 as part of the 2015 United States elections. In Kentucky and Mississippi, the elections were held on November 3, and in Louisiana, as no candidate received a majority of votes at the primary election on October 24, 2015, a runoff election was held on November 21. The last regular gubernatorial elections for all three states were in 2011. Democrats picked up the open seat of term-limited Republican Bobby Jindal in Louisiana, while Republicans re-elected incumbent Phil Bryant in Mississippi and picked up the seat of term-limited Democrat Steve Beshear in Kentucky.
Matthew Griswold Bevin is an American businessman and politician who served as the 62nd governor of Kentucky from 2015 to 2019. He is currently the CEO of Neuronetrix Solutions, LLC.
The 2016 United States Senate election in Kentucky was held November 8, 2016 to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Kentucky, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. The primaries were held May 17.
Andrew Graham Beshear is an American attorney and politician serving since 2019 as the 63rd governor of Kentucky. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 50th attorney general of Kentucky from 2016 to 2019. He is the son of former Kentucky governor Steve Beshear.
Gerald G. Lundergan is an American businessman, politician and member of the Democratic Party from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. He served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1980 to 1985 and 1987 to 1989 and has served as Chairman of the Kentucky Democratic Party on two occasions. In September 2019, he was convicted in federal court of providing illegal corporate campaign contributions to his daughter, then Secretary of State of Kentucky Alison Lundergan Grimes’ 2014 failed U.S. Senate campaign.
The 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Kentucky were held on November 8, 2016, to elect the six U.S. representatives from the state of Kentucky, one from each of the state's six congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2016 presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. The primaries were held on May 17.
The 2020 United States Senate election in Kentucky was held on November 3, 2020, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the Commonwealth of Kentucky, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, who had been Senate Majority Leader since 2015 and senator from Kentucky since 1985, won reelection to a seventh term in office. He faced off against former U.S. Marine fighter pilot Amy McGrath and Libertarian Brad Barron.
The 2019 Kentucky gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 2019, to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of Kentucky. The Democratic nominee, Andy Beshear, defeated Republican Incumbent governor Matt Bevin. It was the closest gubernatorial election by votes since 1899. It was the closest race of the 2019 gubernatorial election cycle.
United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 5, 2019, in Kentucky and Mississippi, and on October 12, 2019, with a runoff on November 16, in Louisiana. These elections formed part of the 2019 United States elections. The last regular gubernatorial elections for all three states were in 2015. The Democrats had to defend an incumbent in Louisiana, while the Republicans had to defend an incumbent in Kentucky plus an open seat in Mississippi. Though all three seats up were in typically Republican states, the election cycle became unexpectedly competitive: Kentucky and Louisiana were seen as highly contested races; and Mississippi's race ultimately became closer than usual, despite being seen as favorable for the Republicans.
A general election was held in the U.S. state of Kentucky on November 5, 2019, with all executive offices in the state up for election. Primary elections were held on May 21, 2019.
The 2019 Kentucky Attorney General election was conducted on November 5. Primary elections occurred on May 21, 2019. The general election was held on November 5, 2019. Incumbent Democratic Attorney General Andy Beshear declined to seek reelection to a second term to instead successfully run for Governor. Republican nominee Daniel Cameron won with 57.8% of the vote. He became the first Republican elected attorney general of Kentucky since Eldon S. Dummit in 1943, and the state's first black attorney general.
The 2023 Kentucky gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2023, to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of Kentucky. Incumbent Democratic governor Andy Beshear won re-election to a second term, defeating Republican state Attorney General Daniel Cameron. If Cameron had won, he would have become Kentucky's first African-American governor.
The 2015 Kentucky Secretary of State election was held on November 3, 2015, to elect the Secretary of State of Kentucky. Primary elections were held on May 19, 2015. Incumbent Democratic Secretary Alison Lundergan Grimes narrowly won re-election to a second term against Republican nominee Steve Knipper.
A general election was held in the U.S. state of Kentucky on November 7, 2023.