Kentucky Senate

Kentucky Senate
Kentucky Senate
Kentucky General Assembly
Type
Term limits	None
History
New session started	January 7, 2025 (adjourned)
Leadership
President	Robert Stivers (R) ; since January 8, 2013
President pro tempore	David P. Givens (R) ; since January 8, 2019
Majority Leader	Max Wise (R) ; since January 7, 2025
Minority Leader	Gerald Neal (D) ; since January 3, 2023
Structure
Seats	38
Political groups	Majority (32) Republican (32); Minority (5) Democratic (5); Vacant (1) Vacant (1);
Length of term	4 years
Authority	The Legislative Department, Section 29, Kentucky Constitution
Salary	$188.22/day + per diem (elected before January 1, 2023); $203.28/day + per diem (elected after January 1, 2023)
Elections
Last election	November 5, 2024 ; (19 seats)
Next election	November 3, 2026 ; (19 seats)
Redistricting	Legislative Control
Meeting place
	Senate Chamber; Kentucky State Capitol ; Frankfort, Kentucky
Website
	Legislative Research Commission

Last updated December 09, 2025

The Kentucky Senate is the upper house of the Kentucky General Assembly. The Kentucky Senate is composed of 38 members elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. The Kentucky Senate meets at the Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort annually beginning in January. Sessions last for 60 legislative days in even-numbered years and 30 legislative days in odd-numbered years.^[2]

The Republican Party has had control of the Senate since 1999, currently holding 32 seats, with the Democratic Party holding 5, and 1 seat being vacant. Senators serve four-year terms with no term limits; half (19) of the senators are up for election every second year, coinciding with federal House of Representatives and Senate elections.

Terms and qualifications

According to Section 32 of the Kentucky Constitution, a senator must:

be at least 30 years old;
be a citizen of Kentucky;
have resided in the state at least six years and the district at least one year prior to election.

Per section 30 of the Kentucky Constitution, senators are elected to four year staggered terms, with half the Senate elected every two years.

Leadership

Prior to a 1992 constitutional amendment, the Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky presided over the Senate; the 1992 amendment created a new office of President of the Senate to be held by one of the 38 senators.

Leaders

President (elected by full body): Robert Stivers (R-25)
President pro tempore (elected by full body): David P. Givens (R-9)

Additionally, each political party elects a floor leader, whip, and caucus chairman.

Current party leadership of the Kentucky Senate:

Republican Party
- Leader: Max Wise (R-16)
- Whip: Mike Wilson (R-32)
- Caucus chair: Robby Mills (R-4)
Democratic Party
- Leader: Gerald Neal (D-33)
- Whip: Cassie Chambers Armstrong (D-19)
- Caucus chair: Reggie Thomas (D-13)

Members

Session	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)		Total

	Republican	Democratic		Vacant
2015 session	26	11	37	1
2016 session	27	11	38	0

2017–2018 sessions	27	11	38	0

2019 session	28	9	37	1
2020 session	29	9	38	0

2021–2022 sessions	30	8	38	0

2023 session	30	6	36	2
2024 session	31	7	38	0

2025 session	31	7	38	0
May 30, 2025^{[nb 1]}	32	6	38	0
October 8, 2025^{[nb 2]}	32	5	37	1
Latest voting share	86.5%	13.5%

List of current senators

District	Name	Party	First elected	Residence	Counties represented
1	Jason Howell	Republican	2020	Murray	Calloway, Crittenden, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Lyon, Trigg
2	Danny Carroll	Republican	2014	Benton	Ballard, Carlisle, Livingston, Marshall, McCracken
3	Craig Richardson	Republican	2024	Hopkinsville	Caldwell, Christian, Muhlenberg
4	Robby Mills	Republican	2018	Henderson	Henderson, Hopkins, Union, Webster
5	Stephen Meredith	Republican	2016	Leitchfield	Breckinridge, Butler, Grayson, Meade, Ohio
6	Lindsey Tichenor	Republican	2022	Smithfield	Jefferson (Part), Oldham, Trimble
7	Aaron Reed	Republican	2024	Shelbyville	Anderson, Henry, Jefferson (Part), Shelby
8	Gary Boswell	Republican	2022	Owensboro	Daviess, Hancock, McLean
9	David P. Givens	Republican	2008	Greensburg	Barren, Edmondson, Green, Hart, Warren (Part)
10	Matthew Deneen	Republican	2022	Elizabethtown	Hardin, Jefferson (Part)
11	Steve Rawlings	Republican	2024	Burlington	Boone (Part)
12	Amanda Mays Bledsoe	Republican	2022	Lexington	Boyle, Fayette (Part), Mercer, Woodford
13	Reginald Thomas	Democratic	2013 ^{[nb 3]}	Lexington	Fayette (Part)
14	Jimmy Higdon	Republican	2009 ^{[nb 3]}	Lebanon	Larue, Marion, Nelson, Spencer, Washington
15	Rick Girdler	Republican	2016	Somerset	Clinton, Cumberland, Pulaski, Russell, Wayne
16	Max Wise	Republican	2014	Campbellsville	Adair, Allen, Metcalfe, Monroe, Taylor, Warren (Part)
17	Matt Nunn	Republican	2024	Sadieville	Fayette (Part), Grant, Kenton (Part), Scott
18	Robin L. Webb	Republican	2009 ^{[nb 3]}	Grayson	Boyd, Carter, Greenup, Lewis
19	Cassie Chambers Armstrong	Democratic	2023 ^{[nb 3]}	Louisville	Jefferson (Part)
20	Gex Williams	Republican	2022 ^{[nb 4]}	Verona	Boone (Part), Carroll, Franklin, Gallatin, Kenton (Part), Owen
21	Brandon J. Storm	Republican	2020	London	Casey, Laurel, Lincoln, Rockcastle
22	Donald Douglas	Republican	2021 ^{[nb 3]}	Nicholasville	Fayette (Part), Garrard, Jessamine
23	Christian McDaniel	Republican	2012	Ryland Heights	Kenton (Part)
24	Shelley Funke Frommeyer	Republican	2022	Alexandria	Bracken, Campbell, Kenton (Part), Pendleton
25	Robert Stivers	Republican	1996	Manchester	Clay, Jackson, Knox, McCreary, Owsley, Whitley
26	Karen Berg	Democratic	2020 ^{[nb 3]}	Louisville	Jefferson (Part)
27	Stephen West	Republican	2015 ^{[nb 3]}	Paris	Bourbon, Fayette (Part), Fleming, Harrison, Mason, Nicholas, Robertson, Rowan
28	Greg Elkins	Republican	2023 ^{[nb 3]}	Winchester	Bath, Clark, Fayette (Part), Menifee, Montgomery
29	Scott Madon	Republican	2024	Pineville	Bell, Floyd, Harlan, Knott, Letcher
30	Brandon Smith	Republican	2008^{[nb 3]}	Hazard	Breathitt, Estill, Lee, Leslie, Magoffin, Morgan, Perry, Powell, Wolfe
31	Phillip Wheeler	Republican	2019 ^{[nb 3]}	Pikeville	Elliott, Johnson, Lawrence, Martin, Pike
32	Mike Wilson	Republican	2010	Bowling Green	Logan, Simpson, Todd, Warren (Part)
33	Gerald A. Neal	Democratic	1988	Louisville	Jefferson (Part)
34	Jared Carpenter	Republican	2010	Berea	Fayette (Part), Madison
35	Keturah Herron	Democratic	2024	Louisville	Jefferson (Part)
36	Julie Raque Adams	Republican	2014	Louisville	Jefferson (Part)
37	Vacant				Jefferson (Part)
38	Michael J. Nemes	Republican	2020 ^{[nb 3]}	Shepherdsville	Bullitt, Jefferson (Part)

2023 special elections

On February 21, 2023, a special election was held to fill the vacant 19th district Senate seat left by Morgan McGarvey.^[3] The seat opened up after McGarvey ran and won the U.S. House seat in Kentucky's 3rd congressional district. Democratic candidate Cassie Chambers Armstrong defeated Republican candidate Misty Glin to become Senator.
On May 16, 2023, a special election was held to fill the vacant 28th district Senate seat left by Ralph Alvarado. The seat opened up after Alvarado was appointed the 15th Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health.^[4] The candidates were Greg Elkins (R) of Winchester, Robert Sainte (D) of Winchester, and former Kentucky State Representative Richard Henderson (I) of Mt. Sterling. Republican candidate Greg Elkins defeated Sainte and Henderson to become Senator.

History

Carolyn Conn Moore became the first woman to serve in the Kentucky Senate when in November 1949 she won a special election to replace her husband, J. Lee Moore, in the legislature after his death.^[5] Georgia Davis Powers became the first person of color to be elected to the Kentucky Senate in 1967. Gerald Neal became the first African American ever to be elected to a leadership position in the Kentucky General Assembly in 2014.^[6] Ralph Alvarado became the first Hispanic to serve in the Kentucky General Assembly when he was elected in 2014.^[7]

Standing committees

Committee	Chair	Vice Chair
Agriculture	Jason Howell	Gary Boswell
Appropriations and Revenue	Christian McDaniel	Amanda Mays Bledsoe
Banking and Insurance	Jared Carpenter	Rick Girdler
Committee on Committees	Robert Stivers	none
Economic Development, Tourism, and Labor	Phillip Wheeler	Shelley Funke Frommeyer
Education	Stephen West	Lindsey Tichenor
Enrollment	Matt Nunn	none
Families and Children	Danny Carroll	Amanda Mays Bledsoe
Health and Services	Stephen Meredith	Craig Richardson
Judiciary	Brandon J. Storm	Phillip Wheeler
Licensing and Occupations	Julie Raque Adams	Jason Howell
Natural Resources and Energy	Brandon Smith	Gex Williams
Rules	Robert Stivers	none
State and Local Government	Michael J. Nemes	Greg Elkins
Transportation	Jimmy Higdon	Donald Douglas
Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public Protection	Matthew Deneen	Aaron Reed

Past composition of the Senate

Notes

↑ Robin L. Webb switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party.
↑ Democrat David Yates resigned after being appointed interim clerk of Jefferson County.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Elected in a special election.
↑ Williams previously served in the senate from 1993 to 1999.

References

↑ "How much do Kentucky's governor and other elected officials make? Here's a list". Louisville Courier-Journal. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
↑ "Publications – The Council of State Governments". February 19, 2020.
↑ "Ky. 19th Senatorial District special election to be held". www.wave3.com. January 9, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
↑ "Alvarado sworn in as health commissioner in Tennessee". The Winchester Sun. January 19, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
↑ Oswald, Sharon (January 5, 1977). "From senate to housemother, Mrs. Moore is mother of 110". The Tuscaloosa News. Tuscaloosa. p. 8. Retrieved March 15, 2010.
↑ Lawrence Smith (December 2, 2014). "Louisville state senator becomes first African-American elected to leadership in KY legislature". wdrb.com. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
↑ "Ralph Alvarado". cof.org. October 28, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2023.

External links

Kentucky Legislature Senate Members Archived June 6, 2012, at the Wayback Machine official government website
State Senate of Kentucky at Project Vote Smart
Kentucky Senate at Ballotpedia

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[3] Robin L. Webb switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party.

[4] Democrat David Yates resigned after being appointed interim clerk of Jefferson County.

[senatespecial-5] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Elected in a special election.

[6] Williams previously served in the senate from 1993 to 1999.

[1] "How much do Kentucky's governor and other elected officials make? Here's a list". Louisville Courier-Journal. Retrieved January 17, 2024.

[2] "Publications – The Council of State Governments". February 19, 2020.

[7] "Ky. 19th Senatorial District special election to be held". www.wave3.com. January 9, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.

[8] "Alvarado sworn in as health commissioner in Tennessee". The Winchester Sun. January 19, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023.

[From_Senate_to_housemother-9] Oswald, Sharon (January 5, 1977). "From senate to housemother, Mrs. Moore is mother of 110". The Tuscaloosa News. Tuscaloosa. p. 8. Retrieved March 15, 2010.

[10] Lawrence Smith (December 2, 2014). "Louisville state senator becomes first African-American elected to leadership in KY legislature". wdrb.com. Retrieved July 16, 2018.

[11] "Ralph Alvarado". cof.org. October 28, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2023.

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v t e Seats in the Kentucky General Assembly
Senate	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38
House of Representatives	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100

v t e Members of the Kentucky Senate
President of the Senate Robert Stivers (R) President pro tempore David P. Givens (R) Majority Leader Max Wise (R) Minority Leader Gerald Neal (D)
▌ Jason Howell (R) ▌ Danny Carroll (R) ▌ Craig Richardson (R) ▌ Robby Mills (R) ▌ Stephen Meredith (R) ▌ Lindsey Tichenor (R) ▌ Aaron Reed (R) ▌ Gary Boswell (R) ▌ David P. Givens (R) ▌ Matthew Deneen (R) ▌ Steve Rawlings (R) ▌ Amanda Mays Bledsoe (R) ▌ Reginald Thomas (D) ▌ Jimmy Higdon (R) ▌ Rick Girdler (R) ▌ Max Wise (R) ▌ Matt Nunn (R) ▌ Robin L. Webb (R) ▌ Cassie Chambers Armstrong (D) ▌ Gex Williams (R) ▌ Brandon J. Storm (R) ▌ Donald Douglas (R) ▌ Christian McDaniel (R) ▌ Shelley Funke Frommeyer (R) ▌ Robert Stivers (R) ▌ Karen Berg (D) ▌ Stephen West (R) ▌ Greg Elkins (R) ▌ Scott Madon (R) ▌ Brandon Smith (R) ▌ Phillip Wheeler (R) ▌ Mike Wilson (R) ▌ Gerald A. Neal (D) ▌ Jared Carpenter (R) ▌ Keturah Herron (D) ▌ Julie Raque Adams (R) Vacant ▌ Michael J. Nemes (R)
▌ Republican (32) ▌ Democratic (5) ▌Vacant (1) Kentucky General Assembly House Senate List of past assemblies

v t e Legislatures of the United States
United States Congress	United States House of Representatives United States Senate
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Legislative elections	2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026
List of U.S. state legislators Lists of past U.S. state legislatures

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