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2018 Kentucky elections
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Kentucky state elections in 2018 were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2018, with the primary elections being held on May 22, 2018.[a] These midterm elections occurred during the presidency of Republican Donald Trump and the governorship of Republican Matt Bevin, alongside other elections in the United States. All six of Kentucky's seats in the United States House of Representatives, nineteen of the 38 seats in the Kentucky State Senate, all 100 seats in the Kentucky House of Representatives, and one of the seven seats on the Kentucky Supreme Court were contested. Numerous county and local elections were also contested within the state.

In the United States House of Representatives, all six of Kentucky's incumbent congressional representatives won their individual elections. With 59.59% of ballots cast in favor of the Republican congressional candidates, the Republican party maintained its five-seat majority within the congressional delegation; Representative John Yarmuth of Kentucky's 3rd congressional district maintained his position as the only Democrat in the United States Congress from Kentucky. All six of Kentucky's incumbent representatives were reelected with at least 60% of the vote in their respective districts. Aside from the election in Kentucky's 1st congressional district, all incumbents were challenged by at least one Libertarian or Independent candidate, though no third-party candidates were able to obtain more than 2.5% of the vote.

In the Kentucky General Assembly, Democrats made a net gain of one seat,[b] while Republicans maintained their supermajorities in both chambers of the state legislature. As the office of governor was not contested in the 2018 elections, Republicans maintained their state-level trifecta established in the 2016 elections. As Kentucky's judicial elections are non-partisan, there was no change in the partisan makeup of the Kentucky Supreme Court.

While voter turnout in the United States as a whole reached its highest point seen in a midterm election since 1914, Kentucky voter turnout remained unaffected. With approximately 45.90% of Kentucky's 3.4 million registered voters casting ballots in the election,[1][2] turnout as a percentage of registered voters remained unchanged from 2014 levels, although the total number of ballots cast did increase.[3]

During the campaign, Democrats focused heavily on public education and teacher pay, frequently attacking Republicans for their support of, among other issues, a controversial overhaul to Kentucky's teacher pension system. Republican messaging centered around a theme of maintaining their trifecta, with claims that a divided legislature would not be able to get anything done.

Congress

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House of Representatives

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Main article: 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Kentucky

In the 2018 elections, Democrats sought to take control of the United States House of Representatives for the first time since the 2010 elections.[4][5] As all 6 of Kentucky's voting seats in the 435 member House of Representatives were up for election to serve two-year terms, the Kentucky Democratic Party sought to capitalize on an expected increase in voter turnout to take control of at least two of Kentucky's House seats.[6]

While nationwide the 2018 House elections saw the largest number of retirements by incumbents of any election cycle since at least 1992, none of Kentucky's incumbent Representatives chose to retire.[7] The lack of Republican retirements may have harmed Democratic prospects in the 2018 mid-term elections due to the incumbency advantage.[8][9]

Kentucky General Assembly

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Kentucky State Senate

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Overview

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2018 Kentucky State Senate election
General election — November 6, 2018[10]
Party Votes Percentage Not up Contested Before After +/–
Republican 468,530 57.93% 10 16 27 28 Increase 1
Democratic 325,800 40.28% 8 3 11 10 Decrease 1
Independent 10,946 1.35% 0 0 0 0 0
Write-Ins 3,454 0.43% 0 0 0 0 0
Totals 808,730 100.00% 19 19 38 38 —

District 2

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Candidates

Results

Kentucky's 2nd State Senate district, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Danny Carroll (incumbent) 28,252 63.2
Democratic Julie Tennyson 16,428 36.8
Total votes 44,680 100.0
Republican hold

District 4

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Candidates

  • Dorsey Ridley (Democratic), incumbent state senator since 2006.[13]
  • Robby Mills (Republican), former member of the Kentucky House of Representatives for District 11 from 2017 to 2019.[14]

Results

Kentucky's 4th State Senate district, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Robert Mills 19,057 50.64
Democratic Dorsey Ridley (Incumbent) 18,573 49.36
Total votes 37,630 100.00
Republican gain from Democratic

District 6

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Candidates

Results

Kentucky's 6th State Senate district, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican C.B. Embry Jr. (incumbent) 27,139 67.2
Democratic Crystal Chappell 13,217 32.8
Total votes 40,356 100.0
Republican hold

District 8

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Candidates

  • Matt Castlen (Republican), former member of the Kentucky House of Representatives, representing District 14 from 2017 to 2018.[17]
  • Bob Glenn (Democratic), three-term Owensboro City Commissioner.[18]

Results

Kentucky's 8th State Senate district, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Matt Castlen 25,107 58.2
Democratic Bob Glenn 18,019 41.8
Total votes 43,126 100.0
Republican hold

District 10

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Candidates

  • Dennis Parrett (Democratic), incumbent state senator since 2011. Senate minority whip since 2017.[19]

Results

Kentucky's 10th State Senate district, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Dennis Parrett (incumbent) 24,224 100.0
Total votes 24,224 100.0
Democratic hold

District 12

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Candidates

  • Alice Forgy Kerr (Republican), incumbent state senator since 1998.[20]
  • Paula Setser-Kissick (Democratic), schoolteacher.[21]

Results

Kentucky's 12th State Senate district, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Alice Forgy Kerr (incumbent) 26,874 50.7
Democratic Paula Setser-Kissick 26,102 49.3
Total votes 52,976 100.0
Republican hold

District 14

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Candidates

  • Jimmy Higdon (Republican), incumbent state senator since 2009.[22]
  • Stephanie Compton (Democratic).[23]

Results

Kentucky's 14th State Senate district, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Jimmy Higdon (incumbent) 29,752 65.3
Democratic Stephanie Compton 15,842 34.7
Total votes 45,594 100.0
Republican hold

District 16

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Candidates

  • Max Wise (Republican), incumbent state senator since 2014.[24]
  • Nicole Britton (Write-In).

Results

Kentucky's 16th State Senate district, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Max Wise (incumbent) 33,447 96.7
Write-In Nicole Britton 1,125 3.3
Total votes 34,572 100.0
Republican hold

District 18

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Candidates

Results

Kentucky's 18th State Senate district, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Robin Webb (incumbent) 21,644 57.8
Republican Scott Sharp 15,823 42.2
Total votes 37,467 100.0
Democratic hold

District 20

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Candidates

  • Paul Hornback (Republican), incumbent state senator since 2010.
  • Dave Suetholz (Democratic), lawyer.

Results

Kentucky's 20th State Senate district, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Paul Hornback (incumbent) 25,775 56.5
Democratic Dave Suetholz 19,829 43.5
Total votes 45,604 100.0
Republican hold

District 22

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Candidates

Results

Kentucky's 22nd State Senate district, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Tom Buford (incumbent) 28,537 66.0
Democratic Carolyn Dupont 14,629 34.0
Total votes 43,229 100.0
Republican hold

District 24

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Candidates

  • Wil Schroder (Republican), incumbent state senator since 2014.[26]
  • Rachel Roberts (Democratic), entrepreneur.

Results

Kentucky's 24th State Senate district, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Wil Schroder (incumbent) 23,705 56.9
Democratic Rachel Roberts 17,958 43.1
Total votes 41,663 100.0
Republican hold

District 26

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Candidates

  • Ernie Harris (Republican), incumbent state senator since 1994.
  • Karen Berg (Democratic), diagnostic radiologist.
  • Jody Hurt (independent).

Results

Kentucky's 26th State Senate district, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Ernie Harris (incumbent) 29,625 51.8
Democratic Karen Berg 26,524 46.3
Independent Jody Hurt 1,078 1.9
Total votes 57,227 100.0
Republican hold

District 28

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Candidates

Results

Kentucky's 28th State Senate district, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Ralph Alvarado (incumbent) 23,212 53.4
Democratic Denise Gray 20,291 46.6
Total votes 43,505 100.0
Republican hold

District 30

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Candidates

  • Brandon Smith (Republican), incumbent state senator since 2008.
  • Paula Celemons-Combs (Democratic).

Results

Kentucky's 30th State Senate district, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Brandon Smith (incumbent) 27,747 73.2
Democratic Paula Clemons-Combs 10,151 26.8
Total votes 37,898 100.0
Republican hold

District 32

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Candidates

  • Mike Wilson (Republican), incumbent state senator since 2010.
  • Jeanie Smith (Democratic), social studies teacher.

Results

Kentucky's 32nd State Senate district, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mike Wilson (incumbent) 20,803 52.3
Democratic Jeanie Smith 18,952 47.7
Total votes 39,755 100.0
Republican hold

District 34

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Candidates

  • Jared Carpenter (Republican), incumbent state senator since 2010.
  • Susan Byrne Haddix (Democratic).

Results

Kentucky's 34th State Senate district, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Jared Carpenter (incumbent) 28,145 61.8
Democratic Susan Byrne Haddix 17,377 38.2
Total votes 45,522 100.0
Republican hold

District 36

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Candidates

  • Julie Raque Adams (Republican), incumbent state senator since 2014.
  • Sheri Donahue (Democratic).

Results

Kentucky's 36th State Senate district, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Julie Raque Adams (incumbent) 29,725 53.4
Democratic Sheri Donahue 25,977 46.6
Total votes 55,706 100.0
Republican hold

District 38

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Candidates

  • Dan Seum (Republican), incumbent state senator since 1994.
  • Brenda Sue Board (independent).
  • Andrew Bailey (Write-In)

Results

Kentucky's 38th State Senate district, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Dan Seum (incumbent) 25,801 67.9
Independent Brenda Sue Board 9,868 26.0
Write-In Andrew Bailey 2,329 6.1
Total votes 37,998 100.0
Republican hold

Kentucky House of Representatives

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In the 2018 elections, Democrats sought to regain control of the Kentucky House of Representatives, which had been lost following the 2016 elections. All 100 voting seats in the House of Representatives were up for election to serve two-year terms. At the time of the election, Republicans held a supermajority of 62 seats to Democrats 37, with one vacant seat.[27]

The 2018 House elections saw fifteen of the state House's members retiring. Prior to the election, 7 House Republicans and 8 House Democrats had announced their retirement or resignation, with most declining to run for reelection in order to pursue higher office.

Overview

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Kentucky House of Representatives election, 2018[10]
General election — November 6, 2018
Party Votes Percentage Seats +/–
Republican 814,787 53.33% 61 Decrease 1
Democratic 700,379 45.84% 39 Increase 2
Libertarian 907 0.06% 0 0
Write-In Candidates 8,112 0.53% 0 0
Independent Candidates 3,626 0.24% 0 0
Totals 1,527,819 100.00% 100 —
Note: 1 seat vacant prior to election

Kentucky Supreme Court

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The Kentucky Supreme Court is composed of seven justices who are elected in nonpartisan elections by voters. A full term on the court is eight years. Kentucky's nonpartisan judicial elections take place during its general elections. These are usually held in even-numbered years but can be held in odd-numbered years. While no Judicial terms were set to expire in 2018, an election was held for the 3rd Supreme Court district due to incumbent justice Daniel J. Venters announcing he would retire from his position in early 2019.[28]

District 3

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Results by county:
  Lee
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
  •   70–80%
  •   80–90%
  Ballou
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
  •   70–80%
  •   80–90%

Candidates

  • Debra Hembree Lee (Non-Aligned), former judge on the Kentucky Court of Appeals, representing the 3rd Appellate District, Division 1 from 2015 to 2018.[29]
  • Daniel Ballou (Non-Aligned), chief circuit judge for the 34th Judicial Circuit in Kentucky, first elected in 2008.

Results

Kentucky's 3rd State Supreme Court district, 2018[10]
Party Candidate Votes %
Non-Partisan Debra Hembree Lee 95,237 65.1
Non-Partisan Daniel Ballou 51,075 34.9
Total votes 146,312 100.0

Kentucky Court of Appeals

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District 5, Division 1

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Kentucky Court of Appeals 5th district, 1st division, 2018[30]
Party Candidate Votes %
Non-Partisan Pamela R. Goodwine 126,373 56.1
Non-Partisan Robert Johnson 98,861 43.9
Total votes 225,234 100.0

District 7, Division 2

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Kentucky Court of Appeals 7th district, 2nd division, 2018[30]
Party Candidate Votes %
Non-Partisan Larry E. Thompson 64,551 53.9
Non-Partisan David Allen Barber 55,310 46.1
Total votes 119,861 100.0

Ballot Measures and Amendments

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The Constitution of Kentucky does not provide for citizen-initiated ballot measures and referendums at the state level. Under the state Constitution, aside from Constitutional amendments, approval from the Kentucky General Assembly is required to put anything to a statewide vote.[31][32]

  • Senate Bill 3 - Results declared invalid by order of the Kentucky Supreme Court
    A Legislatively referred constitutional amendment which was a type of Marsy's Law, which would have added a new section to the Kentucky Constitution regarding the rights of victims accused of a crime.[33] The amendment appeared on the ballot, and was approved with 63% in favor and 37% opposed, however the Kentucky Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, barred Secretary of State Allison Lundergan Grimes from certifying the election results, declaring "Our constitution is too important and valuable to be amended without the full amendment ever being put to the public."[34] The ruling also stated, "We hold that Section 256 of the Kentucky Constitution requires the General Assembly to submit the full text of a proposed constitutional amendment to the electorate for a vote. Likewise, Section 257 requires the secretary of state to publish the full text of the proposed amendment at least ninety days before the vote. Because the form of the amendment that was published and submitted to the electorate for a vote in this case was not the full text, and was instead a question, the proposed amendment is void."[35]
  • House Bill 10 - Failed to gain Legislative Approval
    The Kentucky Legislative Review of Administrative Regulations Amendment (also known as HB 10, or the phonetic acronym "Klara"), was a measure would have authorized the Kentucky General Assembly to establish a process to review any state executive administrative regulation and approve or disapprove the regulation. The measure would have allowed the legislature, or a committee established by the legislature, to review, approve, or disapprove regulations while lawmakers were in session or between sessions.[36] Proponents argued the amendment was necessary to ensure legislative oversight over the actions of the executive branch, while opponents argued the measure would violate Kentucky's Constitution, which only allows the General Assembly to make binding decisions while in session (a time-frame which is constitutionally confined to between January 1 and May 31, except in emergencies.)[37] Despite the opposition, the bill passed the House 68-22 (8 abstentions), but failed to receive a vote in the Senate. As the Amendment did not meet the required 60% threshold in both legislative chambers, it was not included on the 2018 ballot.

Notes

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  1. ^ Some special elections were held on other dates.
  2. ^ Democrats won a net gain of 2 seats in the Kentucky House of Representatives, but lost one seat in the Kentucky Senate

References

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  1. ^ Kobin, Billy (November 7, 2018). "Kentucky Voter Turnout 2018: Louisville election polls packed". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  2. ^ "Kentucky has more than 3.4 million registered voters". U.S. News & World Report. Associated Press. October 10, 2018. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  3. ^ "Voter Turnout Kentucky 2014 Midterm election" (PDF). Kentucky Secretary of State. February 5, 2015. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  4. ^ Leamon, Eileen J.; Bucelato, Jason, eds. (December 2017). Federal Elections 2016: Election Results for the U.S. President, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Federal Election Commission.
  5. ^ "What happens now that Democrats will retake the House". NBC News. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  6. ^ Loftus, Tom (October 29, 2018). "Kentucky Democrats have high hopes despite long odds". The Courier Journal. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  7. ^ Seitz-Wald, Alex (April 11, 2018). "Retiring Republicans are practically handing House seats to Democrats". NBC News. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  8. ^ Rakich, Nathaniel (September 12, 2017). "The Recent Rush Of GOP Retirements Is Good For Democrats". FiveThirtyEight. FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
  9. ^ Cohn, Nate (September 29, 2017). "Why Retirements May Hold the Key in Whether Republicans Can Keep the House". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  10. ^ a b c "2018 General Election Certified Results" (PDF). Kentucky Secretary of State. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  11. ^ Staff Report (February 3, 2018). "Carroll files for re-election to state senate". The Paducah Sun. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  12. ^ Craig, Berry (August 28, 2018). "Julie Tennyson: Strong Stances and a listening ear". Forward Kentucky. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  13. ^ White, Douglas (November 6, 2018). "Robby Mills edges out Dorsey Ridley in Kentucky Senate nail-biter". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  14. ^ Hagan, Paige (November 2, 2018). "A look at the state races in Henderson County". Channel 14 News. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  15. ^ Anderson, Sydni (November 15, 2017). "Kentucky District 6 Senator C. B. Embry running for reelection in 2018". WKMS. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  16. ^ McLaren, Mandy (November 7, 2018). "Kentucky election results 2018: how teachers did in the midterms". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  17. ^ "About Matt Castlen". Matt Castlen For State Senate. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  18. ^ "Bob Glenn Running for Kentucky State Senate". TristateHomePage. January 17, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  19. ^ Tom Latek (August 23, 2017). "Parrett elected Senate minority whip by Democratic Colleagues". Kentucky Today. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  20. ^ Kentucky Legislative Research Commission. "Legislator Profile: Alice Forgy Kerr". Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  21. ^ Harold-Leader Editorial Board (October 31, 2018). "Paula Setser-Kissick for Kentucky State Senate District 12". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  22. ^ "Legislator Profile: Jimmy Higdon". Kentucky Legislative Research Commission. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  23. ^ "In Their own words: Stephanie Compton- Kentucky State Senate District 14". WLKY. October 8, 2018. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  24. ^ "Senator Max Wise". University of Kentucky. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  25. ^ Adkins, Andrew (April 24, 2018). "3 Battling for state senate seat". The Daily Independent. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  26. ^ Smith, Keith (October 17, 2018). "Schroder sees his return to Frankfort as continuing growth for Kentucky". Falmouth Outlook. Archived from the original on July 14, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  27. ^ Loftus, Tom (November 6, 2018). "Kentucky election results 2018: Teachers got a failing grade on election day". Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  28. ^ Latek, Tom (December 9, 2018). "Kentucky Supreme Court Justice Daniel J Venters announces retirement after 35 years on the bench". Kentucky Today. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  29. ^ "Ky Court of Appeals Judge Debra Hembree Lee files to run for open Supreme Court seat". The Interior Journal. February 1, 2018. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  30. ^ a b "Kentucky intermediate appellate court elections, 2018".
  31. ^ "State by state listing of where they are used". Iandrinstitute.org. Archived from the original on February 11, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2010.
  32. ^ "Kentucky". Archived from the original on February 7, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  33. ^ "Senate Bill 3 Text". Kentucky Legislative Research Commission. January 16, 2019. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  34. ^ Wolfson, Andrew (June 13, 2019). "Kentucky Supreme Court Strike down Marsy's Law". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  35. ^ Cheves, John (June 13, 2019). "Kentucky Supreme Court strikes down Marsy's Law, says wording is too vague". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  36. ^ "House Bill 10". Kentucky Legislative Research Commission. January 16, 2019. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  37. ^ Latek, Tom (February 8, 2018). "Administrative regulations proposal passes house after debate over vote legality". Kentucky Today. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
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