Kentucky voters selected nominees Tuesday in several closely watched federal and state legislative primary races, setting the stage for several competitive general election contests in November.
In the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, Congressman Andy Barr defeated former Attorney General Daniel Cameron to secure the GOP nomination for the seat being vacated by longtime Senator Mitch McConnell. Barr will face Democrat Charles Booker in November after Booker secured the Democratic nomination over Amy McGrath, State Representative Pamela Stevenson, and Dale Romans.
The most closely watched race of the night came in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District, where Ed Gallrein defeated incumbent Congressman Thomas Massie in the Republican primary. Gallrein will face Democrat Melissa Strange in the general election, who won her nomination over
In Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District, former state senator Ralph Alvarado won the Republican nomination over state Rep. Ryan Dotson and several other challengers. Alvarado will face Democrat Zach Dembo in the general election. Dembo defeated former State Representative Cherlynn Stevenson and Erin Petrey for the nomination.
Other congressional races set for the November general election include several incumbent members of Kentucky’s congressional delegation who secured renomination Tuesday night:
- Rep. James Comer (R) will face Democrat John “Drew” Williams in Kentucky’s 1st Congressional District.
- Rep. Brett Guthrie (R) will face Democrat Megan Wingfield in Kentucky’s 2nd Congressional District. Wingfield won in a four-way primary.
- Rep. Morgan McGarvey (D) will face Republican Maria Teresa Rodriguez in Kentucky’s 3rd Congressional District. Rodriguez won in a four-way primary.
- Rep. Hal Rogers (R) will face Democrat Ned Pillersdorf in Kentucky’s 5th Congressional District.
14 Kentucky Chamber PAC-endorsed Candidates Win
In state legislative races, Kentucky Chamber PAC-backed candidates won 14 of 16 races on Tuesday night.
The following incumbents won reelection:
- Sen. Matt Deneen (R) – Senate District 10
- Sen. Brandon Smith (R) – Senate District 30
- Sen. Julie Raque Adams (R) – Senate District 36
- Rep. Ryan Bivens (R) – House District 24
- Rep. John Hodgson (R) – House District 36
- Rep. Kim Moser (R) – House District 64
- Rep. Mark Hart (R) – House District 78
- Rep. Deanna Gordon (R) – House District 81
The following candidates won their primaries for an open seat:
- Wes Pate (R) won House District 14 after incumbent Rep. Scott Lewis did not seek reelection.
- Joe Redmon (R) won a four-way Republican primary in House District 27 after incumbent Rep. Nancy Tate did not seek reelection.
- Kevin Jones (R) won House District 52 after incumbent Rep. Ken Upchurch did not seek reelection.
- David Charles (R) won House District 74 after incumbent Rep. David Hale did not seek reelection.
- Darrell Billings (R) narrowly defeated Jeff Hensley in House District 91 after incumbent Rep. Bill Wesley instead ran for the Senate District 30 seat.
- Tanner Hesterberg (R) won House District 95 after incumbent Rep. Ashley Tackett Laferty did not seek reelection.
Rep. Kim Banta conceded the House District 63 race to challenger Cole Cuzick on Wednesday with a close margin of 13 votes. Rep. Felicia Rabourn held off opponent Mark Gilkison in House District 47. She has no Democratic opposition in November.
Find the full primary election results on the Kentucky Secretary of State’s website.