Kentucky 2012 legislative election results

The tabs below contain analysis of election results in the 2012 legislative elections for Kentucky.

• Senate
• House
• National Partisan Trends

2012 Legislative Election Results
State-by-State Analysis
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Other 2012 Election information
State legislative elections • State legislative election results • Statewide elections, 2012 • State Senate elections • State House elections

Kentucky State Senate Election Results

This page contains macro-level election results and analysis for the Kentucky State Senate 2012 elections. For results in individual contests see our Kentucky State Senate elections, 2012 page. The following is a breakdown of the state senate before and after the election:

Kentucky State Senate
Party		As of November 5, 2012	After the 2012 Election
	Democratic Party	14	14
	Republican Party	21	22
	Independent	1	1
	Vacancy	2	1
Total		38	38

What You'll See on This Page

This page will display the following lists of candidates

• Incumbents running on November 6
• Defeated incumbents
• Challengers who defeated an incumbent
• Newly elected senators
• List of all winners
• Unopposed candidates
• Third party candidates

State Senate Overview:

• A total of 19 of the state's Senate seats were up for election in 2012.

Incumbents

Incumbents running in November 6

The following is a list of all of the incumbents running on the November 6 general election ballot:

1. Carroll Gibson
2. Damon Thayer
3. David Givens
4. Denise Angel
5. Gerald Neal
6. Joey Pendleton
7. John Schickel
8. Johnny Ray Turner
9. Julian Carroll
10. Kathy Stein
11. Perry Clark
12. Ray Jones
13. Robert Stivers
14. Walter Blevins

Incumbents defeated

The followings is a list of incumbents defeated in 2012:

General election

Candidate	Party	District
Joey Pendleton	Democratic	Kentucky State Senate District 3

Primary election

No candidates have this category yet.

Challengers who beat an incumbent

The following is a list of challengers who defeated an incumbent in 2012:

General election

Candidate	Party	District
Albert Robinson	Republican	Kentucky State Senate District 21
Chris Girdler	Republican	Kentucky State Senate District 15
Chris McDaniel (Kentucky)	Republican	Kentucky State Senate District 23
Morgan McGarvey	Democratic	Kentucky State Senate District 19
Stan Humphries	Republican	Kentucky State Senate District 1
Whitney Westerfield	Republican	Kentucky State Senate District 3

Primary election

Results will display after the election on November 6.

New State Senators and General Election Winners

Newly elected senators

The following list will display the newly-elected members of the Kentucky State Senate:

Democratic

1. Morgan McGarvey

Republican

1. Albert Robinson
2. Chris Girdler
3. Chris McDaniel (Kentucky)
4. Stan Humphries
5. Whitney Westerfield

Open Seat Winners

The following will display a list of candidates who won election in seats where no incumbent was running:

Democratic

Results will display after the election on November 6.

Republican

Results will display after the election on November 6.

Candidates who won election

The following will be a list of all candidates elected to the Kentucky State Senate:

Democratic

1. Denise Angel
2. Gerald Neal
3. Johnny Ray Turner
4. Julian Carroll
5. Kathy Stein
6. Morgan McGarvey
7. Perry Clark
8. Ray Jones
9. Walter Blevins

Republican

1. Albert Robinson
2. Carroll Gibson
3. Chris Girdler
4. Chris McDaniel (Kentucky)
5. Damon Thayer
6. David Givens
7. John Schickel
8. Robert Stivers
9. Stan Humphries
10. Whitney Westerfield

Competitiveness

Unopposed candidates in general election

The following candidates will not face major party competition:

Democratic

1. Gerald Neal
2. Johnny Ray Turner
3. Kathy Stein
4. Morgan McGarvey
5. Ray Jones

Republican

1. Carroll Gibson
2. Chris Girdler
3. David Givens
4. John Schickel
5. Tom Jensen

Ballot Access

Third party candidates

The following is a list of third party and independent candidates who are running in 2012:

1. Norris Shelton

2012 Legislative Election Results
State-by-State Analysis
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Other 2012 Election information
State legislative elections • State legislative election results • Statewide elections, 2012 • State Senate elections • State House elections

Kentucky State House Election Results

This page contains macro-level election results and analysis for the Kentucky House of Representatives elections in 2012. For results in individual contests, see our Kentucky House of Representatives elections, 2012. The following is a breakdown of the state house before and after the election:

Kentucky House of Representatives
Party		As of November 5, 2012	After the 2012 Election
	Democratic Party	58	55
	Republican Party	41	45
	Vacancy	1	0
Total		100	100

What You'll See on This Page

This page will display the following lists of candidates

• Incumbents running on November 6
• Defeated incumbents
• Challengers who defeated an incumbent
• Newly elected representatives
• List of all winners
• Unopposed candidates
• Third party candidates

State House Overview

• All 100 of the state's House seats were up for election in 2012.

Incumbency Analysis

Incumbents who ran on November 6

The following is a list of all of the incumbents who are running on the November 6 general election ballot:

1. Adam Koenig
2. Addia Wuchner
3. Arnold Simpson
4. Bart Rowland
5. Ben Waide
6. Bob DeWeese
7. Brent Yonts
8. C. Embry, Jr.
9. Carl Rollins, II
10. Charles Miller
11. Darryl Owens
12. David Floyd
13. David Osborne
14. David Watkins
15. Dennis Horlander
16. Dennis Keene
17. Derrick Graham
18. Donna Mayfield
19. Dwight Butler
20. Fitz Steele
21. Gregory Stumbo
22. Hubert Collins
23. James Glenn, Jr.
24. Jeff Greer
25. Jeffrey Hoover
26. Jesse Crenshaw
27. Jill York
28. Jim DeCesare
29. Jim Gooch, Jr.
30. Jim Stewart, III
31. Jim Wayne
32. Jimmie Lee
33. Jody Richards
34. John Arnold, Jr.
35. John Carney (Kentucky)
36. John Short
37. John Stacy
38. John Tilley
39. Johnny Bell
40. Joni Jenkins
41. Joseph Fischer
42. Julie Adams
43. Keith Hall
44. Kelly Flood
45. Kevin Bratcher
46. Kevin Sinnette
47. Kim King
48. Lawrence Clark
49. Leslie Combs
50. Linda Belcher
51. Marie Rader
52. Martha King
53. Mary Marzian
54. Michael Meredith
55. Mike Harmon
56. Mike Nemes
57. Mitchel Denham, Jr.
58. Myron Dossett
59. Regina Bunch
60. Reginald Meeks
61. Richard Henderson
62. Rick Nelson
63. Rick Rand
64. Rita Smart
65. Robert Damron
66. Rocky Adkins
67. Ronald Crimm
68. Ruth Palumbo
69. Ryan Quarles
70. Sal Santoro
71. Sannie Overly
72. Sara Beth Gregory
73. Stan Lee
74. Steven Riggs
75. Steven Rudy
76. Susan Westrom
77. Tanya Pullin
78. Ted Edmonds
79. Terry Mills
80. Thomas Burch
81. Thomas Kerr
82. Thomas McKee
83. Thomas Riner
84. Thomas Turner
85. Tim Couch
86. Tim Moore, Kentucky Representative
87. Tommy Thompson (Kentucky)
88. W. Brad Montell
89. Will Coursey
90. Wilson Stone

Incumbents defeated

The followings will display a a list of incumbents defeated in 2012:

General election

Candidate	Party	District
Linda Belcher	Democratic	Kentucky House of Representatives District 49
Mike Nemes	Republican	Kentucky House of Representatives District 38
Ted Edmonds	Democratic	Kentucky House of Representatives District 91

Primary election

Candidate	Party	District
Wade Hurt	Democratic	Kentucky House of Representatives District 37

Challengers who beat an incumbent

The following will display a list of challengers who defeated an incumbent in 2012:

General election

Candidate	Party	District
Brian E. Linder	Republican	Kentucky House of Representatives District 61
David Meade	Republican	Kentucky House of Representatives District 80
Denver "Denny" Butler	Democratic	Kentucky House of Representatives District 38
Diane St. Onge	Republican	Kentucky House of Representatives District 63
Gary Wayne Herald	Republican	Kentucky House of Representatives District 91
Gerald Watkins	Democratic	Kentucky House of Representatives District 3
Jeffery M. Donohue	Democratic	Kentucky House of Representatives District 37
Jonathan Shell	Republican	Kentucky House of Representatives District 36
Kenny Imes	Republican	Kentucky House of Representatives District 5
Lynn Bechler	Republican	Kentucky House of Representatives District 4
Richard Heath	Republican	Kentucky House of Representatives District 2
Robert J. Benvenuti III.	Republican	Kentucky House of Representatives District 88
Russell Webber	Republican	Kentucky House of Representatives District 49

Primary election

No candidates have been added to this category yet.

New Representatives and General Election Winners

Newly elected representatives

The following will list the newly-elected members of the Kentucky House of Representatives:

Democratic

1. Denver "Denny" Butler
2. Gerald Watkins
3. Jeffery M. Donohue

Republican

1. Brian E. Linder
2. David Meade
3. Diane St. Onge
4. Gary Wayne Herald
5. Jonathan Shell
6. Kenny Imes
7. Lynn Bechler
8. Richard Heath
9. Robert J. Benvenuti III.
10. Russell Webber

Open Seat Winners

The following will list candidates who won election in seats where no incumbent was running:

Democratic

Results will display after the election on November 6.

Republican

Results will display after the election on November 6.

Candidates who won election

The following will list all candidates elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives in 2012:

Democratic

1. Arnold Simpson
2. Brent Yonts
3. Carl Rollins, II
4. Charles Miller
5. Darryl Owens
6. David Watkins
7. Dennis Horlander
8. Dennis Keene
9. Denver "Denny" Butler
10. Derrick Graham
11. Fitz Steele
12. Gerald Watkins
13. Gregory Stumbo
14. Hubert Collins
15. James Glenn, Jr.
16. Jeff Greer
17. Jeffery M. Donohue
18. Jesse Crenshaw
19. Jim Gooch, Jr.
20. Jim Wayne
21. Jimmie Lee
22. Jody Richards
23. John Arnold, Jr.
24. John Short
25. John Stacy
26. John Tilley
27. Johnny Bell
28. Joni Jenkins
29. Keith Hall
30. Kelly Flood
31. Kevin Sinnette
32. Lawrence Clark
33. Leslie Combs
34. Martha King
35. Mary Marzian
36. Mitchel Denham, Jr.
37. Reginald Meeks
38. Richard Henderson
39. Rick Nelson
40. Rick Rand
41. Rita Smart
42. Robert Damron
43. Rocky Adkins
44. Ruth Palumbo
45. Sannie Overly
46. Steven Riggs
47. Susan Westrom
48. Tanya Pullin
49. Terry Mills
50. Thomas Burch
51. Thomas McKee
52. Thomas Riner
53. Tommy Thompson (Kentucky)
54. Will Coursey
55. Wilson Stone

Republican

1. Adam Koenig
2. Addia Wuchner
3. Bart Rowland
4. Ben Waide
5. Bob DeWeese
6. Brian E. Linder
7. C. Embry, Jr.
8. David Floyd
9. David Meade
10. David Osborne
11. Diane St. Onge
12. Donna Mayfield
13. Dwight Butler
14. Gary Wayne Herald
15. Jeffrey Hoover
16. Jill York
17. Jim DeCesare
18. Jim Stewart, III
19. John Carney (Kentucky)
20. Jonathan Shell
21. Joseph Fischer
22. Julie Adams
23. Kenny Imes
24. Kevin Bratcher
25. Kim King
26. Lynn Bechler
27. Marie Rader
28. Michael Meredith
29. Mike Harmon
30. Myron Dossett
31. Regina Bunch
32. Richard Heath
33. Robert J. Benvenuti III.
34. Ronald Crimm
35. Russell Webber
36. Ryan Quarles
37. Sal Santoro
38. Sara Beth Gregory
39. Stan Lee
40. Steven Rudy
41. Thomas Kerr
42. Thomas Turner
43. Tim Couch
44. Tim Moore, Kentucky Representative
45. W. Brad Montell

Competitiveness

Unopposed candidates in general election

The following candidates will not face major party competition:

Democratic

1. Arnold Simpson
2. Darryl Owens
3. Dennis Horlander
4. Fitz Steele
5. Gregory Stumbo
6. Jeffery M. Donohue
7. Jesse Crenshaw
8. Jim Gooch, Jr.
9. Jim Wayne
10. Jimmie Lee
11. John Short
12. John Stacy
13. Johnny Bell
14. Keith Hall
15. Kelly Flood
16. Kevin Sinnette
17. Leslie Combs
18. Mary Marzian
19. Mitchel Denham, Jr.
20. Reginald Meeks
21. Richard Henderson
22. Rocky Adkins
23. Sannie Overly
24. Thomas Riner
25. Will Coursey
26. Wilson Stone

Republican

1. Adam Koenig
2. C. Embry, Jr.
3. David Meade
4. David Osborne
5. Diane St. Onge
6. Dwight Butler
7. Jeffrey Hoover
8. Jill York
9. Jim DeCesare
10. Jim Stewart, III
11. John Carney (Kentucky)
12. Joseph Fischer
13. Julie Adams
14. Kevin Bratcher
15. Michael Meredith
16. Myron Dossett
17. Regina Bunch
18. Sal Santoro
19. Sara Beth Gregory
20. Steven Rudy
21. Thomas Kerr
22. Thomas Turner
23. Tim Couch
24. Tim Moore, Kentucky Representative
25. W. Brad Montell

Ballot Access

Third party candidates

The following is a list of third party and independent candidates running in 2012:

1. Bill Barron
2. Breck Withers
3. Geoff Young
4. Henry Owens III
5. James Howland

2012 Legislative Election Results
State-by-State Analysis
Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Maine Massachusetts • Michigan• Minnesota • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming
Other 2012 Election information
State legislative elections • State legislative election results • Statewide elections, 2012 • State Senate elections • State House elections

National Partisan Trends

The following tables will detail the partisan breakdown of national election results.

Incumbents who were defeated in the general election

In the 44 states with elections, there were 4,534 incumbents who ran in the general election. The following is a breakdown of incumbent defeats in the 2012 general election:

Incumbents defeated in 2012 legislative general election
Party	Senate	House	Total
Democratic	21	49	70
Republican	37	182	219
Third Party	2	3	5
TOTALS	60	234	294

Total new legislators elected

In total, 1,707 (28.4%) new legislators were elected in 2012. Of these 1,707, 849 (50.0%) were Republicans and 854 (50.0%) were Democrats.

The following is the breakdown of new legislators.

New Legislators after the 2012 legislative elections
Party	Senate	House	Total
Democratic	165	684	849
Republican	202	652	854
Independent	0	4	4
TOTALS	367	1,340	1,707

Winners of Open Seats

Open seats contests made up 705 (11.7%) of the 6,015 seats in 2012. Of these 705 open seats, Republicans won 401 (56.9%) while Democrats won 304 (43.1%). Going into the election, the number of open seats formerly held by each party was quite similar. Estimates prior to the election suggested that approximately 52% of the open seats were previously held by Republicans and 48% were held by Democrats.

The following is the breakdown of open seat winners.

Open Seat Winners in 2012 legislative elections
Party	Senate	House	Total
Democratic	82	220	302
Republican	105	296	401
Third Party	0	0	0
TOTALS	187	516	703

Impact on legislative majorities

See also: Partisan balance of state legislatures

Partisan Balance of Chambers with 2012 Elections
	Pre-election				Post-election
Legislative chamber
State senates	17	24	1	1	18	24	0	1
State houses	15	27	1	0	19	24	0	0
Totals:	32	51	2	1	37	48	0	1

Partisan Balance of All 99 Chambers Before and After 2012 Elections
	Pre-election				Post-election
Legislative chamber
State senates	19	28	2	1	20	28	1	1
State houses	17	31	1	0	21	28	0	0
Totals:	35	60	3	1	41	56	1	1