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Kentucky State Senate elections, 2012
 Kentucky's 2012 elections: • U.S. House • State Senate • State House • Ballot measures |
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The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was initially set for January 31, 2012. Two hours before the deadline, Judge Phillip Shepherd postponed the deadline one week while he considers the constitutionality of new maps. The new deadline was February 7, 2012.[1]
The primary election day was May 22, 2012.[2] Out of the 19 seats up for election, only 8 will have a primary.[3]
Majority control
- See also: Partisan composition of state senates
Heading into the November 6 election, the Republican Party holds the majority in the Kentucky State Senate:
| 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 | |
Incumbents retiring
A total of 3 incumbents are not running for re-election in 2012. Those incumbents are:
| Name: | Party: | Current office: |
|---|---|---|
| Jack Westwood |  Republican
| Kentucky State Senate District 23 |
| Ken Winters | Republican
| Kentucky State Senate District 1 |
| Vernie McGaha | Republican
| Kentucky State Senate District 15 |
Campaign contributions
This chart shows how many candidates ran for state senate in Kentucky in past years and the cumulative amount of campaign contributions in state senate races, including contributions in both primary and general election contests. All figures come from Follow The Money.[1]
| Year | Number of candidates | Total contributions |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 51 | $5,379,997 |
| 2008 | 62 | $6,125,118 |
| 2006 | 55 | $3,171,644 |
| 2004 | 63 | $5,143,180 |
| 2002 | 51 | $4,547,216 |
In 2010, candidates running for state senate raised a total of $5,379,997 in campaign contributions. The top 10 donors were: [2]
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Kentucky Republican Party | $416,959 |
| Smith, Rex | $371,350 |
| Kentucky Democratic Party | $217,250 |
| Kentucky Senate Republican Caucus Campaign Cmte | $175,310 |
| Harris, Ernie | $107,518 |
| Rhoads, Jerry P | $93,000 |
| Kentucky Senate Democratic Caucus Campaign Cmte | $63,000 |
| Kentucky Senate Democratic Caucus | $48,400 |
| Spainhour, John E | $37,060 |
| Parrett, Dennis L | $30,000 |
Qualifications
To be eligible to serve in the Kentucky State Senate, a candidate must be:[3]
- At least 30 years of age at the time of the election
- A citizen of Kentucky
- Resided in the state 6 years preceding the election
- Resided in the district for the last year
Impact of redistricting
- See also: Redistricting in Kentucky
On January 20, 2012, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear (D) signed the state's legislative redistricting maps. Each chamber drew its own maps, guided by the majority party (Republican in the Senate and Democratic in the House). The Governor criticized Senate Republicans for drawing partisan maps, but did not chasten the House's plan. The votes in both chambers were marked by anger from from minority party legislators[4] and on January 26, House Republicans filed suit against the Democrats' chamber map, arguing that the plan unnecessarily divides counties. The approved plan split four more counties than the Republican alternative.[5]
Owing to the court challenge, Judge Phillip Shepherd postponed the filing deadline for both chambers until February 7 in order to consider the constitutionality of new maps.[6] Ultimately, Shepherd declared the newly drawn legislative districts unconstitutional and ordered election officials to use previous district lines in the 2012 election. His ruling declared the maps unconstitutional because some districts varied by more than the ideal 5 percent population size and divided more counties into separate legislative districts than necessary.[7]
List of candidates
District 1
Note: Incumbent Ken Winters (R) is not running for re-election.
May 22 Democratic primary:
May 22 GOP primary:
November 6 General election candidates:
District 3
- May 22 Democratic primary:
- Joey Pendleton
- Incumbent Pendleton was first elected to the Senate in 1992.
- Joey Pendleton
- May 22 GOP primary:
November 6 General election candidates:
District 5
- May 22 Democratic primary:
- No candidates have filed.
- May 22 GOP primary:
- Carroll Gibson - Incumbent Gibson was first elected to the Senate in 2004.
- Carroll Gibson
November 6 General election candidates:
District 7
- May 22 Democratic primary:
- Julian M. Carroll - Incumbent Carroll was first elected to the Senate in 2004.
- Julian M. Carroll
- May 22 GOP primary:
November 6 General election candidates:
District 9
- May 22 Democratic primary:
- No candidates have filed.
- May 22 GOP primary:
- Don M. Butler, II
- David P. Givens - Incumbent Givens was first elected to the Senate in 2008.
November 6 General election candidates:
District 11
- May 22 Democratic primary:
- No candidates have filed.
- May 22 GOP primary:
- John Schickel - Incumbent Schickel was first elected to the Senate in 2008.
- Joshua Turner
- John Schickel
November 6 General election candidates:
District 13
- May 22 Democratic primary:
- Kathy W. Stein - Incumbent Stein was first elected to the Senate in 2008.
- Kathy W. Stein
- Note: John Sims, Jr. withdrew on February 27, 2012.[8]
- Note: Richard Evans withdrew on March 19, 2012.[8]
- May 22 GOP primary:
- Note: Frank Henson withdrew on February 9, 2012.[9]
November 6 General election candidates:
District 15
Note: Incumbent Vernie McGaha (R) is not running for re-election.
- May 22 Democratic primary:
- Note: Anne W. McAfee withdrew on February 6, 2012.[9]
- Note: Eddie O'Daniel withdrew on February 27, 2012.[8]
- May 22 GOP primary:
- Note: David W. Floyd withdrew on February 6, 2012.[9]
- Note: Hilda Legg withdrew on February 29, 2012.[8]
- Note: Todd Hoskins withdrew on May 8, 2012.[10]
November 6 General election candidates:
District 17
- May 22 Democratic primary:
- May 22 GOP primary:
- Damon Thayer - Incumbent Thayer was first elected to the Senate in 2002.
- Rick Hostetler
- Damon Thayer
November 6 General election candidates:
District 19
Note: Incumbent Tim Shaughnessy (D) is not running for re-election.
- May 22 Democratic primary:
- Note: Duran Hall withdrew on February 15, 2012.[8]
- May 22 GOP primary:
- Note: Julie Raque Adams withdrew on February 10, 2012.[9]
November 6 General election candidates:
District 21
- May 22 Democratic primary:
- No candidates have filed.
- May 22 GOP primary:
- Tom Jensen - Incumbent Jensen was first elected to the Senate in 2004.
- Tom Jensen
November 6 General election candidates:
District 23
Note: Incumbent Jack Westwood (R) is not running for re-election.
- May 22 Democratic primary:
- May 22 GOP primary:
- Note: Karla Shawn Baker withdrew on February 27, 2012.[8]
November 6 General election candidates:
District 25
- May 22 Democratic primary:
- May 22 GOP primary:
- Robert Stivers - Incumbent Stivers was first elected to the Senate in 1996.
- Robert Stivers
November 6 General election candidates:
District 27
- May 22 Democratic primary:
- Walter Blevins - Incumbent Blevins first assumed office in 1993.
- Walter Blevins
- Note: Martha Jane King withdrew on February 10, 2012.[9]
- May 22 GOP primary:
- Note: Jim DeCesare withdrew on February 10, 2012.[9]
November 6 General election candidates:
District 29
- May 22 Democratic primary:
- Johnny Ray Turner - Incumbent Turner was first elected to the Senate in 2000.
- Johnny Ray Turner
- May 22 GOP primary:
- No candidates have filed.
November 6 General election candidates:
District 31
- May 22 Democratic primary:
- Ray S. Jones - Incumbent Jones was first elected to the Senate in 2000.
- Ray S. Jones
- Note: David Prince withdrew on February 27, 2012.[8]
- May 22 GOP primary:
- No candidates have filed.
November 6 General election candidates:
District 33
- May 22 Democratic primary:
- Gerald A. Neal - Incumbent Neal was first elected to the Senate in 1988.
- Gerald A. Neal
- May 22 GOP primary:
- No candidates have filed.
November 6 General election candidates:
District 35
- May 22 Democratic primary:
- Denise Harper Angel - Incumbent Angel was first elected to the Senate in 2004.
- Curtis Morrison
- Denise Harper Angel
- May 22 GOP primary:
- No candidates have filed.
November 6 General election candidates:
District 37
- May 22 Democratic primary:
- Perry Clark - Incumbent Clark first assumed office in 2006.
- Perry Clark
- Note: Steve Bittenbender withdrew on February 27, 2012.[8]
- Note: Dan Johnson withdrew on March 1, 2012.[8]
- Note: Robert D. Waker II withdrew on February 27, 2012.[8]
- May 22 GOP primary:
November 6 General election candidates:
See also
External links
References
- ↑ Follow the Money, Kentucky
- ↑ Follow the Money: "Kentucky Senate 2010 Campaign Contributions"
- ↑ Candidate Qualification Information
- ↑ The Richmond Register, "Beshear signs redistricting law despite controversy," January 21, 2012
- ↑ Kentucky.com, "Lawsuit challenges Kentucky's redistricting plan," January 29, 2012
- ↑ The Republic "Judge Phillip Shepherd orders filing deadline for legislative races postponed until Feb. 7," January 31, 2012
- ↑ kentucky.com "Judge tosses new boundaries for state legislative districts", Feb 8, 2012
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 8.8 8.9 Kentucky Secretary of State - Candidates For State Senate Accessed March 19, 2012
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Kentucky Secretary of State - Candidates For State Senate Accessed February 12, 2012
- ↑ Kentucky.com, "Candidate drops out of race to replace state Sen. Vernie McGaha," May 8, 2012
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