Ballotpedia's 2012 General Election Preview Articles: Kentucky Congressional Seats
October 31, 2012
By Ballotpedia's Congressional team
| Kentucky's Congressional Elections in 2012 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Senate Election? | U.S. House seats | Possible competitive races? | |
| No | 6 | 1(6th) | |
FRANKFORT: Kentucky: Kentucky has six U.S. House seats on the ballot in 2012. All six U.S. House incumbents face at least two challengers in the general election.
Four of the six Congressional seats are held by Republican incumbents with the other two being held by Democratic incumbents.
There are two congressional races to watch on November 6th. The 4th District is noteworthy due to the early resignation of Representative Geoff Davis (R). The two candidates who were on the general election ballot have been nominated to fill the seat for the remainder of the term in a special election. This is happening on November 6th, in addition to the regular election for this seat's next term. Thomas Massie won the Republican nomination and is favored in the seat. Massie received backing from the Super PAC "Liberty for All" which spent $500,000 in the primary. The 6th District is the only competitive race as rated by the New York Times and the Cook Political Report.
Davis announced his resignation on July 31. Kentucky will hold a special election to fill Davis' seat, which he initially planned to leave at the end of this term.[1][2][3] Davis said a health issue came up in his family, and he chose to resign early in order to focus on his family.[3] He did not specify the health problem.[1]
As required by the U.S. Constitution, Kentucky had to schedule a special election to fill the remainder of Davis' term, which ends in January 2013.[1]The Governor, Steve Beshear (D) chose to schedule the special election on the same date as the general election. Since there is not an additional election date, the district is able to save $500,000 in election costs. The candidates who are scheduled to run in the election are Republican Thomas Massie and Democrat Bill Adkins.[4]
In the 6th District, Democratic incumbent Ben Chandler will face Republican challenger Andy Barr in the general election. Barr was narrowly defeated by Chandler by less than 1 percent in the general election in 2010.[5] The two will face off again for the 6th District seat. In the third quarter, Barr outraised Chandler by roughly $300,000.[6] The New York Times race ratings has this race listed as Leaning Democratic[7] and the Cook Political Report race ratings has it listed as a Democratic Toss Up.[8]
In Kentucky, all polls are open from 6 AM to 6 PM, Central and Eastern Time. All those in line by 6:00 PM will be able to vote. Kentucky is split between Eastern and Central time zones.[9]
See also: State Poll Opening and Closing Times (2012)
Here is a complete list of U.S. House candidates appearing on the general election ballot in Kentucky:
Candidates running by District
| District | General Election Candidates | Incumbent | 2012 Winner | Partisan Switch? |
| 1st |  Charles Kendall Hatchett Ed Whitfield |
Ed Whitfield | Pending | Pending |
| 2nd | David Lynn Williams Brett Guthrie Craig Astor Andrew R. Beacham |
Brett Guthrie | Pending | Pending |
| 3rd | John Yarmuth Brooks Wicker Robert DeVore Jr. |
John Yarmuth | Pending | Pending |
| 4th | Bill Adkins Thomas Massie David Lewis |
Geoff Davis | Pending | Pending |
| 5th | Kenneth Stepp Hal Rogers |
Hal Rogers | Pending | Pending |
| 6th | Ben Chandler Andy Barr Randolph Vance |
Ben Chandler | Pending | Pending |
Partisan breakdown by district
| Members of the U.S. House from Kentucky -- Partisan Breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 2012 | After the 2012 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 2 | 1 | |
| Republican Party | 4 | 5 | |
| Total | 6 | 6 | |
Comparison of new and old redistricting maps
| Congressional Redistricting Map, approved February 2012
For more information, view Redistricting in Kentucky. |
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Articles
- Kentucky: Chandler-Barr race intensifies October 15
- Kentucky sets congressional special election for November 6 August 30
- Kentucky Congressman Geoff Davis resigns July 31
- 2012 elections review: One incumbent toppled in Kentucky primaries May 23
- 2012 elections preview: Kentucky voters to select primary winners in congressional, legislative races May 21
See also
- Ballotpedia:2012 general election preview articles
- November 6, 2012 election results
- United States Congressional election results, 2012
- Ballotpedia's 2012 General Election Preview Articles: Kentucky State Legislature
- United States House of Representatives elections in Kentucky, 2012
- Kentucky's 1st Congressional District elections, 2012
- Kentucky's 2nd Congressional District elections, 2012
- Kentucky's 3rd Congressional District elections, 2012
- Kentucky's 4th Congressional District elections, 2012
- Kentucky's 5th Congressional District elections, 2012
- Kentucky's 6th Congressional District elections, 2012
- Kentucky elections, 2012
- National contested primary average during the 2012 U.S. congressional elections
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Courier Journal, "Geoff Davis resigns from Congress, cites family health issue," July 31, 2012
- ↑ Washington Post, "Republican Rep. Geoff Davis of Kentucky resigns, cites a family health issue," July 31, 2012
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Politico, "Rep. Geoff Davis resigns from Congress," July 31, 2012
- ↑ WSAZ News 13, "Special Election Set for U.S. Congressional Seat in Ky.," August 17, 2012
- ↑ Courtier Journal, "Primary 2012: Kentucky races worthy of notes" accessed May 20, 2012
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Third quarter House fundraising: who's got the cash?" October 18, 2012
- ↑ New York Times, "House Race Ratings," accessed October 27, 2012
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2012 HOUSE RACE RATINGS FOR OCTOBER 11, 2012," accessed October 27, 2012
- ↑ Kentucky Elections, "Voting"
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