Democratic Party primaries in Kentucky, 2026
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| Democratic Party primaries, 2026 |
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| Primary Date |
| May 19, 2026 |
| Federal elections |
| Democratic primaries for U.S. House |
| State party |
| Democratic Party of Kentucky |
| State political party revenue |
This page focuses on the Democratic primaries that will take place in Kentucky on May 19, 2026.
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Kentucky utilizes a closed primary process, in which only registered party members can participate.[1]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Federal elections
U.S. Senate
A Democratic Party primary takes place on May 19, 2026, in Kentucky to determine which Democratic candidate will run in the state's general election on November 3, 2026.
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Kentucky
The following candidates are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Kentucky on May 19, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Joshua Blanton Sr. | ||
 | Charles Booker | |
 | Logan Forsythe | |
 | Amy McGrath | |
 | Dale Romans | |
 | Pamela Stevenson | |
 | Vincent Thompson | |
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 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Joel Willett (D)
- Jared Randall (D)
U.S. House
District 1
Democratic primary candidatesThis primary was canceled and this candidate advanced:
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection surveyDistrict 2
Democratic primary candidates = candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection surveyDistrict 3
Democratic primary candidatesThis primary was canceled and this candidate advanced:
- Morgan McGarvey (Incumbent) ✔
District 4
Democratic primary candidates = candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection surveyDistrict 5
Democratic primary candidatesThis primary was canceled and this candidate advanced:
District 6
Democratic primary candidates = candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection surveyState elections
State Senate
- See also: Kentucky State Senate elections, 2026
Kentucky State Senate elections, 2026 |
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| Office | Democratic |
 Republican |
Other |
| District 2 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 4 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 6 |
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| District 8 |
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| District 10 |
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| District 12 |
Did not make the ballot: |
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| District 14 |
Brian Bayers Did not make the ballot: |
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| District 16 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 18 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 20 |
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| District 22 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 24 |
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| District 26 |
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| District 28 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 30 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 32 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 34 |
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| District 36 |
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| District 38 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
Did not make the ballot: |
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House of Representatives
Kentucky House of Representatives elections, 2026 |
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| Office | Democratic |
Republican |
Other |
| District 1 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 2 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 3 |
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| District 4 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 5 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 6 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 7 |
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| District 8 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 9 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 10 |
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| District 11 |
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| District 12 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 13 |
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| District 14 |
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| District 15 |
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| District 16 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 17 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 18 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 19 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 20 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 21 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 22 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 23 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 24 |
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| District 25 |
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| District 26 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 27 |
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| District 28 |
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| District 29 |
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| District 30 |
The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| District 31 |
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| District 32 |
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The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| District 33 |
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| District 34 |
Did not make the ballot: |
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| District 35 |
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| District 36 |
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| District 37 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 38 |
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| District 39 |
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| District 40 |
The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| District 41 |
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The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| District 42 |
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The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| District 43 |
The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| District 44 |
The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| District 45 |
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| District 46 |
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| District 47 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 48 |
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| District 49 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 50 |
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| District 51 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 52 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 53 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 54 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 55 |
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| District 56 |
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| District 57 |
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The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| District 58 |
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| District 59 |
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| District 60 |
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| District 61 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 62 |
Did not make the ballot: |
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| District 63 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 64 |
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| District 65 |
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| District 66 |
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| District 67 |
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| District 68 |
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| District 69 |
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| District 70 |
Did not make the ballot: |
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| District 71 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 72 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 73 |
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| District 74 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 75 |
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| District 76 |
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| District 77 |
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| District 78 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 79 |
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The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| District 80 |
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| District 81 |
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| District 82 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 83 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 84 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 85 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 86 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 87 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 88 |
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| District 89 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 90 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 91 |
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| District 92 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 93 |
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| District 94 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 95 |
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| District 96 |
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| District 97 |
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| District 98 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 99 |
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| District 100 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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Voting information
- See also: Voting in Kentucky
Context of the 2026 elections
Kentucky Party Control: 1992-2026
Eight years of Democratic trifectas • Three years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
State party overview
Democratic Party of Kentucky
- See also: Democratic Party of Kentucky
| Party control in Kentucky | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Governor | Democratic |
| Senate | Republican |
| House | Republican |
| Click here for party control in all 50 states |
Kentucky has a divided government. The Democratic Party controls the office of governor, while the Republican Party controls the offices of attorney general, secretary of state, and both chambers of the state legislature.
State political party revenue
State political parties typically deposit revenue in separate state and federal accounts in order to comply with state and federal campaign finance laws.
The Democratic Party and the Republican Party maintain state affiliates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and select U.S. territories. The following map displays total state political party revenue per capita for the Democratic state party affiliates.
Pivot Counties
- See also: Pivot Counties by state
One of 120 Kentucky counties—0.83 percent—is a pivot county. Pivot counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 pivot counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.
| Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Trump margin of victory in 2016 | Obama margin of victory in 2012 | Obama margin of victory in 2008 | ||||
| Elliott County, Kentucky | 44.13% | 2.50% | 25.17% | ||||
In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Kentucky with 62.5 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 32.7 percent. In presidential elections between 1792 and 2016, Kentucky voted Democratic 45.6 percent of the time and Republican 26.3 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Kentucky voted Republican all five times.[2]
Presidential results by legislative district
The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Kentucky. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[3][4]
| In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 18 out of 100 state House districts in Kentucky with an average margin of victory of 24.5 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 18 out of 100 state House districts in Kentucky with an average margin of victory of 25 points. Clinton won one district controlled by a Republican heading into the 2018 elections. |
| In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 82 out of 100 state House districts in Kentucky with an average margin of victory of 32.8 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 82 out of 100 state House districts in Kentucky with an average margin of victory of 42 points. Trump won 20 districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections. |
| 2016 presidential results by state House district | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Obama | Romney | 2012 Margin | Clinton | Trump | 2016 Margin | Party Control |
| 1 | 28.28% | 70.29% | R+42 | 21.07% | 75.71% | R+54.6 | R |
| 2 | 28.39% | 70.02% | R+41.6 | 19.66% | 76.54% | R+56.9 | R |
| 3 | 40.47% | 57.82% | R+17.3 | 36.33% | 58.93% | R+22.6 | D |
| 4 | 28.50% | 70.01% | R+41.5 | 19.59% | 76.79% | R+57.2 | R |
| 5 | 34.38% | 63.66% | R+29.3 | 28.15% | 66.52% | R+38.4 | R |
| 6 | 32.05% | 66.22% | R+34.2 | 22.63% | 73.37% | R+50.7 | D |
| 7 | 34.35% | 64.05% | R+29.7 | 25.60% | 69.99% | R+44.4 | R |
| 8 | 45.14% | 53.78% | R+8.6 | 40.22% | 56.32% | R+16.1 | R |
| 9 | 29.19% | 69.46% | R+40.3 | 22.92% | 73.34% | R+50.4 | R |
| 10 | 40.43% | 57.99% | R+17.6 | 29.06% | 66.06% | R+37 | D |
| 11 | 43.65% | 55.17% | R+11.5 | 34.91% | 60.53% | R+25.6 | R |
| 12 | 31.04% | 67.42% | R+36.4 | 20.94% | 75.28% | R+54.3 | R |
| 13 | 46.17% | 51.87% | R+5.7 | 39.24% | 54.05% | R+14.8 | R |
| 14 | 31.99% | 66.02% | R+34 | 22.42% | 73.01% | R+50.6 | R |
| 15 | 35.13% | 63.22% | R+28.1 | 23.89% | 72.90% | R+49 | R |
| 16 | 31.83% | 66.81% | R+35 | 24.20% | 72.59% | R+48.4 | R |
| 17 | 29.65% | 69.19% | R+39.5 | 26.55% | 68.13% | R+41.6 | R |
| 18 | 30.68% | 67.92% | R+37.2 | 21.96% | 74.00% | R+52 | R |
| 19 | 36.66% | 61.97% | R+25.3 | 28.23% | 67.66% | R+39.4 | R |
| 20 | 47.55% | 50.21% | R+2.7 | 47.28% | 45.81% | D+1.5 | D |
| 21 | 29.72% | 68.87% | R+39.2 | 19.57% | 77.59% | R+58 | R |
| 22 | 30.68% | 68.01% | R+37.3 | 22.20% | 73.97% | R+51.8 | D |
| 23 | 32.54% | 65.99% | R+33.5 | 23.11% | 72.94% | R+49.8 | R |
| 24 | 35.21% | 63.25% | R+28 | 24.18% | 72.15% | R+48 | R |
| 25 | 36.11% | 62.25% | R+26.1 | 29.69% | 64.91% | R+35.2 | R |
| 26 | 32.43% | 66.01% | R+33.6 | 25.01% | 70.56% | R+45.6 | R |
| 27 | 42.17% | 56.05% | R+13.9 | 30.64% | 64.67% | R+34 | D |
| 28 | 44.94% | 53.71% | R+8.8 | 37.86% | 57.69% | R+19.8 | D |
| 29 | 39.17% | 59.62% | R+20.5 | 38.23% | 56.76% | R+18.5 | R |
| 30 | 71.73% | 26.98% | D+44.8 | 69.58% | 25.88% | D+43.7 | D |
| 31 | 50.04% | 48.33% | D+1.7 | 50.75% | 43.48% | D+7.3 | D |
| 32 | 43.38% | 55.29% | R+11.9 | 47.38% | 46.66% | D+0.7 | R |
| 33 | 41.13% | 57.48% | R+16.3 | 43.59% | 50.25% | R+6.7 | R |
| 34 | 59.79% | 37.94% | D+21.9 | 65.14% | 28.16% | D+37 | D |
| 35 | 56.21% | 41.52% | D+14.7 | 53.85% | 39.87% | D+14 | D |
| 36 | 32.23% | 66.72% | R+34.5 | 35.92% | 58.96% | R+23 | R |
| 37 | 49.68% | 48.67% | D+1 | 44.50% | 49.97% | R+5.5 | D |
| 38 | 54.21% | 44.14% | D+10.1 | 48.62% | 46.39% | D+2.2 | D |
| 39 | 33.35% | 64.62% | R+31.3 | 30.32% | 63.52% | R+33.2 | D |
| 40 | 67.80% | 30.82% | D+37 | 64.07% | 31.32% | D+32.8 | D |
| 41 | 76.55% | 21.94% | D+54.6 | 75.28% | 19.22% | D+56.1 | D |
| 42 | 85.66% | 12.50% | D+73.2 | 84.31% | 10.77% | D+73.5 | D |
| 43 | 76.26% | 23.02% | D+53.2 | 74.36% | 21.81% | D+52.6 | D |
| 44 | 60.58% | 38.30% | D+22.3 | 55.32% | 41.13% | D+14.2 | D |
| 45 | 37.40% | 60.69% | R+23.3 | 41.04% | 51.95% | R+10.9 | R |
| 46 | 54.38% | 44.35% | D+10 | 50.32% | 44.79% | D+5.5 | D |
| 47 | 40.04% | 58.29% | R+18.3 | 25.17% | 70.32% | R+45.2 | D |
| 48 | 41.16% | 57.55% | R+16.4 | 46.46% | 48.29% | R+1.8 | R |
| 49 | 32.77% | 65.53% | R+32.8 | 23.27% | 72.25% | R+49 | D |
| 50 | 41.07% | 57.59% | R+16.5 | 30.97% | 64.66% | R+33.7 | R |
| 51 | 26.66% | 72.21% | R+45.5 | 19.84% | 76.57% | R+56.7 | R |
| 52 | 22.27% | 76.72% | R+54.4 | 15.23% | 82.44% | R+67.2 | R |
| 53 | 30.93% | 67.34% | R+36.4 | 21.74% | 73.75% | R+52 | R |
| 54 | 30.10% | 68.30% | R+38.2 | 26.05% | 69.78% | R+43.7 | R |
| 55 | 28.09% | 70.49% | R+42.4 | 23.18% | 70.94% | R+47.8 | R |
| 56 | 42.41% | 55.60% | R+13.2 | 40.91% | 52.53% | R+11.6 | D |
| 57 | 50.60% | 47.40% | D+3.2 | 45.10% | 49.31% | R+4.2 | D |
| 58 | 35.55% | 63.19% | R+27.6 | 30.51% | 64.14% | R+33.6 | R |
| 59 | 30.49% | 67.97% | R+37.5 | 30.74% | 63.05% | R+32.3 | R |
| 60 | 27.40% | 70.85% | R+43.4 | 24.75% | 69.46% | R+44.7 | R |
| 61 | 30.41% | 68.03% | R+37.6 | 21.75% | 73.63% | R+51.9 | R |
| 62 | 37.00% | 61.15% | R+24.2 | 31.04% | 63.50% | R+32.5 | R |
| 63 | 31.20% | 66.99% | R+35.8 | 31.78% | 61.61% | R+29.8 | R |
| 64 | 31.06% | 67.21% | R+36.2 | 26.56% | 67.11% | R+40.5 | R |
| 65 | 56.23% | 41.12% | D+15.1 | 50.32% | 42.57% | D+7.8 | D |
| 66 | 28.55% | 69.70% | R+41.2 | 25.31% | 68.35% | R+43 | R |
| 67 | 48.32% | 49.06% | R+0.7 | 44.07% | 48.71% | R+4.6 | D |
| 68 | 31.30% | 66.80% | R+35.5 | 29.27% | 64.48% | R+35.2 | R |
| 69 | 38.90% | 58.93% | R+20 | 34.35% | 58.94% | R+24.6 | R |
| 70 | 35.60% | 62.91% | R+27.3 | 23.57% | 72.93% | R+49.4 | D |
| 71 | 22.53% | 75.99% | R+53.5 | 18.98% | 77.49% | R+58.5 | R |
| 72 | 40.10% | 58.03% | R+17.9 | 32.18% | 63.34% | R+31.2 | D |
| 73 | 32.99% | 65.40% | R+32.4 | 28.17% | 67.15% | R+39 | R |
| 74 | 36.76% | 61.45% | R+24.7 | 26.75% | 69.75% | R+43 | R |
| 75 | 56.44% | 40.17% | D+16.3 | 59.29% | 32.42% | D+26.9 | D |
| 76 | 54.20% | 43.37% | D+10.8 | 54.52% | 39.06% | D+15.5 | D |
| 77 | 70.90% | 26.97% | D+43.9 | 67.96% | 26.00% | D+42 | D |
| 78 | 35.41% | 62.52% | R+27.1 | 25.41% | 70.22% | R+44.8 | R |
| 79 | 52.52% | 44.89% | D+7.6 | 54.48% | 38.07% | D+16.4 | D |
| 80 | 25.27% | 73.15% | R+47.9 | 18.88% | 77.48% | R+58.6 | R |
| 81 | 41.73% | 55.80% | R+14.1 | 39.31% | 54.03% | R+14.7 | R |
| 82 | 20.17% | 78.63% | R+58.5 | 14.96% | 82.26% | R+67.3 | R |
| 83 | 18.35% | 80.19% | R+61.8 | 13.46% | 83.72% | R+70.3 | R |
| 84 | 18.79% | 79.76% | R+61 | 17.84% | 79.62% | R+61.8 | R |
| 85 | 16.98% | 81.77% | R+64.8 | 13.26% | 83.41% | R+70.1 | R |
| 86 | 21.03% | 77.60% | R+56.6 | 14.55% | 82.39% | R+67.8 | R |
| 87 | 21.56% | 76.86% | R+55.3 | 15.69% | 81.91% | R+66.2 | D |
| 88 | 37.91% | 60.16% | R+22.3 | 42.13% | 50.98% | R+8.8 | R |
| 89 | 21.00% | 77.27% | R+56.3 | 17.30% | 78.99% | R+61.7 | R |
| 90 | 14.04% | 84.43% | R+70.4 | 11.55% | 85.97% | R+74.4 | R |
| 91 | 26.26% | 71.89% | R+45.6 | 21.15% | 75.56% | R+54.4 | R |
| 92 | 26.17% | 71.86% | R+45.7 | 20.45% | 76.99% | R+56.5 | R |
| 93 | 22.68% | 75.61% | R+52.9 | 15.01% | 82.81% | R+67.8 | D |
| 94 | 20.88% | 76.88% | R+56 | 17.76% | 78.99% | R+61.2 | D |
| 95 | 30.76% | 66.72% | R+36 | 23.50% | 73.36% | R+49.9 | R |
| 96 | 33.82% | 63.97% | R+30.1 | 20.35% | 76.02% | R+55.7 | R |
| 97 | 25.32% | 72.56% | R+47.2 | 17.72% | 79.37% | R+61.6 | R |
| 98 | 39.52% | 58.63% | R+19.1 | 25.37% | 71.06% | R+45.7 | R |
| 99 | 40.29% | 57.31% | R+17 | 28.36% | 67.88% | R+39.5 | D |
| 100 | 41.11% | 56.89% | R+15.8 | 29.95% | 65.87% | R+35.9 | D |
| Total | 37.81% | 60.51% | R+22.7 | 32.69% | 62.54% | R+29.8 | - |
| Source: Daily Kos | |||||||
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Kentucky General Assembly, "Ky. Rev. Stat. § 116.055," accessed October 20, 2025
- ↑ 270towin.com, "Kentucky," accessed June 1, 2017
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
