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Kentucky's 1st Congressional District election, 2026 (May 19 Democratic primary)

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← 2024
Kentucky's 1st Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: January 9, 2026
Primary: May 19, 2026
General: November 3, 2026
How to vote
Poll times:

6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Voting in Kentucky

Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending
Inside Elections: Solid Republican
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026
See also
Kentucky's 1st Congressional District
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th
Kentucky elections, 2026
U.S. Congress elections, 2026
U.S. Senate elections, 2026
U.S. House elections, 2026

A Democratic Party primary takes place on May 19, 2026, in Kentucky's 1st Congressional District to determine which Democratic candidate will run in the district's general election on November 3, 2026.

Candidate filing deadline Primary election General election
January 9, 2026
May 19, 2026
November 3, 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 the selection of a party's candidates in an election is limited to registered party members.[1][2][3]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

This page focuses on Kentucky's 1st Congressional District Democratic primary. For more in-depth information on the district's Republican primary and the general election, see the following pages:

Candidates and election results

Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:

  • Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
  • Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 1

Drew Williams is running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 1 on May 19, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Drew Williams
Drew Williams Candidate Connection

There are no incumbents in this race.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Drew Williams

Image of Drew Williams

WebsiteFacebook

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "I’m John “Drew” Williams, a lifelong resident of Marshall County, Kentucky. I was Abraham Lincoln in a 4th Grade play held at the high school, I held the record for the most Accelerated Reader points in my school district from kindergarten through senior year, and my favorite classes were AP Government and AP English. I also helped take our county basketball team to the Kentucky State Tournament for the first time in 16 years. I graduated from Murray State University in 2016 with a degree in History with a minor in Biology. I have spent nearly two decades working in family-owned businesses, building docks and marinas across 5 States. I’ve sunk boats full of tools, drilled thousands of holes with dulled-out bits, and installed sheet metal roofs, all in 115-degree heat, driving wind, and oncoming storms — and I’d do it again tomorrow. Because to me, hard work has built my character and working on the water (where everyone goes to vacation) brings about its own kind of inner-peace. I’m grateful to the Western Kentucky community that raised me up and gave me the ability, capacity, and opportunity to work towards goals that improve the lives of others. Since 2019, my wife and I have worked with the surrounding community to revitalize the historic Tater Day festival into a more accessible and inclusive event, I've volunteered more times than I can count, and I believe in showing up for my community -- whether there's credit to be had or not. I am here for you."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

I believe that the Constitution calls us to be true representatives of the unique and nuanced perspectives of our district. I believe in doing the work — behind-the-scenes work that actually improves lives. Progress doesn’t come from speeches or media posts. It comes from listening, showing up, and being willing to fail forward. I want to formalize our public townhalls, issue-driven debates, courthouse surveys, and expert roundtables to get a true understanding and perspective of where our community stands. It is my duty to vote based on that collectively gathered soft-data while working to be an advocate for the poor, marginalized, and disenfranchised. To work to bring their stories, experiences, and information to the table.

I believe policy should be personal. Too often, decisions are made by people who are too far removed from the impact. I’ve seen what it looks like when families fall through the cracks, when rural communities get ignored, and when working people and marginalized communities are treated like an afterthought. My priorities will always come from the ground up — shaped by people, not party lines. I don’t care who gets credit. I care about getting it done, and getting it done for the right reasons. Technical innovations, new community engagement systems and inviting people to the conversation in unique ways everyday are all important facets of how I want to revolutionize how the public gets involved with their political system!

I’m not afraid to admit when I’m wrong. I try to check my own bias and experiences at the door, and I stay open to new information, perspectives, and better ideas — even if they challenge my own thinking. Leadership should be rooted in honesty, not in what’s politically convenient. I’d rather tell you the truth than tell you what you want to hear, and I would rather work with you to help find a solution or compromise than dismiss those with opposing ideology from the discussion. We draw a line at the suffering and intentional harm of others, from authoritarianism and policies that remove the humanity and dignity from people's lives.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Kentucky

Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.

Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Drew Williams Democratic Party $3,780 $741 $3,039 As of June 30, 2025

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.

District analysis

This section will contain facts and figures related to this district's elections when those are available.

Ballot access

This section will contain information on ballot access related to this state's elections when it is available.

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ NCSL,"State Primary Election Types," February 06, 2024
  2. ↑ Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
  3. ↑ Kentucky State Board of Elections,"Key Information," accessed July 26, 2024


Kentucky's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
Mitch McConnell (R)
Rand Paul (R)
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
Andy Barr (R)
Republican Party (7)
Democratic Party (1)


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