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Kentucky State Senate District 31
Kentucky State Senate District 31 is represented by Phillip Wheeler (R).
As of the 2020 Census, Kentucky state senators represented an average of 118,667 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 114,490 residents.
About the chamber
Members of the Kentucky State Senate serve four-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Kentucky legislators assume office the first day of January after their election.[1]
Qualifications
Section 32 of the Kentucky Constitution states: "No person shall be a Senator who, at the time of his election, is not a citizen of Kentucky, has not attained the age of thirty years, and has not resided in this State six years next preceding his election, and the last year thereof in the district for which he may be chosen."[2]
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[3] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $188.22/calendar day during session for legislators whose terms began before 2023. $203.28/calendar day for legislators whose terms began after 2023. | $182.60/day |
Vacancies
If there is a vacancy in the Kentucky General Assembly, a special election must be held to fill the vacant seat. The governor must call for an election if the General Assembly is not in session. The presiding officer in the house where the vacancy happened must call for an election if lawmakers are in session.[4] All nominating petitions must be filed at least 56 days before the election.[5]
See sources: Kentucky Rev. Stat. § 118.730-§118.770
2016 pivot county
This district was one of 710 state legislative districts that, based on boundaries adopted after the 2010 census, intersected with one or more Pivot Counties. These 206 Pivot Counties voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012.
The 206 Pivot Counties were located in 34 states. Iowa, with 31, had the most such counties. At that time, the partisan makeup of state legislative districts intersecting with Pivot Counties was slightly more Republican than the overall partisan makeup of state legislatures throughout the country.[6]
District map
Redistricting
2020 redistricting cycle
Kentucky adopted new state House district boundaries on January 20, 2022, after the general assembly overrode Gov. Andy Beshear’s (D) veto of the plan. The vote to override the governor’s veto was 24-10 in the state Senate with all votes in favor by Republicans and eight Democrats and two Republicans voting against. The override vote was 69-23 in the state House, with all votes in favor by Republicans and 22 Democrats and one Republican voting to sustain Beshear’s veto.[7] Gov. Beshear allowed the redistricting proposal for new state Senate districts to become law without his signature on January 21, 2022. That legislation had passed the state Senate on January 6, 2022, 28-4, and the state House on January 8, 2022, 67-23.[8]
Ryland Barton of National Public Radio affiliate WFPL wrote that, "The House map further divides several urban areas in the state and connects them with rural districts in surrounding areas."[9] Steve Rogers of WTVQ wrote that, "During debate on the legislative districts, especially the 100 House districts, Democrats objected that the GOP-drawn map unfairly split urban areas to the benefit of Republicans. The bill recasting the Senate’s 38 districts easily cleared the Senate, with a handful of lawmakers objecting."[10]
How does redistricting in Kentucky work? In Kentucky, both congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by the state legislature. District maps may be vetoed by the governor.[11]
Guidelines adopted in 1991 stipulate that congressional districts ought to be contiguous. In addition, county lines and communities of interest should be maintained if possible. These guidelines are not statutory; consequently, they may be amended by the legislature at its discretion.[11]
The Kentucky Constitution requires that state legislative districts "be contiguous ... and preserve whole counties where possible."[11]
Kentucky State Senate District 31
until December 31, 2022
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Kentucky State Senate District 31
starting January 1, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Elections
2024
See also: Kentucky State Senate elections, 2024
General election
General election for Kentucky State Senate District 31
Incumbent Phillip Wheeler won election in the general election for Kentucky State Senate District 31 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Phillip Wheeler (R) | 100.0 | 37,422 |
| Total votes: 37,422 | |||
 = 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. | ||||
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Phillip Wheeler advanced from the Republican primary for Kentucky State Senate District 31.
2020
- See also: Kentucky State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for Kentucky State Senate District 31
Incumbent Phillip Wheeler defeated Glenn Martin Hammond in the general election for Kentucky State Senate District 31 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Phillip Wheeler (R) | 72.2 | 31,704 |
 | Glenn Martin Hammond (D) | 27.8 | 12,196 | |
| Total votes: 43,900 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Kentucky State Senate District 31
Glenn Martin Hammond defeated Scott Sykes in the Democratic primary for Kentucky State Senate District 31 on June 23, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Glenn Martin Hammond | 59.2 | 5,559 |
 | Scott Sykes | 40.8 | 3,836 | |
| Total votes: 9,395 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Phillip Wheeler advanced from the Republican primary for Kentucky State Senate District 31.
2019
A special election for District 31 of the Kentucky State Senate was called for March 5, 2019. The candidate filing deadline was January 15, 2019.[12]
The seat became vacant when Ray Jones (D) resigned in January 2019 after becoming the Pike County Judge-Executive.[13]
General election
Special general election for Kentucky State Senate District 31
Phillip Wheeler defeated Darrell Pugh in the special general election for Kentucky State Senate District 31 on March 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Phillip Wheeler (R) | 52.3 | 6,188 |
| Darrell Pugh (D) | 47.7 | 5,649 | ||
| Total votes: 11,837 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2016
- See also: Kentucky State Senate elections, 2016
Elections for the Kentucky State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on May 17, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was January 26, 2016.
Incumbent Ray Jones ran unopposed in the Kentucky State Senate District 31 general election.[14][15]
| Kentucky State Senate District 31, General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Ray Jones Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 26,598 | |
| Total Votes | 26,598 | |||
| Source: Kentucky State Board of Elections | ||||
Incumbent Ray Jones defeated Glenn Martin Hammond in the Kentucky State Senate District 31 Democratic primary.[16]
| Kentucky State Senate District 31, Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Ray Jones Incumbent |
71.11% | 9,527 | |
| Democratic | Glenn Martin Hammond | 28.89% | 3,870 | |
| Total Votes | 13,397 | |||
2012
- See also: Kentucky State Senate elections, 2012
Elections for the office of Kentucky State Senate consisted of a primary election on May 22, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 7, 2012. Incumbent Ray Jones (D) was unopposed in both the general election and Democratic primary.[17][18]
Campaign contributions
From 2000 to 2024, candidates for Kentucky State Senate District 31 raised a total of $4,260,486. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $236,694 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, Kentucky State Senate District 31 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2024 | $386,333 | 1 | $386,333 |
| 2020 | $900,823 | 3 | $300,274 |
| 2019 | $369,463 | 2 | $184,732 |
| 2016 | $775,803 | 2 | $387,902 |
| 2012 | $77,959 | 1 | $77,959 |
| 2010 | $100 | 1 | $100 |
| 2008 | $13,909 | 1 | $13,909 |
| 2006 | $1,000 | 1 | $1,000 |
| 2004 | $660,401 | 2 | $330,201 |
| 2002 | $500 | 1 | $500 |
| 2000 | $1,074,195 | 3 | $358,065 |
| Total | $4,260,486 | 18 | $236,694 |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Kentucky Constitution, "Section 30," accessed February 10, 2021
- ↑ Kentucky General Assembly, "Section 32 Qualifications of Senators and Representatives," accessed May 21, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Kentucky Legislative Research Commission, "Kentucky Revised Statutes," accessed February 10, 2021 (Statute 118.730)
- ↑ Kentucky General Assembly, "Kentucky Revised Statutes," accessed February 28, 2025 (Statute 118.770)
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
- ↑ Kentucky General Assembly, "House Bill 2," accessed January 21, 2022
- ↑ Kentucky General Assembly, "Senate Bill 2," accessed January 21, 2022
- ↑ WFPL, "Lawmakers override Beshear vetoes, Dems sue to block redistricting maps," January 20, 2022
- ↑ WTVQ, "UPDATE: Legislature overrides congressional redistricting veto," January 20, 2022
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 All About Redistricting, "Kentucky," accessed April 29, 2015
- ↑ The State, "Special election for Kentucky Senate seat set for March 5th," January 8, 2018
- ↑ WTVQ, "Special election date set to fill vacant state senate seat," January 8, 2019
- ↑ Kentucky Secretary of State, "Candidate Filings with the Office of the Secretary of State," accessed August 17, 2016
- ↑ Kentucky State Board of Elections, "2016 General Election Results," accessed November 25, 2016
- ↑ Kentucky Secretary of State, "Candidate Filings with the Office of the Secretary of State," accessed January 26, 2016
- ↑ "Kentucky Secretary of State - Official 2012 Primary Election Results," accessed October 17, 2013
- ↑ "Kentucky Secretary of State - Official 2012 General Election Results," accessed October 17, 2013
