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Republican Party primaries in Kentucky, 2018

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Republican Party primaries, 2018

Kentucky Republican Party.png

Primary Date
May 22, 2018

Federal elections
Republican primaries for U.S. House

State elections
Republican primaries for Kentucky legislature

State party
Republican Party of Kentucky
State political party revenue

Primary elections—in which registered voters select a candidate whom they believe should run on the party's ticket in the general election—can reflect internal conflict over the direction of a party.

Heading into the 2018 election, the Republican Party's legislative record during Donald Trump’s presidency figured into several Republican primaries. This record included the passage of major tax legislation in December 2017 and the confirmation of federal judges. It also included a $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill in March 2018, which Trump opposed, and unsuccessful efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.[1][2]

Trump, himself, also played a role in Republican primaries. His approval rating reached 90% in June among self-described Republicans, according to a Gallup survey.[3] Many Republican candidates campaigned on their support for Trump, and negative ads accusing opponents of criticizing the president were common.[4][5][6] A May report found Trump's name or image had appeared in 37% of all Republican campaign ads at that point in 2018.[7]

This page focuses on the Republican primaries that took place in Kentucky on May 22, 2018. In addition, the page provides context for understanding the state party apparatus.

Federal elections

U.S. House

See also: United States House elections in Kentucky (May 22, 2018 Republican primaries)

The 2018 U.S. House of Representatives elections in Kentucky took place on November 6, 2018. Voters elected 6 candidates to serve in the U.S. House, one from each of the state's 6 congressional districts. To see a full list of candidates in the Republican primaries, click "Show more" below.
Show more

District 1

Republican Party Republican primary candidates

District 2

Republican Party Republican primary candidates

District 3

Republican Party Republican primary candidates


Did not make the ballot:

District 4

Republican Party Republican primary candidates

District 5

Republican Party Republican primary candidates

District 6

Republican Party Republican primary candidates

State elections

Kentucky Party Control: 1992-2025
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
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
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
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

State party overview

See also: Republican Party of Kentucky
Kentucky Republican Party.png


State political party revenue

See also: State political party revenue and State political party revenue per capita

State political parties typically deposit revenue in separate state and federal accounts in order to comply with state and federal campaign finance laws. The following table displays the Republican Party of Kentucky's revenue over a six-year period from 2011 to 2016. Revenue totals are broken down by account type and year. The data was compiled through publicly available state and federal campaign finance reports.

Republican Party of Kentucky revenue, 2011 to 2016[8][9]
Year Federal account State account(s) Total
2011 $1,338,547.72 $653,713.00 $1,992,260.72
2012 $3,948,845.84 $884,321.00 $4,833,166.84
2013 $2,055,734.20 $0.00 $2,055,734.20
2014 $3,948,845.84 $1,900,291.00 $5,849,136.84
2015 $1,594,832.07 $701,231.00 $2,296,063.07
2016 $3,931,593.38 $702,704.49 $4,634,297.87

Kentucky compared to other states

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 maps display total state political party revenue per capita for the Democratic and Republican state party affiliates from 2011 to 2016. The blue map displays Democratic state parties and the red map displays Republican state parties. Click on a state below to view the state party's revenue per capita totals:

Total Democratic and Republican state political party revenue per capita in the United States, 2011-2016

Primary election scheduling

Kentucky was one of three states to hold a primary election on May 22, 2018.

Voter information

How the primary works

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.[10][11][12]

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

Poll times

In Kentucky, all polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Central and Eastern Time. All those in line by 6:00 p.m. will be permitted to vote.[13]

Registration requirements

Check your voter registration status here.

According to the Kentucky State Board of Elections, in order to register to vote, a person must:[14]

  • Be a U.S. citizen and a Kentucky resident for at least 28 days before the election.
    • Non-U.S. citizens, including U.S. nationals do not qualify;
  • Be at least 18 years old by the next General Election;
    • Kentucky law allows qualified individuals to register at 17 years of age and be able to participate in a Primary Election if the individual will be 18 years old by the General Election;
  • Not be a convicted felon (or, if convicted of a felony, my right to vote has been restored following an expungement, Executive Pardon, or Executive Order;
  • Not have been judged mentally incompetent in a court of law and have voting rights removed;
  • Not claim the right to vote outside Kentucky.[15]

The deadline to submit a voter registration application is 29 days before an election, unless that day is a state or federal holiday.[16] If mailed, applications must be postmarked by that deadline.[17]

Voter registration applications may be completed online, mailed to the county clerk's office, or submitted in person at the county clerk's office.[14]

Automatic registration

Kentucky does not practice automatic voter registration.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Kentucky has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

Kentucky does not allow same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

Kentucky law requires 28 days of residency in the state before a person may vote.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Kentucky does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, "per KRS 119.025, any person who causes himself to be registered when he is not legally entitled to register, shall be subject to penalties including fines and/or a term of imprisonment not less than one (1) year nor more than (5) years."[18]

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.[19] Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The Voter Information Center site, run by the Kentucky State Board of Elections, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.


Voter ID requirements

Kentucky requires voters to present identification while voting.[20][21]

Voters can present the following forms of identification:

  • Driver’s license
  • Social Security card
  • County issued identification card approved in writing by the State Board of Elections
  • U.S. government-issued identification card
  • Kentucky state government-issued identification card with a picture
  • Any form of ID containing both picture and signature

If a precinct officer is a personal acquaintance of the voter, the voter does not have to produce identification.

Early voting

Kentucky permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.

Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.

Absentee voting

A Kentucky voter is eligible to vote absentee in an election if he or she cannot make it to the polls on Election Day for one of the following reasons:[22]

  • The voter is advanced in age, disabled, or ill
  • The voter is a member of the United States Military or is a dependent of a member of the military
  • The voter is an overseas citizen
  • The voter is a student who temporarily resides outside the county
  • The voter is temporarily residing outside of Kentucky and maintains eligibility to vote in Kentucky, such as a "snowbird"
  • The voter is incarcerated, but not yet convicted of a crime
  • The voter is unable to vote in-person because of his or her employment location
  • The voter is a participant in the Secretary of State's crime victim address confidentiality protection program
  • The voter is subject to a medical emergency within fourteen days or less of an election
  • The voter has change their residence or registered in a new state after the date on which that state closes their registration before a presidential election, than the voter may cast an absentee ballot by mail in Kentucky

Absentee ballots can only be requested through an online portal established by the State Board of Elections. Disabled, military and overseas, and voters subject to medical emergencies may also request an absentee ballot through their county clerk. Eligible voters who do not have internet access may give their information to a county clerk by phone to request an absentee ballot.[23]

State law allows for the portal to be open between 45 and 14 days immediately preceding a primary or general election.[23]


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.[24]

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.[25][26]

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.

See also

Federal primaries in Kentucky State primaries in Kentucky Kentucky state party apparatus Kentucky voter information
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Flag of Kentucky.png
Seal of Kentucky.png
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Footnotes

  1. ‘’National Review’’, “Trump Is Not Blameless in the Spending-Bill Disaster,” March 28, 2018
  2. The New York Times, "A New Guide to the Republican Herd," August 26, 2012
  3. Gallup, "Trump Job Approval Slips Back to 41%," June 25, 2018
  4. Daily Commercial, "Trump hurdle looms large in Florida GOP governor primary," July 30, 2018
  5. Daily Commercial, "These 2018 Primaries Are Worth Watching," July 25, 2018
  6. Washington Post, "Republican primary candidates have one goal: Securing Trump’s endorsement or denying it to an opponent," July 25, 2018
  7. USA Today, "Donald Trump once divided Republicans; ads for midterms signal that's no longer true," May 17, 2018
  8. Kentucky Registry of Election Finance, "Search Our Database," accessed May 2016 (Search by Executive Committee)
  9. Federal Election Commission, "Candidate and Committee Viewer," accessed May 2016 (Search terms Republican Party of Kentucky and Kentucky State Democratic Central Executive Committee)
  10. NCSL,"State Primary Election Types," February 06, 2024
  11. Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
  12. Kentucky State Board of Elections,"Key Information," accessed July 26, 2024
  13. Kentucky State Board of Elections, "Election Day Information," accessed July 26, 2024
  14. 14.0 14.1 Commonwealth of Kentucky State Board of Elections, "Registration," accessed July 26, 2024
  15. Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  16. Kentucky General Assembly, "116.045 Voter registration, transfer, or change of party affiliation -- Availability of forms," accessed July 24, 2024
  17. Kentucky General Assembly, "116.0452 Standards for timely receipt of voter registration application -- Removal of names from registration books -- Confidentiality of registration location," accessed July 24, 2024
  18. Commonwealth of Kentucky State Board of Elections, "Commonwealth of Kentucky Voter Registration Application," accessed November 1, 2024
  19. Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
  20. Kentucky State Board of Elections, "Election Day Information," accessed July 25, 2024
  21. FindLaw.com, "Kentucky Revised Statutes Title X. Elections § 117.227. Confirmation of voter's identity," accessed July 25, 2024
  22. Kentucky Revised Statutes Chapter 117, "117.076 No-excuse in-person absentee ballot -- Excused in-person absentee ballot -- Proof of identification -- In-person absentee voting procedure -- Voter assistance form -- Oath of voter affidavit -- Signature roster -- Members of county board may serve as precinct officers -- Challengers -- Locking of voting equipment -- Transmitting or publicizing count -- Tamper-resistant seal -- Administrative regulations.," accessed July 25, 2024
  23. 23.0 23.1 Kentucky Revised Statutes Chapter 117, "117.085 Mail-in absentee ballots -- Application through online portal and other means -- Procedures -- Cancellation -- Administrative regulations -- Disclosure of information." accessed July 25, 2024
  24. 270towin.com, "Kentucky," accessed June 1, 2017
  25. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  26. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017