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List of United States Senators from Kentucky
This page displays current and historical information pertaining to the U.S. Senate delegation from Kentucky.
Current members
The current members of the U.S. Senate from Kentucky are:
| Office | Name | Party | Date assumed office | Date term ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Senate Kentucky | Mitch McConnell | Republican | January 3, 1985 | January 3, 2027 |
| U.S. Senate Kentucky | Rand Paul | Republican | January 3, 2011 | January 3, 2029 |
Election history
| U.S. Senate Delegations by State | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Choose a state below: | |
- For more information on the different classes of U.S. Senators, please see: Classes of United States Senators
Class II
Senators in Class II were elected to office in the November 2020 general election, unless they took their seat through appointment or special election. Class II terms run from the beginning of the 117th Congress on January 3, 2021, to the end of the 119th Congress on January 3, 2027.
2020
General election
General election for U.S. Senate Kentucky
The following candidates ran in the general election for U.S. Senate Kentucky on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Mitch McConnell (R) | 57.8 | 1,233,315 |
 | Amy McGrath (D) | 38.2 | 816,257 | |
 | Brad Barron (L) | 4.0 | 85,386 | |
 | Paul John Frangedakis (Unaffiliated) (Write-in)  | 0.0 | 70 | |
 | Daniel Cobble (Unaffiliated) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 18 | |
 | Randall Lee Teegarden (Unaffiliated) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 9 | |
| Total votes: 2,135,055 | |||
| = 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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Derek Leonard Petteys (Reform Party)
- Alyssa Dara McDowell (Independent)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Kentucky
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Kentucky on June 23, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Amy McGrath | 45.4 | 247,037 |
 | Charles Booker | 42.6 | 231,888 | |
 | Mike Broihier | 5.0 | 27,175 | |
 | Mary Ann Tobin | 2.0 | 11,108 | |
 | Maggie Jo Hilliard | 1.1 | 6,224 | |
| Andrew Maynard | 1.1 | 5,974 | ||
 | Bennie Smith | 0.9 | 5,040 | |
 | Jimmy Ausbrooks | 0.7 | 3,629 | |
 | Eric Rothmuller | 0.6 | 2,995 | |
| John Sharpensteen | 0.5 | 2,992 | ||
| Total votes: 544,062 | |||
| = 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
- Kevin Elliott (D)
- Loretta Babalmoradi Noble (D)
- Matt Jones (D)
- Joshua Paul Edwards (D)
- Steven Cox (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. Senate Kentucky
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Kentucky on June 23, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mitch McConnell | 82.8 | 342,660 |
 | C. Wesley Morgan | 6.2 | 25,588 | |
| Louis Grider | 3.3 | 13,771 | ||
| Paul John Frangedakis | 2.9 | 11,957 | |
| Naren James | 2.6 | 10,693 | ||
| Kenneth Lowndes | 1.3 | 5,548 | ||
| Nicholas Alsager | 0.9 | 3,603 | ||
| Total votes: 413,820 | |||
| = 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
- Karl Das (R)
- Wendell Crow (R)
Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention for U.S. Senate Kentucky
Brad Barron advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. Senate Kentucky on March 7, 2020.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Brad Barron (L) |
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
2014
On November 4, 2014, Mitch McConnell (R) won re-election to the U.S. Senate. He defeated Alison Lundergan Grimes (D) and David Patterson (L) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Mitch McConnell Incumbent |
56.2% | 806,787 | |
| Democratic | Alison Lundergan Grimes | 40.7% | 584,698 | |
| Libertarian | David Patterson | 3.1% | 44,240 | |
| Total Votes | 1,435,725 | |||
| Source: Kentucky Secretary of State | ||||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Mitch McConnell won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated Bruce Lunsford (D) in the general election.[1]
| U.S. Senate, Kentucky General Election, 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Mitch McConnell incumbent |
53% | 953,816 | |
| Democratic | Bruce Lunsford | 47% | 847,005 | |
| Total Votes | 1,800,821 | |||
2002
On November 5, 2002, Mitch McConnell won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated Lois Combs Weinberg (D) in the general election.[2]
| U.S. Senate, Kentucky General Election, 2002 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Mitch McConnell incumbent |
64.7% | 731,679 | |
| Democratic | Lois Combs Weinberg | 35.3% | 399,634 | |
| Total Votes | 1,131,313 | |||
1996
On November 5, 1996, Mitch McConnell won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated Steven L. Beshear (D), Dennis L. Lacy (L), Patricia Jo Metten (Natural Law) and Mac McElroy (U.S. Taxpayers) in the general election.[3]
| U.S. Senate, Kentucky General Election, 1996 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Mitch McConnell incumbent |
55.5% | 724,794 | |
| Democratic | Steven L. Beshear | 42.8% | 560,012 | |
| Libertarian | Dennis L. Lacy | 0.7% | 8,595 | |
| Natural Law | Patricia Jo Metten | 0.6% | 8,344 | |
| U.S. Taxpayers | Mac McElroy | 0.4% | 5,284 | |
| N/A | Write-in | 0% | 17 | |
| Total Votes | 1,307,046 | |||
1990
On November 6, 1990, Mitch McConnell won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated G. Harvey Sloane (D) in the general election.[4]
| U.S. Senate, Kentucky General Election, 1990 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Mitch McConnell incumbent |
52.2% | 478,034 | |
| Democratic | G. Harvey Sloane | 47.8% | 437,976 | |
| Total Votes | 916,010 | |||
1984
On November 6, 1984, Mitch McConnell won election to the United States Senate. He defeated Walter (Dee) Huddleton (D) and Dave Welters (Socialist Workers) in the general election.[5]
| U.S. Senate, Kentucky General Election, 1984 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Mitch McConnell |
49.9% | 644,990 | |
| Democratic | Walter (Dee) Huddleton | 49.5% | 639,721 | |
| Socialist Workers | Dave Welters | 0.6% | 7,696 | |
| Total Votes | 1,292,407 | |||
Class III
Senators in Class III were elected to office in the November 2022 general election, unless they took their seat through appointment or special election. Class III terms run from the beginning of the 118th Congress on January 3, 2023, to the end of the 120th Congress on January 3, 2029.
2022
General election
General election for U.S. Senate Kentucky
Incumbent Rand Paul defeated Charles Booker, Charles Lee Thomason, and Billy Ray Wilson in the general election for U.S. Senate Kentucky on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Rand Paul (R) | 61.8 | 913,326 |
| Charles Booker (D) | 38.2 | 564,311 | |
| Charles Lee Thomason (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 145 | ||
 | Billy Ray Wilson (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 48 | |
| Total votes: 1,477,830 | |||
| = 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
- David Biery (Independent)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Kentucky
Charles Booker defeated Joshua Blanton Sr., John Merrill, and Ruth Gao in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Kentucky on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Charles Booker | 73.3 | 214,245 |
| Joshua Blanton Sr. | 10.6 | 30,980 | ||
 | John Merrill | 9.9 | 28,931 | |
 | Ruth Gao | 6.2 | 18,154 | |
| Total votes: 292,310 | |||
| = 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
Republican primary for U.S. Senate Kentucky
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Kentucky on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Rand Paul | 86.4 | 333,051 |
 | Val Fredrick | 3.6 | 14,018 | |
 | Paul Hamilton | 3.5 | 13,473 | |
| Arnold Blankenship | 2.6 | 10,092 | ||
 | Tami Stainfield | 2.5 | 9,526 | |
 | John Schiess | 1.4 | 5,538 | |
| Total votes: 385,698 | |||
| = 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
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rand Paul Incumbent |
57.3% | 1,090,177 | |
| Democratic | Jim Gray | 42.7% | 813,246 | |
| N/A | Write-in | 0% | 42 | |
| Total Votes | 1,903,465 | |||
| Source: Kentucky Secretary of State | ||||
2010
| U.S. Senate, Kentucky General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Rand Paul |
55.7% | 755,706 | |
| Democratic | Jack Conway | 44.2% | 600,052 | |
| Independent | Billy Ray Wilson | 0% | 338 | |
| Total Votes | 1,356,096 | |||
2004
On November 2, 2004, Jim Bunning won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated Daniel Mongiardo (D) in the general election.[6]
| U.S. Senate, Kentucky General Election, 2004 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Jim Bunning incumbent |
50.7% | 873,507 | |
| Democratic | Daniel Mongiardo | 49.3% | 850,855 | |
| Total Votes | 1,724,362 | |||
1998
On November 3, 1998, Jim Bunning won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated Scott Baesler (D) and Charles R. Arbegus (Reform) in the general election.[7]
| U.S. Senate, Kentucky General Election, 1998 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Jim Bunning incumbent |
49.7% | 569,817 | |
| Democratic | Scott Baesler | 49.2% | 563,051 | |
| Reform | Charles R. Arbegus | 1.1% | 12,546 | |
| Total Votes | 1,145,414 | |||
Historical members
| Historical Representation to the U.S. Senate by Party from Kentucky | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Total | |||
| Democratic | 35 | |||
| Republican | 14 | |||
| Democratic-Republican | 10 | |||
| Whig | 6 | |||
| Anti-Jacksonian, Whig | 2 | |||
| Democratic-Republican; Democratic | 2 | |||
| Democratic-Republican; National Republican; Whig | 2 | |||
| Federalist | 2 | |||
| Jacksonian | 2 | |||
| Anti-Admin | 1 | |||
| Democratic-Republican; National Republican; Whig; American; Constitutional Union; Unionist | 1 | |||
| Opposition, American | 1 | |||
| Whig, Opposition, American | 1 | |||
| Class 2 Senators from Kentucky | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Years Served | ||||||
| John Brown | Democratic-Republican | 1792-1805 | ||||||
| Buckner Thruston | Democratic-Republican | 1805-1809 | ||||||
| Henry Clay | Democratic-Republican; National Republican; Whig | 1810-1811 | ||||||
| George M. Bibb | Democratic | 1811-1814 | ||||||
| George Walker | Democratic-Republican | 1814-1814 | ||||||
| William T. Barry | Democratic-Republican; Democratic | 1814-1816 | ||||||
| Martin D. Hardin | Federalist | 1816-1817 | ||||||
| John J. Crittenden | Democratic-Republican; National Republican; Whig; American; Constitutional Union; Unionist | 1817-1819 | ||||||
| Richard M. Johnson | Democratic-Republican; Democratic | 1819-1829 | ||||||
| George M.Bibb | Jacksonian | 1829-1835 | ||||||
| John J. Crittenden | Anti-Jacksonian, Whig | 1835-1841 | ||||||
| James T. Morehead | Whig | 1841-1847 | ||||||
| Joseph R. Underwood | Whig | 1847-1853 | ||||||
| John B. Thompson | Whig, Opposition, American | 1853-1859 | ||||||
| Lazarus W. Powell | Democratic | 1859-1865 | ||||||
| James Guthrie | Democratic | 1865-1868 | ||||||
| Thomas C. McCreery | Democratic | 1868-1871 | ||||||
| John W. Stevenson | Democratic | 1871-1877 | ||||||
| James B. Beck | Democratic | 1877-1890 | ||||||
| John G. Carlisle | Democratic | 1890-1893 | ||||||
| William Lindsay | Democratic | 1893-1901 | ||||||
| Joseph C.S. Blackburn | Democratic | 1901-1907 | ||||||
| Thomas H. Paynter | Democratic | 1907-1913 | ||||||
| Ollie M. James | Democratic | 1913-1918 | ||||||
| George B. Martin | Democratic | 1918-1919 | ||||||
| A. Owsley Stanley | Democratic | 1919-1925 | ||||||
| Frederic M. Sackett | Republican | 1925-1930 | ||||||
| John M. Robsion | Republican | 1930-1930 | ||||||
| Ben M. Williamson | Democratic | 1930-1931 | ||||||
| Marvel M. Logan | Democratic | 1931-1939 | ||||||
| Albert B. Happy Chandler | Democratic | 1939-1945 | ||||||
| William A. Stanfill | Republican | 1945-1946 | ||||||
| John Sherman Cooper | Republican | 1946-1949 | ||||||
| Virgil M. Chapman | Democratic | 1949-1951 | ||||||
| Thomas R. Underwood | Democratic | 1951-1952 | ||||||
| John Sherman Cooper | Republican | 1952-1955 | ||||||
| Alben W. Barkley | Democratic | 1955-1956 | ||||||
| Robert Humphreys | Democratic | 1956-1956 | ||||||
| John Sherman Cooper | Republican | 1956-1973 | ||||||
| Walter D. Huddleston | Democratic | 1973-1985 | ||||||
| Mitch McConnell | Republican | 1985-Present | ||||||
| Class 3 Senators from Kentucky | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Years Served | ||||||
| John Edwards | Anti-Admin | 1792-1795 | ||||||
| Humphrey Marshall | Federalist | 1795-1801 | ||||||
| John Breckinridge | Democratic-Republican | 1801-1805 | ||||||
| John Adair | Democratic-Republican | 1805-1806 | ||||||
| Henry Clay | Democratic-Republican; National Republican; Whig | 1806-1807 | ||||||
| John Pope | Democratic-Republican | 1807-1813 | ||||||
| Jesse Bledsoe | Democratic-Republican | 1813-1814 | ||||||
| Isham Talbot | Democratic-Republican | 1815-1819 | ||||||
| William Logan | Democratic-Republican | 1819-1820 | ||||||
| Isham Talbot | Democratic-Republican | 1820-1825 | ||||||
| John Rowan | Jacksonian | 1825-1831 | ||||||
| Henry Clay | Anti-Jacksonian, Whig | 1831-1842 | ||||||
| John J. Crittenden | Whig | 1842-1848 | ||||||
| Thomas Metcalfe | Whig | 1848-1849 | ||||||
| Henry Clay | Whig | 1849-1852 | ||||||
| David Meriwether | Democratic | 1852-1852 | ||||||
| Archibald Dixon | Whig | 1852-1855 | ||||||
| John J. Crittenden | Opposition, American | 1855-1861 | ||||||
| John C. Breckinridge | Democratic | 1861-1861 | ||||||
| Garrett Davis | Democratic | 1861-1872 | ||||||
| Willis B. Machen | Democratic | 1872-1873 | ||||||
| Thomas C. McCreery | Democratic | 1873-1879 | ||||||
| John Stuart Williams | Democratic | 1879-1885 | ||||||
| Joseph C. S. Blackburn | Democratic | 1885-1897 | ||||||
| William J. Deboe | Republican | 1897-1903 | ||||||
| James B. McCreary | Democratic | 1903-1909 | ||||||
| William O. Bradley | Republican | 1909-1914 | ||||||
| Johnson N. Camden, Jr. | Democratic | 1914-1915 | ||||||
| John C. W. Beckham | Democratic | 1915-1921 | ||||||
| Richard P. Ernst | Republican | 1921-1927 | ||||||
| Alben W. Barkley | Democratic | 1927-1949 | ||||||
| Garrett L. Withers | Democratic | 1949-1950 | ||||||
| Earle C. Clements | Democratic | 1950-1957 | ||||||
| Thruston B. Morton | Republican | 1957-1968 | ||||||
| Marlow W. Cook | Republican | 1968-1974 | ||||||
| Wendell H. Ford | Democratic | 1974-1999 | ||||||
| Jim Bunning | Republican | 1999-2011 | ||||||
| Rand Paul | Republican | 2011-Present | ||||||
See also
- United States Senate
- United States congressional delegations from Kentucky
- Classes of United States Senators
Footnotes
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 2008," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 2002," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 1996," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 6, 1990," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 6, 1984," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2004," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 3, 1998," accessed March 28, 2013
