United States Senate election in Kentucky, 2022 (May 17 Republican primary)
- Primary date: May 17
- Mail-in registration deadline: April 18
- Online reg. deadline: April 18
- In-person reg. deadline: April 18
- Early voting starts: May 12
- Early voting ends: May 14
- Poll times: 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Absentee/mail-in deadline: May 17
2026 →
← 2020
|
U.S. Senate, Kentucky |
---|
Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
Election details |
Filing deadline: January 25, 2022 |
Primary: May 17, 2022 General: November 8, 2022 Pre-election incumbent: Rand Paul (Republican) |
How to vote |
Poll times: 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Voting in Kentucky |
Race ratings |
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, 2022 |
See also |
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th Kentucky elections, 2022 U.S. Congress elections, 2022 U.S. Senate elections, 2022 U.S. House elections, 2022 |
A Republican Party primary took place on May 17, 2022, in Kentucky to determine which Republican candidate would run in the state's general election on November 8, 2022.
Incumbent Rand Paul advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Kentucky.
Candidate filing deadline | Primary election | General election |
---|---|---|
Heading into the election, the incumbent was Rand Paul (Republican), who was first elected in 2010.
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 United States Senate Republican primary. For more in-depth information on the state's Democratic primary and the general election, see the following pages:
- United States Senate election in Kentucky, 2022 (May 17 Democratic primary)
- United States Senate election in Kentucky, 2022

Candidates and election results
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 | ||||
![]() | ||||
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. |
Campaign finance
This section contains campaign finance figures from the Federal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election.[4] It does not include information on fundraising before the current campaign cycle or on spending by satellite groups. The numbers in this section are updated as candidates file new campaign finance reports. Candidates for Congress are required to file financial reports on a quarterly basis, as well as two weeks before any primary, runoff, or general election in which they will be on the ballot and upon the termination of any campaign committees.[5] Click here to view the reporting schedule for candidates for U.S. Congress in 2022.
U.S. Congress campaign reporting schedule, 2022 | ||
---|---|---|
Report | Close of books | Filing deadline |
Year-end 2021 | 12/31/2021 | 1/31/2022 |
April quarterly | 3/31/2022 | 4/15/2022 |
July quarterly | 6/30/2022 | 7/15/2022 |
October quarterly | 9/30/2022 | 10/15/2022 |
Pre-general | 10/19/2022 | 10/27/2022 |
Post-general | 11/28/2022 | 12/08/2022 |
Year-end 2022 | 12/31/2022 | 1/31/2023 |
Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rand Paul | Republican Party | $28,286,112 | $23,149,602 | $5,365,435 | As of December 31, 2022 |
Arnold Blankenship | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
Val Fredrick | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
Paul Hamilton | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
John Schiess | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
Tami Stainfield | Republican Party | $27,130 | $42,941 | $-15,812 | As of December 31, 2022 |
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2022. 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." |
Ballot access requirements
The table below details filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates in Kentucky in the 2022 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Kentucky, click here.
Filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates, 2022 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
State | Office | Party | Signatures required | Filing fee | Filing deadline | Source |
Kentucky | U.S. Senate | Democratic or Republican | 2 | $500.00 | 1/25/2022 | Source |
Kentucky | U.S. Senate | Unaffiliated | 5,000 | $500.00 | 6/7/2022 | Source |
Election analysis
Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.
- Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
- Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
- State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
- Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.
Presidential elections
Cook PVI by congressional district
Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for Kentucky, 2022 | |||
---|---|---|---|
District | Incumbent | Party | PVI |
Kentucky's 1st | James Comer | ![]() |
R+24 |
Kentucky's 2nd | Brett Guthrie | ![]() |
R+21 |
Kentucky's 3rd | Open | ![]() |
D+9 |
Kentucky's 4th | Thomas Massie | ![]() |
R+19 |
Kentucky's 5th | Hal Rogers | ![]() |
R+32 |
Kentucky's 6th | Andy Barr | ![]() |
R+9 |
2020 presidential results by 2022 congressional district lines
2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2022 district lines, Kentucky[6] | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
District | Joe Biden ![]() |
Donald Trump ![]() | ||
Kentucky's 1st | 27.9% | 70.6% | ||
Kentucky's 2nd | 30.8% | 67.5% | ||
Kentucky's 3rd | 60.2% | 37.9% | ||
Kentucky's 4th | 32.8% | 65.4% | ||
Kentucky's 5th | 19.7% | 79.1% | ||
Kentucky's 6th | 43.5% | 54.5% |
2012-2020
How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:
County-level voting pattern categories | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | |||||||
Status | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | ||||
Solid Democratic | D | D | D | ||||
Trending Democratic | R | D | D | ||||
Battleground Democratic | D | R | D | ||||
New Democratic | R | R | D | ||||
Republican | |||||||
Status | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | ||||
Solid Republican | R | R | R | ||||
Trending Republican | D | R | R | ||||
Battleground Republican | R | D | R | ||||
New Republican | D | D | R |
Following the 2020 presidential election, 74.2% of Kentuckians lived in one of the state's 116 Solid Republican counties, which voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 24.5% lived in one of two Solid Democratic counties: Fayette and Jefferson. Overall, Kentucky was Solid Republican, having voted for Mitt Romney (R) in 2012, Donald Trump (R) in 2016, and Donald Trump (R) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Kentucky following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.
Kentucky county-level statistics, 2020 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Solid Republican | 116 | 74.2% | |||||
Solid Democratic | 2 | 24.5% | |||||
Trending Republican | 2 | 1.3% | |||||
Total voted Democratic | 2 | 24.5% | |||||
Total voted Republican | 118 | 75.5% |
Historical voting trends
Kentucky presidential election results (1900-2020)
- 16 Democratic wins
- 15 Republican wins
Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Winning Party | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | D | R | R | D | R | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Statewide elections
This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.
U.S. Senate elections
The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Kentucky.
U.S. Senate election results in Kentucky | ||
---|---|---|
Race | Winner | Runner up |
2020 | 57.8%![]() |
38.2%![]() |
2016 | 57.3%![]() |
42.7%![]() |
2014 | 56.1%![]() |
40.7%![]() |
2010 | 55.8%![]() |
44.2%![]() |
2008 | 53.0%![]() |
47.0%![]() |
Average | 56.0 | 42.6 |
Gubernatorial elections
- See also: Governor of Kentucky
The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Kentucky.
Gubernatorial election results in Kentucky | ||
---|---|---|
Race | Winner | Runner up |
2019 | 49.2%![]() |
48.8%![]() |
2015 | 52.5%![]() |
43.8%![]() |
2011 | 55.7%![]() |
35.3%![]() |
2007 | 58.7%![]() |
41.3%![]() |
2003 | 55.0%![]() |
45.0%![]() |
Average | 54.2 | 42.8 |
State partisanship
Congressional delegation
The table below displays the partisan composition of Kentucky's congressional delegation as of November 2022.
Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Kentucky, November 2022 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Party | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | Total |
Democratic | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Republican | 2 | 5 | 7 |
Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Vacancies | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 2 | 6 | 8 |
State executive
The table below displays the officeholders in Kentucky's top four state executive offices as of November 2022.
State executive officials in Kentucky, November 2022 | |
---|---|
Office | Officeholder |
Governor | ![]() |
Lieutenant Governor | ![]() |
Secretary of State | ![]() |
Attorney General | ![]() |
State legislature
The tables below highlight the partisan composition of the Kentucky General Assembly as of November 2022.
Kentucky State Senate
Party | As of November 2022 | |
---|---|---|
Democratic Party | 8 | |
Republican Party | 29 | |
Vacancies | 1 | |
Total | 38 |
Kentucky House of Representatives
Party | As of November 2022 | |
---|---|---|
Democratic Party | 25 | |
Republican Party | 75 | |
Vacancies | 0 | |
Total | 100 |
Trifecta control
As of November 2022, Kentucky was a divided government, with Democrats controlling the governorship and Republican majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. The table below displays the historical trifecta status of the state.
Kentucky Party Control: 1992-2022
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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 |
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 |
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 |
Demographics
The table below details demographic data in Kentucky and compares it to the broader United States as of 2019.
Demographic Data for Kentucky | ||
---|---|---|
Kentucky | United States | |
Population | 4,339,367 | 308,745,538 |
Land area (sq mi) | 39,491 | 3,531,905 |
Race and ethnicity** | ||
White | 87% | 72.5% |
Black/African American | 8.1% | 12.7% |
Asian | 1.5% | 5.5% |
Native American | 0.2% | 0.8% |
Pacific Islander | 0.1% | 0.2% |
Other (single race) | 1% | 4.9% |
Multiple | 2.3% | 3.3% |
Hispanic/Latino | 3.7% | 18% |
Education | ||
High school graduation rate | 86.3% | 88% |
College graduation rate | 24.2% | 32.1% |
Income | ||
Median household income | $50,589 | $62,843 |
Persons below poverty level | 17.3% | 13.4% |
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019). | ||
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. |
See also
- United States Senate election in Kentucky, 2022 (May 17 Democratic primary)
- United States Senate election in Kentucky, 2022
- United States Senate Democratic Party primaries, 2022
- United States Senate Republican Party primaries, 2022
- United States Senate elections, 2022
- U.S. Senate battlegrounds, 2022
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ NCSL,"State Primary Election Types," February 06, 2024
- ↑ Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
- ↑ Kentucky State Board of Elections,"Key Information," accessed July 26, 2024
- ↑ Fundraising by primary candidates can be found on the race's respective primary election page. Fundraising by general election candidates can be found on the race's general election page.
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2022 Quarterly Reports," accessed March 2, 2022
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for 2020, 2016, and 2012," accessed September 9, 2022