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Kentucky state elections in 2018 were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2018, with the primary elections being held on May 22, 2018.[a] Thesemidterm elections occurred during the presidency ofRepublicanDonald Trump and the governorship of RepublicanMatt Bevin, alongside otherelections in the United States. All six of Kentucky's seats in theUnited States House of Representatives, nineteen of the 38 seats in theKentucky State Senate, all 100 seats in theKentucky House of Representatives, and one of the seven seats on the Kentucky Supreme Court were contested. Numerouscounty andlocal elections were also contested within the state.
In theUnited States House of Representatives, all six of Kentucky's incumbent congressional representatives won their individual elections. With 59.59% of ballots cast in favor of the Republican congressional candidates, the Republican party maintained its five-seat majority within the congressional delegation; RepresentativeJohn Yarmuth ofKentucky's 3rd congressional district maintained his position as the only Democrat in theUnited States Congress from Kentucky. All six of Kentucky's incumbent representatives were reelected with at least 60% of the vote in their respective districts. Aside from the election inKentucky's 1st congressional district, all incumbents were challenged by at least oneLibertarian orIndependent candidate, though no third-party candidates were able to obtain more than 2.5% of the vote.
In theKentucky General Assembly, Democrats made a net gain of one seat,[b] while Republicans maintained theirsupermajorities in both chambers of the state legislature. As the office of governor was not contested in the 2018 elections, Republicans maintained theirstate-level trifecta established in the 2016 elections. As Kentucky's judicial elections are non-partisan, there was no change in the partisan makeup of the Kentucky Supreme Court.
Whilevoter turnout in the United States as a whole reached its highest point seen in a midterm election since1914, Kentucky voter turnout remained unaffected. With approximately 45.90% of Kentucky's 3.4 million registered voters casting ballots in the election,[1][2] turnout as a percentage of registered voters remained unchanged from 2014 levels, although the total number of ballots cast did increase.[3]
During the campaign, Democrats focused heavily onpublic education and teacher pay, frequently attacking Republicans for their support of, among other issues, a controversial overhaul to Kentucky's teacher pension system. Republican messaging centered around a theme of maintaining their trifecta, with claims that a divided legislature would not be able to get anything done.
In the 2018 elections, Democrats sought to take control of theUnited States House of Representatives for the first time since the2010 elections.[4][5] As all six of Kentucky's voting seats in the 435 member House of Representatives were up for election to serve two-year terms, theKentucky Democratic Party sought to capitalize on an expected increase in voter turnout to take control of at least two of Kentucky's House seats.[6]
While nationwide the 2018 House elections saw the largest number of retirements by incumbents of any election cycle since at least 1992, none of Kentucky's incumbent Representatives chose to retire.[7] The lack of Republican retirements may have harmed Democratic prospects in the 2018 mid-term elections due to theincumbency advantage.[8][9]
| 2018 Kentucky State Senate election General election — November 6, 2018[10] | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes | Percentage | Not up | Contested | Before | After | +/– | |
| Republican | 468,530 | 57.93% | 10 | 16 | 27 | 28 |  1 | |
| Democratic | 325,800 | 40.28% | 8 | 3 | 11 | 10 |  1 | |
| Independent | 10,946 | 1.35% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Write-Ins | 3,454 | 0.43% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | 808,730 | 100.00% | 19 | 19 | 38 | 38 | — | |
In the 2018 elections, Democrats sought to regain control of theKentucky House of Representatives, which had been lost following the2016 elections. All 100 voting seats in the House of Representatives were up for election to serve two-year terms. At the time of the election, Republicans held a supermajority of 62 seats to Democrats 37, with one vacant seat.[11]
The 2018 House elections saw fifteen of the state House's members retiring. Prior to the election, seven House Republicans and eight House Democrats had announced their retirement or resignation, with most declining to run for reelection in order to pursue higher office.
| Kentucky House of Representatives election, 2018[10] General election — November 6, 2018 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes | Percentage | Seats | +/– | ||
| Republican | 814,787 | 53.33% | 61 | 1 | ||
| Democratic | 700,379 | 45.84% | 39 | 2 | ||
| Libertarian | 907 | 0.06% | 0 | 0 | ||
| Write-In Candidates | 8,112 | 0.53% | 0 | 0 | ||
| Independent candidates | 3,626 | 0.24% | 0 | 0 | ||
| Totals | 1,527,819 | 100.00% | 100 | — | ||
| Note: 1 seat vacant prior to election | ||||||
The Kentucky Supreme Court is composed of seven justices who are elected in nonpartisan elections by voters. A full term on the court is eight years. Kentucky's nonpartisan judicial elections take place during its general elections. The court is elected to staggered terms, with district 3 being the only one up for election in 2018. Incumbent justiceDaniel J. Venters announced he would retire and not seek reelection.[12]
Candidates
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-partisan | Debra Hembree Lee | 95,237 | 65.1 | |
| Non-partisan | Daniel Ballou | 51,075 | 34.9 | |
| Total votes | 146,312 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-partisan | Pamela R. Goodwine | 126,373 | 56.1 | |
| Non-partisan | Robert Johnson | 98,861 | 43.9 | |
| Total votes | 225,234 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-partisan | Larry E. Thompson | 64,551 | 53.9 | |
| Non-partisan | David Allen Barber | 55,310 | 46.1 | |
| Total votes | 119,861 | 100.0 | ||
All judges of theKentucky District Courts were elected in non-partisan elections to four-year terms.
Commonwealth's Attorneys, who serve as the prosecutors for felonies in the state, are elected to six-year terms. One attorney was elected for each of the 57 circuits of theKentucky Circuit Courts.
Each county elected aCircuit Court Clerk to a six-year term.
All county officials were elected in partisan elections to four-year terms. The offices include theCounty Judge/Executive, theFiscal Court (Magistrates and/or Commissioners), County Clerk, County Attorney, Jailer, Coroner, Surveyor, Property Value Administrator, Constables, and Sheriff.[15]
Mayors in Kentucky are elected to four-year terms, with cities holding their elections in either presidential or midterm years.[15] Cities with elections in 2018 included thosein Louisville andin Lexington.
Each incorporated city elected its council members to a two-year term.[15]
Local school board members are elected to staggered four-year terms, with half up for election in 2018.[15]
TheLouisville Metro Council is elected to staggered four-year terms, with odd-numbered districts up for election in 2018.[15]
TheConstitution of Kentucky does not provide forcitizen-initiated ballot measures and referendums at the state level. Under the state Constitution, aside from Constitutional amendments, approval from theKentucky General Assembly is required to put anything to a statewide vote.[16][17]
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See also:Political party strength in Kentucky | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
