Kentucky State Senate elections, 2026
| 2026 Kentucky Senate Elections | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Primary | Pending |
| General | November 3, 2026 |
| Past Election Results |
| 2024・2022・2020・2018・2016・2014・2012・2010・2008 |
| 2026 Elections | |
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Elections for the Kentucky State Senate will take place in 2026. The general election is on November 3, 2026.
The Kentucky State Senate is one of 88 state legislative chambers with elections in 2026. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.
Party control
| Party | As of March 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 7 | |
| Republican Party | 31 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 38 | |
Candidates
Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:
- Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
- Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies
This list will be updated after the candidate filing deadline has passed and the official list of candidates becomes available. Please contact us if you notice an official candidate missing from the list or the inclusion of a candidate who withdrew.
Primary
Kentucky State Senate primary 2026 |
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| Office | Other | ||
| District 2 | |||
| District 4 | |||
| District 6 | |||
| District 8 | |||
| District 10 | |||
| District 12 | |||
| District 14 | |||
| District 16 | |||
| District 18 | |||
| District 20 | |||
| District 22 | |||
| District 24 | |||
| District 26 | |||
| District 28 | |||
| District 30 | |||
| District 32 | |||
| District 34 | |||
| District 36 | |||
| District 38 | |||
General election
Kentucky State Senate general election 2026 |
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| Office | Other | ||
| District 2 | |||
| District 4 |
Robby Mills (i) |
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| District 6 |
Lindsey Tichenor (i) |
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| District 8 |
Gary Boswell (i) |
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| District 10 |
Matthew Deneen (i) |
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| District 12 |
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| District 14 |
Jimmy Higdon (i) |
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| District 16 | |||
| District 18 | |||
| District 20 |
Gex Williams (i) |
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| District 22 |
Donald Douglas (i) |
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| District 24 |
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| District 26 | |||
| District 28 |
Greg Elkins (i) |
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| District 30 | |||
| District 32 |
Mike Wilson (i) |
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| District 34 |
Jared Carpenter (i) |
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| District 36 |
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| District 38 |
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Voting information
- See also: Voting in Kentucky
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Competitiveness
This section will be updated with information about the competitiveness of state legislative elections in Kentucky. For more information about Ballotpedia's Competitiveness Analysis of state legislative elections, please click here.
Process to become a candidate
See statutes: Section 118.105 of the Kentucky Revised Statutes (2022)
There are three methods by which a candidate can gain ballot access in Kentucky: by political party primary, by political organization convention, and by petition. A candidate must be registered with a political party if he or she wishes to run in the political party primary. If a candidate seeks nomination by a political organization, either by petition or convention, he or she must be registered with that organization. An independent candidate must be registered as an independent in order to use that designation on his or her nominating petition.[1][2]
Political party primary candidates
A political party candidate is granted general election ballot access by winning his or her party's primary election. The candidate must file a notification and declaration form with the Kentucky Secretary of State. This form must be signed by the candidate and by no less than two registered voters from the same party as the candidate and from the same district in which the candidate is running. This form cannot be signed earlier than the first Wednesday after the first Monday in November of the year preceding the election in which the candidate is running. The notification and declaration form must be filed by 4 p.m. on the first Friday following the first Monday in January preceding the primary election. A candidate defeated at the primary election is not permitted to run in the general election, with the exception of candidates running in a presidential preference primary.[3][4][5][6]
Political organization convention candidates
A political organization candidate is nominated at his or her political organization's convention. Only registered voters of the political organization can attend and vote at the convention. The Kentucky Statutes do not stipulate the time at which a convention must be held; however, it must be held prior to the filing deadline in order to complete all necessary paperwork. The candidate must file nomination papers by the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June preceding the day fixed by law for the election of the office being sought.[7][8][9][10]
Petition candidates
Political organization, political group, and independent candidates may all run for office as petition candidates. A candidate running for state executive office or state legislative office must first file a statement of candidacy form with the Kentucky Secretary of State. This form must be filed by 4 p.m. on April 1 (or the next business day if April 1 falls on a weekend or holiday). No charge is assessed for the filing of this form. A petition signed by the candidate and by registered voters in the district from which the candidate seeks nomination must be filed with the Kentucky Secretary of State. Candidates may begin gathering signatures after the first Wednesday after the first Monday in November of the year preceding the general election in which the candidate is running.[2][7][9]
Petitions must be filed by the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June preceding the day fixed by law for the holding of regular elections for the offices sought. Signature requirements vary according to the office being sought. Examples are provided in the table below.[1][2][10]
| Signature requirements for petition candidates in Kentucky[2] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Office sought | Number of signatures required | |
| Kentucky state executive office | 5,000 | |
| Member of the United States Congress | 400 | |
| Member of the Kentucky General Assembly | 100 | |
Write-in candidates
Though write-in candidates' names are not printed on the ballot, they may be written in by a voter. In order for a write-in vote to be counted, the write-in candidate must file a declaration of intent with the Kentucky Secretary of State by the fourth Friday in October preceding the general election. A candidate can be a write-in for only one office and will be considered ineligible for write-in status if he or she has already been placed on the ballot by a different method.[11]
All candidates
Any registered voter may challenge the "good faith of a candidate” at any time before the election. No specific challenge period is designated in the Kentucky Statutes.[12]
A candidate may only run for one office at a time, as his or her name cannot appear on the ballot more than once.[13]
All candidates are subject to filing fees. These fees are outlined in the table below. The Kentucky Secretary of State accepts personal checks, campaign account checks, cash, or money orders for payment of filing fees.[1][14][15]
| Filing fees for candidates in Kentucky[16] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Office sought | Filing fee | |
| Member of the United States Congress | $500.00 | |
| Governor of Kentucky | $500.00 | |
| Kentucky Attorney General | $500.00 | |
| Kentucky Secretary of State | $500.00 | |
| Kentucky Auditor | $500.00 | |
| Kentucky Treasurer | $500.00 | |
| Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture | $500.00 | |
| Kentucky Senator | $200.00 | |
| Kentucky Representative | $200.00 | |
| Write-in candidate | $50.00 | |
Qualifications
To be eligible to serve in the Kentucky State Senate, a candidate must be:[17]
- At least 30 years of age at the time of the election
- A citizen of Kentucky
- Resided in the state 6 years preceding the election
- Resided in the district for the last year
Salaries and per diem
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[18] | |
|---|---|
| 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 |
When sworn in
Kentucky legislators assume office the first day of January after their election.[19]
Kentucky political history
Trifectas
A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.
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 |
Presidential politics in Kentucky
2024
- See also: Presidential election, 2024
Candidate/Running mate |
% |
Popular votes |
Electoral votes |
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| ✔ |
| Donald Trump/J.D. Vance (R) |
64.5
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1,337,494 | 8 |
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| Kamala D. Harris/Tim Walz (D) |
33.9
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704,043 | 0 | |
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| Robert F. Kennedy Jr./Nicole Shanahan (Independent) |
0.8
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16,769 | 0 | |
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| Jill Stein/Samson LeBeau Kpadenou (Kentucky Party) |
0.4
|
7,566 | 0 | |
|
| Chase Oliver/Mike ter Maat (L) |
0.3
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6,422 | 0 | |
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| Shiva Ayyadurai/Crystal Ellis (Independent) |
0.0
|
1,015 | 0 | |
|
| Peter Sonski/Lauren Onak (Independent) (Write-in) |
0.0
|
611 | 0 | |
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| Claudia De La Cruz/Karina Garcia (Independent) (Write-in) |
0.0
|
391 | 0 | |
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| Cornel West/Melina Abdullah (Independent) (Write-in) |
0.0
|
177 | 0 | |
| James D. Soderna/Matthew J. Trewhella (Independent) (Write-in) |
0.0
|
14 | 0 | |
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| Jay Bowman/De Bowman (Independent) |
0.0
|
10 | 0 | |
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| Joseph Kishore/Jerry White (Independent) (Write-in) |
0.0
|
8 | 0 | |
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| John Cheng/Wayne Waligorski (Independent) (Write-in) |
0.0
|
5 | 0 | |
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| Billy Kelley Jr./Jason Holdeman (Independent) (Write-in) |
0.0
|
4 | 0 | |
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| Cherunda Lynn Fox/Harlan McVay Jr. (Independent) (Write-in) |
0.0
|
1 | 0 | |
| Total votes: 2,074,530 |
2020
- See also: Presidential election, 2020
Candidate/Running mate |
% |
Popular votes |
Electoral votes |
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| ✔ |
| Donald Trump/Mike Pence (R) |
62.1
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1,326,646 | 8 |
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| Joe Biden/Kamala D. Harris (D) |
36.2
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772,474 | 0 | |
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| Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen (L) |
1.2
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26,234 | 0 | |
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| Ye/Michelle Tidball (Independent) |
0.3
|
6,483 | 0 | |
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| Brock Pierce/Karla Ballard (Independent) |
0.2
|
3,599 | 0 | |
|
| Howie Hawkins/Angela Nicole Walker (Unaffiliated) (Write-in) |
0.0
|
716 | 0 | |
|
| Brian T. Carroll/Amar Patel (Unaffiliated) (Write-in) |
0.0
|
408 | 0 | |
|
| Gloria La Riva/Sunil Freeman (Unaffiliated) (Write-in) |
0.0
|
98 | 0 | |
|
| Mark Charles/Adrian Wallace (Unaffiliated) |
0.0
|
43 | 0 | |
|
| Jade Simmons/Claudeliah Roze (Unaffiliated) (Write-in) |
0.0
|
29 | 0 | |
|
| Tom Hoefling/Andy Prior (Unaffiliated) |
0.0
|
20 | 0 | |
|
| Shawn W. Howard/Alyssa Howard (Unaffiliated) (Write-in) |
0.0
|
9 | 0 | |
|
| President Boddie/Eric Stoneham (Unaffiliated) |
0.0
|
7 | 0 | |
|
| Timothy Stevens/Susan Congleton Fletcher (Unaffiliated) (Write-in) |
0.0
|
1 | 0 | |
|
| Kasey Wells/Rachel Wells (Unaffiliated) (Write-in) |
0.0
|
1 | 0 | |
| Total votes: 2,136,768 |
2016
- See also: Presidential election, 2016
| U.S. presidential election, Kentucky, 2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic | Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine | 32.7% | 628,854 | 0 | |
| Republican |  Donald Trump/Mike Pence |
62.5% | 1,202,971 | 8 | |
| Libertarian | Gary Johnson/Bill Weld | 2.8% | 53,752 | 0 | |
| Green | Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka | 0.7% | 13,913 | 0 | |
| American Delta | Roque De La Fuente/Michael Steinberg | 0.1% | 1,128 | 0 | |
| Independent | Evan McMullin/Nathan Johnson | 1.2% | 22,780 | 0 | |
| - | Write-in votes | 0% | 751 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 1,924,149 | 8 | |||
| Election results via: Kentucky Secretary of State | |||||
Kentucky presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 16 Democratic wins
- 16 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 |
Redistricting following the 2020 census
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.[20] 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.[21]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Kentucky Secretary of State Website, "FAQs," accessed May 22, 2023
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Kentucky Statutes, "Section 118.315 (2022)," accessed May 22, 2023
- ↑ Kentucky Statutes, "Section 118.105 (2022)," accessed May 22, 2023
- ↑ Kentucky Statutes, "Section 118.125 (2022)," accessed May 22, 2023
- ↑ Kentucky Statutes, "Section 118.165 (2022)," accessed May 22, 2023
- ↑ Kentucky Statutes, "Section 118.345 (2022)," accessed May 23, 2023
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Kentucky Statutes, "Section 118.325 (2022)," accessed May 23, 2023
- ↑ Kentucky State Board of Elections, "Register to Vote," accessed May 23, 2023
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Kentucky Statutes, "Section 118.367 (2022)," accessed May 23, 2023
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Kentucky Statutes, "Section 118.365 (2022)," accessed May 23, 2023
- ↑ Kentucky Statutes, "Section 118.125 (2022)," accessed May 22, 2023
- ↑ Kentucky Statutes, "Chapter 118, Section 176 (2022)," accessed May 22, 2023
- ↑ Kentucky Statutes, "Chapter 118, Section 405 (2022)," accessed May 22, 2023
- ↑ Kentucky Secretary of State Website, "Becoming a Candidate," accessed May 22, 2023
- ↑ Kentucky Statutes, "Section 118.255 (2022),"accessed May 22, 2023
- ↑ Kentucky Secretary of State Website, "Candidate Qualifications and Filing Fees," accessed May 22, 2023
- ↑ Kentucky Secretary of State, "Candidate Qualification Information," accessed December 16, 2013
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Kentucky Constitution, "Section 30," accessed February 10, 2021
- ↑ Kentucky General Assembly, "House Bill 2," accessed January 21, 2022
- ↑ Kentucky General Assembly, "Senate Bill 2," accessed January 21, 2022
