Updated: Republicans add to their super majorities in the Kentucky House and Senate
Kentucky voters gave Republicans in the General Assembly a thumbs up Tuesday, increasing the super majorities the GOP already held in the state Senate and House of Representatives.
House Speaker David Osborne, R-Prospect, said Republicans could gain as many as 10 or 11 seats in the 100-member chamber, upping GOP control to as many as 72 members. The House communications office did not have a firm figure as of late Wednesday.
In the Senate, Republicans picked up the seat held by Democrat Julian Carroll of Frankfort and were leading a close race to snare from Democrats an Eastern Kentucky seat.
Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, said his 38-member chamber is expected to end up with 30 Republicans. No Senate Republican incumbent lost in Tuesday’s elections, he said, adding that it was “a bad night” for Democrat Gov. Andy Beshear who campaigned for several Democratic legislative candidates.
Senate Majority Leader Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, tweeted that “@GovAndyBeshear and his lockdown were on the ballot last night. Both lost. Total repudiation. Looking forward to #kyga21.”
He was referring to Beshear’s restrictions to curb COVID-19 in Kentucky and Republican plans to curb his emergency authority in the law-making session that begins Jan. 5.
A super majority occurs when a party has at least 60 percent of the chamber’s members. With it, the party can pass tax legislation and constitutional amendments in odd-numbered years without any support from the minority party.
House races in Fayette County
In Fayette county, voters are sending at least three new faces to the Kentucky House of Representatives.
Races in the 45th House District and the 88th House District in Fayette County remained too close to call Wednesday morning.
In the 45th, which has long been represented by Republican Stan Lee, unofficial results showed Republican Killian Timoney leading Democrat Shirley Flynn Mitchell 13,815 to 12,900. However, County Clerk Don Blevins Jr. said late Tuesday night Fayette County officials still have roughly 8,000 absentee ballots to process this week, “maybe more as they arrive by mail.”
Mitchell is senior manager of customer experience at Valvoline Inc. and is a Navy veteran and former civil engineer corps officer. Timoney is plant operations director for Fayette County Public Schools.
In the 88th District, Democratic incumbent Cherlynn Stevenson was leading Republican Aaron Yates 15,070 to 14,654.
Stevenson is a non-profit event planner and Yates is a marketing and communications specialist who worked for U.S. Sen. Rand Paul’s successful campaign in 2010.
In the 56th House District that includes Woodford and parts of Fayette and Franklin counties, Republican Dan Fister, a Woodford County farmer, appeared to defeat Democrat Lamar Allen, a STEM teacher in Lexington. Fister was outpacing Allen, 12,405 to 11,177. Fister will replace Democrat Joe Graviss, who decided to run this year for the state Senate instead of the House.
Democrat Russ Meyer of Nicholasville has represented the 39th District that includes parts of Fayette and Jessamine counties since 2015 but he did not seek re-election. Beshear recently appointed him state parks commissioner.
Replacing Meyer in the House will be Republican Matt Locket, a financial advisor who ran for the 6th Congressional District in 2010. He defeated Democrat Carolyn Dupont, an Eastern Kentucky University history professor, in Tuesday’s race.
Democratic incumbent Susan Westrom was victorious in Fayette County, defeating Republican Jon Larson in the 79th District.
In the 62nd District that includes Owen and parts of Scott and Fayette counties, Republican incumbent Phil Pratt, who owns a lawn and landscape business, was successful over Democrat David Mayo, an IT systems administrator at AppHarvest.
Republican incumbent Matt Koch of Paris won over Democrat Todd Neace of Owingsville in the race for 72nd House District. It includes Bath, Bourbon, Nicholas and part of Fayette counties. Koch, who was in the Marines, is co-owner of Shawan Place, a horse farm. He was elected to the House in 2018. Neace is principal of Bath County Middle School.
Three Democratic House incumbents in Fayette County had no opposition in the Nov. 3 general election. They were Kelly Flood in the 75th District, Ruth Ann Palumbo in the 76th District, and George Brown Jr. in the 77th District.
Senate surprises
Republican Adrienne Southworth of Lawrenceburg, who was deputy chief of staff for former Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton, won a seat in the 7th Senate district left open with Democrat Julian Carroll’s decision not to seek re-election.
Southworth defeated Democrat Graviss and Carroll’s son, Kenneth Carroll, who entered the race as an independent. The district includes Franklin, Anderson, Gallatin, Owen and Woodford counties.
Senate President Stivers said Republicans in the Senate, which has been in the GOP’s hands since 2000, knew that the latest redrawing of the district’s boundaries would cause it to lean Republican during a presidential election.
Southworth was fired by the administration of former Gov. Matt Bevin over the objections of Hampton.
In Eastern Kentucky’s 29th District that covers Floyd, Harlan, Knott and Letcher counties, Democrat incumbent Johnny Ray Turner was trailing Johnnie L. Turner by a count of 22,422 to 19,462.
Several House Democratic incumbents lose
In unofficial results, Republicans racked up wins over at least six House Democratic incumbents in both urban and rural areas of the state, likely a reflection of President Trump’s strong popularity in the state.
In Western Kentucky, Republican Josh Calloway, a Baptist preacher, defeated Democratic incumbent Dean Schamore, a small business owner, in the 10th District that covers Breckingridge, Hancock and part of Hardin counties.
In the 11th District made up of part of Daviess and Henderson counties, Republican Jonathan Dixon, a small business owner, knocked off Democratic incumbent Rob Wiederstein.
In the 13th District that covers part of Daviess County, Republican D.J. Johnson overcame Democrat Jim Glenn, who defeated Johnson two years ago in a squeaker. Glenn previously served in the House from 2007 to 2016. Johnson served in the House from 2017 to 2018.
In the open 47th District, where Democrat Rick Rand decided not to seek re-election, Republican Felicia Rabourn, an office administrator for a financial business, won over Democrat Jack Couch, former judge-executive of Carroll County. The district includes Carroll, Gallatin, Henry and Trimble counties.
Republican Ken Fleming, executive director of a counseling center and member of the Louisville Metro Council from 2003 to 2014, defeated Democratic incumbent Maria Sorolis in the 48th District in parts of Jefferson and Oldham counties.
Maysville real estate investor William Lee Lawrence, a Republican, outpaced Democrat Craig Miller, general manager of a lumber company in Augusta, in the 70th District, made up of Mason, Fleming, Bracken and Robertson counties. The seat was open because Democrat John Sims Jr. of Flemingsburg did not seek re-election.
In Eastern Kentucky, Republican Billy Wesley, chaplain of the Estill County police department, defeated Democrat Paula Clemons-Combs, a Breathitt County High School teacher in the 91st District. It includes Breathitt, Estill, Lee, Owsley and part of Madison counties. It was an open seat as Democratic incumbent Cluster Howard did not seek re-election.
In the 93rd District made up of Martin County and part of Pike County, Republican Norma Kirk-McCormick, a former state vocational rehabilitation counselor, turned back Democratic challenger Rod Varney, principal of Belfry High School. This was the seat held by Democrat Chris Harris, who ran this year for the state Supreme Court.
Democratic incumbent Kathy Hinkle of Louisa, who was elected in 2018, lost to Republican Patrick Flannery, an Olive Hill attorney, in the 96th District, made up of Carter and Lawrence counties.
Republican Scott L. Sharp, an Army veteran, ousted Democratic incumbent Terri Branham Clark, a small business owner, in the 100th District. It covers part of Boyd County.
This story was originally published November 3, 2020 at 11:56 PM.
