What did you miss while you were sleeping? Catch up with 2024 KY election night recap
Between a presidential contest, two constitutional amendments and selections for state, federal and local races, Kentucky voters had a lot to decide in Tuesday’s General Election.
As expected, Kentucky largely broke in favor of former President Donald Trump, winning the state’s eight electoral votes.
By the end of the night, voters had overwhelmingly rejected Amendment 2, which would have allowed taxpayer money to fund private, religious and charter schools. The amendment was championed by Republican leadership in Kentucky’s legislature, but voters -- rural and urban alike -- gave it a resounding “no”.
On the other hand, Amendment 1, a proposal to prohibit noncitizens from voting, easily won passage. Still, it won’t change much for Kentucky, given the state already limits voting to citizens. Additionally, Secretary of State Michael Adams, the top election official, has said there is no evidence noncitizens are voting in the Bluegrass State.
If you decided to go to bed early or just want to catch up on what you missed, here’s what happened on election night, including results for races up and down the ballot. A quick note, these results are unofficial until canvass day Friday, Nov. 8.
You can find the latest results in all contest races here.
Lexington/Fayette County races
In Lexington, voters passed a new tax to support parks projects. It was the first new property tax approved by voters in 20 years and will add 2.25 cents of ad valorem tax for every $100 in real property. For the average homeowner, supporters of the tax have said it will amount to an additional $52.88 each year. It would generate some $8 million a year intended for capital projects in Lexington’s 100 parks.
Among the half-dozen contested Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council races, the biggest upset of the night came when challenger Emma Curtis defeated incumbent Brenda Monarrez. According to unofficial results, Curtis got 52% of the vote compared to Monarrez’ 48%. The race to represent Lexington’s 4th Council District was largely overshadowed by sexual assault allegations.
Other Lexington council race winners include Tyler Morton in District 1, Shayla Lynch for District 2, Liz Sheehan in District 5, Joseph Hale representing District 7 and Hil Boone for District 12.
Fayette County voters also had three contested school board races on the ballot. Monica Mundy, Kathleen Christian and Amy Green all won election to the Fayette County Public Schools Board of Education.
U.S. House races
With an estimated 81% of the votes cast counted, Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Barr crushed his challenger, Democratic candidate Randy Cravens. Barr, a Lexington-area Congressman, campaigned on inflation and border security as major issues.
Like Barr, Rep. James Comer easily won reelection to represent Kentucky’s 1st District.
Overall, it was a good night for Kentucky’s incumbent congressman as all six scored big wins.
State-level races
In a nonpartisan judicial race, Court of Appeals Judge Pamela Goodwine handily won a seat as the seventh member of Kentucky’s Supreme Court.
Her victory is historic on two counts. Goodwine is the first Black woman to serve on Kentucky’s Supreme Court. Additionally, with Chief Justice Laurance VanMeter retiring, Goodwine’s addition to the bench gives women a majority on the court. Goodwine also stands out because she is one of the few judges to serve at all levels of Kentucky’s judiciary. Only five jurists have reached that achievement in the state’s history.
In the race for the 45th Kentucky House district, Democrat Adam Moore narrowly defeated Republican Thomas Jefferson.
By Wednesday morning, unofficial results showed Democrat Cherlynn Stevenson narrowly trailing Republican challenger Vanessa Grossl in the race for the 88th Kentucky House district. Late Tuesday night, Grossl declared victory over Stevenson, who is the Kentucky House Democratic Caucus chair.
In the race for Kentucky’s 27th Senate District, Republican Steve West knocked off challenger Molly Gene Crain, a Democrat.
In Kentucky’s 17th Senate District, Republican Matt Nunn beat Democrat Kiana Fields, replacing Georgetown Republican Damon Thayer.
You can find the latest coverage from all of Tuesday night’s races and ongoing coverage at Kentucky.com.
This story may be updated.
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This story was originally published November 6, 2024 at 5:00 AM.