2016 Kentucky Senate election
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19 out of 38 seats in the Kentucky Senate 20 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Results: Republican hold Democratic hold Popular vote: 60–70% 70–80% >90% 60–70% 80–90% >90% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Kentucky |
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 Government |
The 2016 Kentucky Senate election was held on November 8, 2016. The Republican and Democratic primary elections were held on May 17. Half of the senate (all odd-numbered seats) were up for election. Republicans maintained their majority in the chamber without gaining or losing any seats.
A numbered map of the senate districts at the time can be viewed here.
Overview[edit]
| Party | Candidates | Votes | % | Seats | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposed | Unopposed | Before | Won | After | +/− | ||||||
| Republican | 6 | 7 | 420,578 | 56.12 | 27 | 11 | 27 | - | |||
| Democratic | 6 | 6 | 328,915 | 43.88 | 11 | 8 | 11 | - | |||
| Total | 12 | 13 | 749,493 | 100.00 | 38 | 19 | 38 | ±0 | |||
| Source: Kentucky Secretary of State | |||||||||||
Retiring incumbents[edit]
A total of two senators retired, neither of whom ran for other offices.
Republican[edit]
- 5th: Carroll Gibson (Leitchfield): Retired.[1]
- 15th: Chris Girdler (Somerset): Retired.[2]
Incumbents defeated[edit]
No incumbents lost renomination or reelection.
Summary by district[edit]
Certified results by the Kentucky Secretary of State are available online for the primary election and general election.
† – Incumbent not seeking re-election
| District | Incumbent | Party | Elected | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stan Humphries | Rep | Stan Humphries | Rep | ||
| 3 | Whitney H. Westerfield | Rep | Whitney H. Westerfield | Rep | ||
| 5 | Carroll Gibson† | Rep | Stephen L. Meredith | Rep | ||
| 7 | Julian M. Carroll | Dem | Julian M. Carroll | Dem | ||
| 9 | David P. Givens | Rep | David P. Givens | Rep | ||
| 11 | John Schickel | Rep | John Schickel | Rep | ||
| 13 | Reggie Thomas | Dem | Reggie Thomas | Dem | ||
| 15 | Chris Girdler† | Rep | Rick Girdler | Rep | ||
| 17 | Damon Thayer | Rep | Damon Thayer | Rep | ||
| 19 | Morgan McGarvey | Dem | Morgan McGarvey | Dem | ||
| 21 | Albert Robinson | Rep | Albert Robinson | Rep | ||
| 23 | Chris McDaniel | Rep | Chris McDaniel | Rep | ||
| 25 | Robert Stivers | Rep | Robert Stivers | Rep | ||
| 27 | Stephen West | Rep | Stephen West | Rep | ||
| 29 | Johnny Ray Turner | Dem | Johnny Ray Turner | Dem | ||
| 31 | Ray Jones | Dem | Ray Jones | Dem | ||
| 33 | Gerald A. Neal | Dem | Gerald A. Neal | Dem | ||
| 35 | Denise Harper Angel | Dem | Denise Harper Angel | Dem | ||
| 37 | Perry B. Clark | Dem | Perry B. Clark | Dem | ||
Closest races[edit]
There were no seats where the margin of victory was under 10%.
Special elections[edit]
District 27 special[edit]
Steve West was elected in March 2015 following the resignation of Walter Blevins.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Steve West | 5,337 | 54.4 | ||
| Democratic | Kelly Caudill | 4,471 | 45.6 | ||
| Total votes | 9,808 | 100.0 | |||
| Republican gain from Democratic | |||||
District 1[edit]
Incumbent senator Stan Humphries won reelection unopposed.
Republican primary[edit]
Candidates[edit]
Nominee[edit]
- Stan Humphries, incumbent senator
General election[edit]
Results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Stan Humphries (incumbent) | Unopposed | |||
| Total votes | 36,264 | 100.0 | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
District 3[edit]
Incumbent senator Whitney H. Westerfield won reelection unopposed.
Republican primary[edit]
Candidates[edit]
Nominee[edit]
- Whitney H. Westerfield, incumbent senator
General election[edit]
Results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Whitney H. Westerfield (incumbent) | Unopposed | |||
| Total votes | 28,655 | 100.0 | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
District 5[edit]
Incumbent senator Carroll Gibson did not seek reelection. He was succeeded by Republican Stephen L. Meredith.
Democratic primary[edit]
Candidates[edit]
Nominee[edit]
- Leslie J. Stith
Eliminated in primary[edit]
- Ricky Alvey
Results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Leslie J. Stith | 5,470 | 52.3 | |
| Democratic | Ricky Alvey | 4,990 | 47.7 | |
| Total votes | 10,460 | 100.0 | ||
Republican primary[edit]
Candidates[edit]
Nominee[edit]
General election[edit]
Results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Stephen L. Meredith | 31,096 | 63.3 | |
| Democratic | Leslie J. Stith | 18,006 | 36.7 | |
| Total votes | 49,102 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
District 7[edit]
Incumbent senator Julian M. Carroll won reelection unopposed.
Democratic primary[edit]
Candidates[edit]
Nominee[edit]
- Julian M. Carroll, incumbent senator
General election[edit]
Results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Julian M. Carroll (incumbent) | Unopposed | |||
| Total votes | 39,851 | 100.0 | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
District 9[edit]
Incumbent senator David P. Givens won reelection unopposed.
Republican primary[edit]
Candidates[edit]
Nominee[edit]
- David P. Givens, incumbent senator
General election[edit]
Results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | David P. Givens (incumbent) | Unopposed | |||
| Total votes | 37,791 | 100.0 | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
District 11[edit]
Incumbent senator John Schickel won reelection, defeating primary election challenger Josh L. Turner.
Republican primary[edit]
Candidates[edit]
Nominee[edit]
- John Schickel, incumbent senator
Eliminated in primary[edit]
- Josh L. Turner
Results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Schickel (incumbent) | 4,804 | 80.9 | |
| Republican | Josh L. Turner | 1,137 | 19.1 | |
| Total votes | 5,941 | 100.0 | ||
General election[edit]
Results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Schickel (incumbent) | Unopposed | |||
| Total votes | 47,552 | 100.0 | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
District 13[edit]
Incumbent senator Reggie Thomas won reelection unopposed.
Democratic primary[edit]
Candidates[edit]
Nominee[edit]
- Reggie Thomas, incumbent senator
General election[edit]
Results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Reggie Thomas (incumbent) | Unopposed | |||
| Total votes | 33,373 | 100.0 | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
District 15[edit]
Incumbent senator Chris Girdler did not seek reelection. He was succeeded by Republican Rick Girdler.
Republican primary[edit]
Candidates[edit]
Nominee[edit]
Eliminated in primary[edit]
- Michael Keck
- Don Moss
- Joshua Nichols
Results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rick Girdler | 3,395 | 31.7 | |
| Republican | Don Moss | 2,638 | 24.7 | |
| Republican | Michael Keck | 2,449 | 22.9 | |
| Republican | Joshua Nichols | 2,214 | 20.7 | |
| Total votes | 10,696 | 100.0 | ||
General election[edit]
Results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rick Girdler | Unopposed | |||
| Total votes | 39,614 | 100.0 | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
District 17[edit]
Incumbent senator Damon Thayer won reelection, defeating Democratic candidate Charlie Hoffman.
Democratic primary[edit]
Candidates[edit]
Nominee[edit]
- Charlie Hoffman
Republican primary[edit]
Candidates[edit]
Nominee[edit]
- Damon Thayer, incumbent senator
General election[edit]
Results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Damon Thayer (incumbent) | 36,656 | 67.9 | |
| Democratic | Charlie Hoffman | 17,302 | 32.1 | |
| Total votes | 53,958 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
District 19[edit]
Incumbent senator Morgan McGarvey won reelection, defeating Republican candidate Larry West.
Democratic primary[edit]
Candidates[edit]
Nominee[edit]
- Morgan McGarvey, incumbent senator
Republican primary[edit]
Candidates[edit]
Nominee[edit]
- Larry West
General election[edit]
Results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Morgan McGarvey (incumbent) | 39,026 | 61.7 | |
| Republican | Larry West | 24,214 | 38.3 | |
| Total votes | 63,240 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
District 21[edit]
Incumbent senator Albert Robinson won reelection, defeating primary and general election challengers.
Democratic primary[edit]
Candidates[edit]
Nominee[edit]
- Janice Odom
Republican primary[edit]
Candidates[edit]
Nominee[edit]
- Albert Robinson, incumbent senator
Eliminated in primary[edit]
- Michael Bryant
Results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Albert Robinson (incumbent) | 5,005 | 55.4 | |
| Republican | Michael Bryant | 4,034 | 44.6 | |
| Total votes | 9,039 | 100.0 | ||
General election[edit]
Results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Albert Robinson (incumbent) | 33,770 | 75.1 | |
| Democratic | Janice Odom | 11,185 | 24.9 | |
| Total votes | 44,955 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
District 23[edit]
Incumbent senator Chris McDaniel won reelection unopposed.
Republican primary[edit]
Candidates[edit]
Nominee[edit]
- Chris McDaniel, incumbent senator
General election[edit]
Results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Chris McDaniel (incumbent) | Unopposed | |||
| Total votes | 37,409 | 100.0 | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
District 25[edit]
Incumbent senator Robert Stivers won reelection unopposed.
Republican primary[edit]
Candidates[edit]
Nominee[edit]
- Robert Stivers, incumbent senator
General election[edit]
Results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Robert Stivers (incumbent) | Unopposed | |||
| Total votes | 30,577 | 100.0 | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
District 27[edit]
Incumbent senator Stephen West won reelection, defeating Democratic candidate Charles L. Linville III.
Democratic primary[edit]
Candidates[edit]
Nominee[edit]
- Charles L. Linville III
Republican primary[edit]
Candidates[edit]
Nominee[edit]
- Stephen West, incumbent senator
General election[edit]
Results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Stephen West (incumbent) | 30,548 | 67.5 | |
| Democratic | Charles L. Linville III | 14,681 | 32.5 | |
| Total votes | 45,229 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
District 29[edit]
Incumbent senator Johnny Ray Turner won reelection unopposed.
Democratic primary[edit]
Candidates[edit]
Nominee[edit]
- Johnny Ray Turner, incumbent senator
General election[edit]
Results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Johnny Ray Turner (incumbent) | Unopposed | |||
| Total votes | 26,890 | 100.0 | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
District 31[edit]
Incumbent senator Ray Jones won reelection, defeating primary election challenger Glenn Martin Hammond.
Democratic primary[edit]
Candidates[edit]
Nominee[edit]
- Ray Jones, incumbent senator
Eliminated in primary[edit]
- Glenn Martin Hammond
Results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ray Jones (incumbent) | 9,527 | 71.1 | |
| Democratic | Glenn Martin Hammond | 3,870 | 28.9 | |
| Total votes | 13,397 | 100.0 | ||
General election[edit]
Results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ray Jones (incumbent) | Unopposed | |||
| Total votes | 26,598 | 100.0 | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
District 33[edit]
Incumbent senator Gerald A. Neal won reelection, defeating primary and general election challengers.
Democratic primary[edit]
Candidates[edit]
Nominee[edit]
- Gerald A. Neal, incumbent senator
Eliminated in primary[edit]
- Charles Booker
- Joan A. "Toni" Stringer
Results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Gerald A. Neal (incumbent) | 9,013 | 48.4 | |
| Democratic | Joan A. "Toni" Stringer | 5,945 | 31.9 | |
| Democratic | Charles Booker | 3,681 | 19.7 | |
| Total votes | 18,639 | 100.0 | ||
Republican primary[edit]
Candidates[edit]
Nominee[edit]
- Shenita Rickman
Eliminated in primary[edit]
- John Yuen
Results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Shenita Rickman | 537 | 51.8 | |
| Republican | John Yuen | 499 | 48.2 | |
| Total votes | 1,036 | 100.0 | ||
General election[edit]
Results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Gerald A. Neal (incumbent) | 34,588 | 84.3 | |
| Republican | Shenita Rickman | 6,432 | 15.7 | |
| Total votes | 41,020 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
District 35[edit]
Incumbent senator Denise Harper Angel won reelection unopposed.
Democratic primary[edit]
Candidates[edit]
Nominee[edit]
- Denise Harper Angel, incumbent senator
General election[edit]
Results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Denise Harper Angel (incumbent) | Unopposed | |||
| Total votes | 35,860 | 100.0 | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
District 37[edit]
Incumbent senator Perry B. Clark won reelection unopposed.
Democratic primary[edit]
Candidates[edit]
Nominee[edit]
- Perry B. Clark, incumbent senator
General election[edit]
Results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Perry B. Clark (incumbent) | Unopposed | |||
| Total votes | 31,555 | 100.0 | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
Notes[edit]
- ^ Republican Steve West was elected in March 2015 to fill the vacant seat of Democrat Walter Blevins.
References[edit]
- ^ "Kentucky Senate - Republicans keep lopsided control of Kentucky Senate". The Lexington Herald-Leader. November 9, 2016. p. 5A.
The seat was open because Republican Sen. Carroll Gibson, who had held it for more than a decade, did not seek re-election.
- ^ "Primary - 15th district". The Lexington Herald-Leader. May 15, 2016. p. 3C.
Four men are seeking the Republican nomination to replace Sen. Chris Girdler in the 15th District, ... Girdler did not seek re-election.