2026 Kentucky Senate election

2025 Kentucky Senate 37th district special election
December 16, 2025
	Precinct results; Clemons: 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 80-90% >90%; Leach: >90%; Tie: 30-40%
Senator before election; David Yates; Democratic	Elected Senator ; Gary Clemons; Democratic

2026 Kentucky Senate election
November 3, 2026
19 out of 38 seats in the Kentucky Senate; 20 seats needed for a majority
	Map of the incumbents:; Republican incumbent Republican incumbent retiring; Democratic incumbent No election
Incumbent Senate President; Robert Stivers; Republican	; ;

The 2026 Kentucky Senate election will be held on November 3, 2026. The Republican and Democratic primary elections will be held on May 19. Half of the senate (all even-numbered seats) are up for election. Following the 2024 election, Republicans and Democrats held 31 and seven seats, respectively. However, the party switch of Robin L. Webb in May 2025 increased the Republican majority to 32 seats. The deadline for candidates to file was January 9, 2026.^[1]

Overview

Party		Candidates		Votes	%	Seats
Party		Opposed	Unopposed	Votes	%	Before	Won	After	+/−
	Republican	10	9			32
	Democratic	10	0			6
Total		20	9			38	19	38	±0

Retiring incumbents

One senator, a Republican, has announced his retirement, and is not running for another office.

Republican

14th: Jimmy Higdon (Lebanon): Retiring.^[2]

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
Sabato's Crystal Ball^[3]	Safe R	January 22, 2026

Summary by district

† – Incumbent not seeking re-election

District	Incumbent
2	Danny Carroll	Rep
4	Robby Mills	Rep
6	Lindsey Tichenor	Rep
8	Gary Boswell	Rep
10	Matthew Deneen	Rep
12	Amanda Mays Bledsoe	Rep
14	Jimmy Higdon†	Rep
16	Max Wise	Rep
18	Robin L. Webb	Rep^[a]
20	Gex Williams	Rep
22	Donald Douglas	Rep
24	Shelley Funke Frommeyer	Rep
26	Karen Berg	Dem
28	Greg Elkins	Rep
30	Brandon Smith	Rep
32	Mike Wilson	Rep
34	Jared Carpenter	Rep
36	Julie Raque Adams	Rep
38	Michael J. Nemes	Rep

Special elections

District 37 special

David Yates resigned from the senate on October 8, 2025, in order to become the county clerk of Jefferson County. A special election was held on December 16, 2025.

2025 Kentucky Senate 37th district special election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Gary Clemons	3,752	72.6
	Republican	Calvin Leach	1,297	25.1
	Libertarian	Wendy Higdon	121	2.3
Total votes			5,170	100.0
	Democratic hold

District 2

Republican primary

Candidates

Danny Carroll, incumbent senator^[5]

District 4

Republican primary

Candidates

Robby Mills, incumbent senator^[5]

District 6

Republican primary

Candidates

Lindsey Tichenor, incumbent senator^[5]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Christian Furman, physician^[5]
Chaz Stoess^[5]

Results

Democratic primary results
Party		Candidate	%
	Democratic	Christian Furman
	Democratic	Chaz Stoess
Total votes			100.0

District 8

Republican primary

Candidates

Gary Boswell, incumbent senator^[5]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Vicki Quisenberry^[5]

District 10

Republican primary

Candidates

Matthew Deneen, incumbent senator^[5]
Louis Grider, perennial candidate^[b]^[5]

Results

Republican primary results
Party		Candidate	%
	Republican	Matt Deneen (incumbent)
	Republican	Louis Grider
Total votes			100.0

Democratic primary

Candidates

Christopher Gatrost^[5]

District 12

Republican primary

Candidates

Amanda Mays Bledsoe, incumbent senator^[5]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Tyler K. Dean^[5]

District 14

Republican primary

Candidates

Brian Bayers, Spencer County magistrate (2015–2019)^[5]
Stephen Carney, Washington County magistrate (2023–present)^[5]
Ben Mudd, pharmacist^[5]
Dallas Robinson, former Olympic bobsledder^[5]
Lynn Shelburne, member of the Spencer County Board of Education (2015–present)^[5]
Peggy Brady Smith^[5]
James Victery^[5]

Declined

Jimmy Higdon, incumbent senator^[2]

Results

Republican primary results
Party		Candidate	%
	Republican	Brian Bayers
	Republican	Stephen Carney
	Republican	Ben Mudd
	Republican	Dallas Robinson
	Republican	Lynn Shelburne
	Republican	Peggy Brady Smith
	Republican	James Victery
Total votes			100.0

Democratic primary

Candidates

Malcolm W. Jones^[5]
Carrie Gribbins Truitt, member of the Marion County Board of Education (2017–present)^[5]

Results

Democratic primary results
Party		Candidate	%
	Democratic	Malcolm W. Jones
	Democratic	Carrie Gribbins Truitt
Total votes			100.0

District 16

Republican primary

Candidates

Max Wise, incumbent senator^[5]

District 18

Republican primary

Candidates

Robin L. Webb, incumbent senator^[5]

District 20

Republican primary

Candidates

Gex Williams, incumbent senator^[5]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Stella R. Pollard^[5]

District 22

Republican primary

Candidates

Donald Douglas, incumbent senator^[5]

District 24

Republican primary

Candidates

Shelley Funke Frommeyer, incumbent senator^[5]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Joshua Baker^[5]

District 26

Democratic primary

Candidates

Karen Berg, incumbent senator^[5]

Republican primary

Candidates

Everett C. Corley, perennial candidate^[c]^[5]
Sheeba Jolly, candidate for the 36th district in 2018^[5]

Results

Republican primary results
Party		Candidate	%
	Republican	Everett C. Corley
	Republican	Sheeba Jolly
Total votes			100.0

District 28

Republican primary

Candidates

Greg Elkins, incumbent senator^[5]

District 30

Republican primary

Candidates

Brandon Smith, incumbent senator^[5]
Bill Wesley, state representative from the 91st district (2021–present)^[5]

Results

Republican primary results
Party		Candidate	%
	Republican	Brandon D. Smith (incumbent)
	Republican	Billy Wesley
Total votes			100.0

District 32

Republican primary

Candidates

Mike Wilson, incumbent senator^[5]

District 34

Republican primary

Candidates

Jared Carpenter, incumbent senator^[5]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Jessica D. McIntosh^[5]

District 36

Republican primary

Candidates

Julie Raque Adams, incumbent senator^[5]
David J. Farley^[5]

Results

Republican primary results
Party		Candidate	%
	Republican	Julie Raque Adams (incumbent)
	Republican	David J. Farley
Total votes			100.0

Democratic primary

Candidates

Sarah Cole McIntosh, member of the Jefferson County Board of Education (2021–2025)^[5]
Luke Whitehead, former University of Louisville basketball player^[5]

Results

Democratic primary results
Party		Candidate	%
	Democratic	Sarah Cole McIntosh
	Democratic	Luke Whitehead
Total votes			100.0

District 38

Republican primary

Candidates

Michael J. Nemes, incumbent senator^[5]

Notes

^ Switched parties in May 2025.^[4]
^ Candidate for sheriff of Hardin County in 2010, 2014, 2018; candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2020.
^ Candidate for this district in 2022, the 43rd house district in 2018, and Kentucky's 3rd congressional district in 2016.

References

^ "Kentucky State Senate elections, 2026". Ballotpedia. Middleton, Wisconsin: Lucy Burns Institute. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
^ ^a ^b George, Dennis (September 3, 2025). "Higdon will not seek re-election in 2026". The News-Enterprise. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
^ Jacobson, Louis (January 22, 2026). "Handicapping The 2026 State Legislative Map: A First Look". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
^ Pinski, Hannah (May 30, 2025). "Last rural Democrat in Kentucky senate leaves party, growing GOP supermajority". The Courier Journal. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac ^ad ^ae ^af ^ag ^ah ^ai ^aj ^ak ^al ^am ^an ^ao ^ap Pinski, Hannah (January 12, 2026). "Elections 2026: Meet the candidates for Kentucky state House, Senate seats". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved February 7, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)

[5] Switched parties in May 2025.^[4]

[7] Candidate for sheriff of Hardin County in 2010, 2014, 2018; candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2020.

[8] Candidate for this district in 2022, the 43rd house district in 2018, and Kentucky's 3rd congressional district in 2016.

[1] "Kentucky State Senate elections, 2026". Ballotpedia. Middleton, Wisconsin: Lucy Burns Institute. Retrieved February 10, 2025.

[Higdon-2] George, Dennis (September 3, 2025). "Higdon will not seek re-election in 2026". The News-Enterprise. Retrieved September 3, 2025.

[3] Jacobson, Louis (January 22, 2026). "Handicapping The 2026 State Legislative Map: A First Look". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved January 22, 2026.

[4] Pinski, Hannah (May 30, 2025). "Last rural Democrat in Kentucky senate leaves party, growing GOP supermajority". The Courier Journal. Retrieved May 30, 2025.

[Candidates-6] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac ^ad ^ae ^af ^ag ^ah ^ai ^aj ^ak ^al ^am ^an ^ao ^ap Pinski, Hannah (January 12, 2026). "Elections 2026: Meet the candidates for Kentucky state House, Senate seats". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved February 7, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)

[1]

[2]

[3]

[a]

[5]

[b]

[c]

[4]

(2025 ←) 2026 United States elections (→ 2027)
U.S. Senate	Alabama Alaska Arkansas Colorado Delaware Florida (special) Georgia Idaho Illinois Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Montana Nebraska New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico North Carolina Ohio (special) Oklahoma Oregon Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Virginia West Virginia Wyoming
U.S. House (election ratings)	Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas California 1st sp Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia 14th sp Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey 11th sp New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Northern Mariana Islands Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas 18th sp U.S. Virgin Islands Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Governors	Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Iowa Kansas Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Mexico New York Northern Mariana Islands Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas U.S. Virgin Islands Vermont Wisconsin Wyoming
Lieutenant governors	Alabama Arkansas California Georgia Idaho Nevada Oklahoma Rhode Island Texas Vermont
Attorneys general	Alabama Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Guam Idaho Illinois Iowa Kansas Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Nebraska Nevada New Mexico New York North Dakota Northern Mariana Islands Ohio Oklahoma Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Texas Vermont Wisconsin
Secretaries of state	Alabama Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Georgia Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Nebraska Nevada New Mexico North Dakota Ohio Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Vermont Wisconsin Wyoming
State treasurers	Alabama Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Massachusetts Nebraska Nevada New Mexico Ohio Oklahoma Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Texas Vermont Wisconsin Wyoming
State auditors	Alabama Arkansas California Connecticut Delaware Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Maryland Massachusetts Minnesota Missouri Nebraska Nevada New Mexico New York Ohio Oklahoma South Carolina South Dakota Vermont Wyoming
Judicial	Alabama Supreme Court Appellate courts Alaska Arkansas Supreme Court Georgia Supreme Court Court of Appeals Minnesota Montana Supreme Court North Carolina Ohio Supreme Court Tennessee Texas Supreme Court Wisconsin Supreme Court
Other statewide elections	Alabama Agriculture Commissioner Board of Education Public Service Commission Arizona Corporation Commission Superintendent of Public Instruction Arkansas Land Commissioner California Insurance Commissioner State Superintendent Colorado Board of Education Board of Regents Florida Agriculture Commissioner Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Insurance Commissioner Labor Commissioner Public Service Commission Superintendent Hawaii Office of Hawaiian Affairs Idaho State Superintendent Iowa Agriculture Secretary Louisiana Public Service Commission Montana Public Service Commission Nebraska Board of Education NU Board of Regents Public Service Commission New Mexico Land Commissioner Nevada Board of Regents South Carolina Agriculture Commissioner Texas Agriculture Commissioner Board of Education Utah Board of Education
State legislatures	Alabama House Senate Alaska House Senate Arizona House Senate Arkansas House Senate California Assembly Senate Colorado House Senate Connecticut House Senate Delaware House Senate Florida House Senate Georgia House Senate Hawaii House Senate Idaho House Senate Illinois House Senate Indiana House Senate Iowa House Senate Kansas House Kentucky House Senate Maine House Senate Maryland House Senate Massachusetts House Senate Michigan House Senate Minnesota House Senate Missouri House Senate Montana House Senate Nebraska Nevada Assembly Senate New Hampshire House Senate New Mexico House New York Assembly Senate North Carolina House Senate North Dakota House Senate Ohio House Senate Oklahoma House Senate Oregon House Senate Pennsylvania House Senate Rhode Island House Senate South Carolina House South Dakota House Senate Tennessee House Senate Texas House Senate Utah House Senate Vermont House Senate Washington House Senate West Virginia House Senate Wisconsin Assembly Senate Wyoming House Senate
Territorial legislatures	American Samoa House Senate Guam Northern Mariana Islands Senate House US Virgin Islands
Mayors	Flint, MI Lexington, KY Los Angeles, CA Louisville, KY Oklahoma City, OK Orange County, FL Reno, NV Sioux Falls, SD St. Petersburg, FL Tallahassee, FL Washington, DC
Municipal	Los Angeles, CA San Francisco, CA Board of Supervisors Portland, OR Council Washington, D.C. Council At-large sp
County	Anne Arundel County, MD Executive Baldwin County, AL Baltimore County, MD Executive Bexar County, TX Judge District Attorney Dallas County, TX DeKalb County, GA Douglas County, NE Fort Bend County, TX County Judge Frederick County, MD Executive Fulton County, GA Harford County, MD Executive Harris County, TX Board of Commissioners Judge Hawaii County, HI Hennepin County, MN Attorney Honolulu City and County, HI Howard County, MD Executive Jefferson County, AL Commission Sheriff Kauaʻi County, HI Los Angeles County, CA Board of Supervisors Maui County, HI Mobile County, AL Montgomery County, MD Executive Orange County, FL Mayor Prince George's County, MD Executive St. Louis County, MO Executive Tarrant County, TX Judge Wake County, NC District Attorney Wicomico County, MD Executive
Statewide	Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Northern Mariana Islands Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas U.S. Virgin Islands Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Ballot measures	Alabama Amendment 1 Amendment 2 Hawaii SB 121 Kansas Citizenship Voting Requirement Amendment Supreme Court Elections Amendment Missouri Amendment 3 Amendment 4 Nevada Question 6 North Dakota Measure 2 South Dakota Amendment L Utah HB 267 Vermont Proposal 3 Virginia