Kentucky results for every midterm race
Kentucky caught the attention of the nation early as a contender in Democrats’ blue wave mission. The state has some strong Democratic DNA — like West Virginia, it is trending heavily red, but Democrats are still nearly half of the state’s registered voters.
But Republicans have nonetheless dominated Kentucky in recent years. Election Day here comes down to a lone congressional race for the Sixth Congressional District. Retired Marine Lt. Col. Amy McGrath made waves with a viral campaign ad to unseat Republican Rep. Andy Barr. That district sits in central Kentucky, encompassing the city of Lexington and rural counties around it — and though Barr has won here easily in the past, Cook Political Report rates it a toss-up.
McGrath is running the kind of campaign a lot of Democrats are trying to execute in traditionally red districts: She’s billing herself as a tough problem solver, independent from political party demands.
Republicans hold healthy majorities in both chambers of the state legislature in a year when the entire state house and half the state Senate is on the ballot.
President Trump won by nearly 30 points, and he still has a strong approval rating in the state, according to Morning Consult. Kentucky is also home to one of the Republican Party’s most partisan figures: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Democrats’ ability to cut into that dominance will be a true test.