On May 19, voters in Kentucky went to the polls to select the party nominees for the 2026 General Election. There were contested races throughout the ballot, including elections for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, and KY General Assembly. Several of those races pitted conservative candidates against more moderate options. In the Republican primary, the results were a mixed bag, with some conservatives winning and some losing.
At the state level, pro-family conservatives received a huge victory when former TFF team member Cole Cuzick defeated incumbent state Rep. Kim Banta by 13 votes in the 63rd KY House District. Establishment groups, funded by anti-family organizations like big gambling, the far-left Louisville teachers’ union, big tobacco, and gun control advocates, spent over $100,000 trying to save Banta, but her pro-LGBTQ voting record ended up being too much for Republican voters in the district. This is the second election cycle in a row that a pro-LGBTQ Republican lost a primary to a more conservative challenger. In 2024, former Rep. Killian Timoney lost his re-election bid to challenger Thomas Jefferson by around 50%.
Conservatives also received wins when strong incumbents survived primary challenges. In the 10th District, Rep. Josh Calloway defeated liberal Julie Cantwell by almost 30%. Rep. John Hodgson won his primary over Rex Toler by more than 60% in the 36th District. In the 47th District, Rep. Felicia Rabourn defeated Mark Gilkison by 16%. Rep. Steven Doan defeated Jesse Foreman by 57% in the 69th District. And in the 78th District, Mark Hart beat Brandon Montano by around 50%. The Family Foundation recognized all these incumbents as Family Champions for their work during the 2025 KY General Assembly. These election victories help ensure that pro-family conservatives remain strong in the General Assembly.
There were also notable open seats that had to be filled after several incumbent State Representatives announced their retirement. Rep. Scott Lewis (KY House District 14) decided against running for re-election; Wes Pate won the Republican primary for that seat. In the 24th District, Nancy Tate retired, and Joseph Redmon won the Republican nomination. Rep. Ken Upchurch retired from the 52nd District, and Kevin Jones won the Republican nomination. In the 70th District, Mike Fisher won the Republican nomination, after Rep. William Lawrence retired. After Rep. Ryan Dotson ran for Congress, Daniel Konstantopoulos won the Republican nomination for the 73rd District. In the 74th District, David Charles won the Republican nomination to replace retiring Rep. David Hale. And in the 91st District, Darrell Billings won the Republican nomination after Rep. Bill Wesley retired to run for the state senate. Please pray that these freshmen legislators will support much needed pro-life and pro-family conservative change in Frankfort.
In the KY State Senate, there were two notable elections that received lots of attention. In the 14th District, Ben Mudd narrowly won a crowded primary to replace retiring Sen. Jimmy Higdon. Dallas Robinson finished a close second to Mudd. And in the 30th District, Sen. Brandon Smith defeated challenger Rep. Bill Wesley by around 7.5%.
At the federal level, the big story was certainly President Donald Trump’s considerable influence over the Republican party as his endorsed candidates each won over more conservative opponents. In the race for U.S. Senate to replace retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell, Rep. Andy Barr defeated more conservative opponents, most notably former Attorney General Daniel Cameron who came in second place. In the highly contested 4th U.S. House District that saw record amounts of money from outside Kentucky, moderate Ed Gallrein defeated conservative Rep. Thomas Massie by around 8%. And in the 6th U.S. House District currently held by Rep. Barr, former State Sen. Ralph Alvarado defeated State Rep. Ryan Dotson.
With the primary election concluded and the party nominees selected, the General Election campaign is officially underway in Kentucky. Candidates will compete for the votes of all Kentuckians with the hope of winning election to the offices they are seeking. As the election approaches, be on the lookout for updates about the candidates that will be on your November ballot.
You can view the full Republican and Democratic primary election results on the Kentucky Secretary of State website here, and you can also view the Kentucky iVoterguide, which has been updated to note the primary election winners. Later this Fall, iVoterGuide will release a General Election voter guide for the races on the ballot in November.