Blue Wave: What the 2026 Midterms Mean for Kentucky

On Tuesday, November 3, 2026, Americans voted in the midterm elections. Around the country, the results greatly favored Democrats. They now control both chambers of Congress with substantial majorities and won several statewide races in other states. In Kentucky, Democrats made gains in both state and federal races, though those gains were more modest than elsewhere.

Federal Races

Kentucky had two high profile federal races on its midterm ballot this year: the race to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell in the U.S. Senate and the Lexington-based 6th Congressional District. In the Senate race, Republican Andy Barr defeated Democrat Charles Booker 55%-43%. Barr will begin his term in the Senate in January with Sen. Rand Paul becoming Kentucky’s senior senator. In the 6th District, Democrat Zach Dembo defeated Republican Ralph Alvarado 53%-43%, flipping the seat from Republican to Democrat control. This is the first time a Democrat has won the seat since 2010.

State Senate (30-8 Republican Majority)

Three KY Senate races drew notable attention.

• 6th District: Democrat Christian Furman defeated Republican Sen. Lindsey Tichenor 51%-49%, flipping the seat from Republican to Democrat control. Sen. Tichenor has been recognized as a KY Family Champion every year of her term, and we are certainly disappointed to see her strong pro-family voice leave the Senate.
• 20th District: Republican Sen. Gex Williams defeated Democrat Stella Pollard 53%-47%. In his first term back in the Senate, Sen. Williams was instrumental in the effort to ban gender “transitions” on minors and in protecting kids from online pornography.
• 36th District: Democrat Sarah McIntosh defeated Republican Sen. Julie Raque Adams 52%-48%, flipping the seat from Republican to Democrat control.

After these results, the KY Senate will have 30 Republicans and 8 Democrats. Every Democrat in the Senate represents the Lexington or Louisville area.

State House (74-26 Republican Majority)

Several KY House races drew attention, including a few election-night surprises.

• 28th District: Democrat Almaria Baker defeated Republican Rep. Jarred Bauman 54%-46%, flipping the seat from Republican to Democrat control.
• 29th District: Democrat Cassie Blausey defeated Republican Rep. Chris Lewis 53%-47%, flipping the seat from Republican to Democrat control.
• 31st District: Democrat Tim Hall defeated Republican Rep. Susan Tyler Witten 57%-43%, flipping the seat from Republican to Democrat control.
• 33rd District: Democrat Jennifer Hardin defeated Republican Rep. Jason Nemes 51%-49%, flipping the seat from Republican to Democrat control. Rep. Nemes was the House Majority Whip, meaning Republicans will have to choose at least one new member of leadership next session.
• 36th District: Republican Rep. John Hodgson defeated Democrat Woody Zorn 50.2%-49.8%. Rep. Hodgson has been recognized as a KY Family Champion every year he has been in the KY House.
• 39th District: Democrat Ryan Stanford defeated Republican Rep. Matt Lockett 51%-49%, flipping the seat from Republican to Democrat control. Rep. Lockett has been recognized as a KY Family Champion every year of his time in the KY House and has been a leader on protecting kids online. We are certainly disappointed to see his strong pro-family voice leave the House.
• 45th District: Democrat Rep. Adam Moore defeated former Republican Rep. Killian Timoney 54%-46%.
•  48th District: Democrat Suhas Kulkarni defeated Republican Ken Fleming 52%-48%, flipping the seat from Republican to Democrat control.
• 65th District: Democrat Aaron Currin defeated Republican Rep. Stephanie Dietz 53%-47%, flipping the seat from Republican to Democrat control.
• 69th District: Republican Rep. Steven Doan defeated Democrat Wilanne Stangel 52%-48%. Rep. Doan was recognized as a KY Family Champion in 2024, 2025, and 2026.
• 88th District: Republican Rep. Vanessa Grossl defeated Independent L. Scott Miller 53%-47%. Last session, Rep. Grossl made state news by becoming the first sitting Republican legislator to speak at a Planned Parenthood rally.
• 95th District: Republican Tanner Hesterberg defeated former Democrat Sen. Johnny Ray Turner 60%-40%, flipping the seat from Democrat to Republican control. This district was the last Democrat-controlled district in Eastern Kentucky.

After these results, the Republicans will have 74 members while the Democrats will have 26. Every Democrat is from Louisville, Frankfort, the Lexington area, or the Cincinnati suburbs of Northern Kentucky. Only two Republicans now represent Louisville in the House.

Other KY Races

Several other results stood out in Kentucky and beyond. Kentuckians in the Lexington area had a race for the Court of Appeals on their ballots that pitted Judge Will Moynahan against Lucy Ferguson VanMeter. Judge Moynahan was appointed to the seat by Gov. Beshear and received support from Planned Parenthood and pro-LGBTQ groups. VanMeter defeated Moynahan 59%-41%.

Notable Ballot Initiatives

In other states, several ballot initiatives on pro-family topics appeared on midterm ballots with notable results. In Arizona, Colorado, Washington, and Nebraska, voters passed initiatives that banned males from girls’ sports. Colorado also voted to ban gender “transition” surgeries on minors. Besides Nebraska, these states voted Democrat but still supported reining in the trans insanity. In Nebraska, voters also defeated two initiatives that sought to legalize sports betting. The result came despite heavy spending from the gambling industry in support of both initiatives. In Wisconsin, voters amended their state constitution to restrict DEI despite also voting for Democrats at all levels of government. And in Idaho, voters rejected a radical abortion amendment that sought to legalize unrestricted abortion. Despite a significant shift left in partisan races, conservative ideas achieved several victories at the ballot box.

With the 2026 elections behind us, Kentuckians will soon turn to the 2027 statewide races, when every constitutional office will be on the ballot. With Gov. Beshear term limited, the most notable race will be for the next governor of Kentucky.

Despite the good election year for Democrats, Kentuckians still entrusted Republicans with a supermajority in both the House and Senate. Moving forward, the General Assembly must present a bold pro-family conservative agenda that protects life, expands religious liberty, defends conscience rights, strengthens parental rights, and makes Kentucky a better place for families to thrive. The Family Foundation is ready to advocate for such an agenda when the General Assembly returns in January.