Pres. Trump has Firm Grip on GOP: Last week’s primary election cycle highlighted Pres. Trump’s sway over Republican candidates and the outcome of several elections. Nowhere was this more clear than in Trump’s effort to oust Kentucky 4th District Congressman Thomas Massie from office. Trump recruited and endorsed former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein who avoided interviews and debates. Some $35 million was spent in the race, which was a record amount for a Congressional primary. The race was closely watched by national and international news outlets curious over whether an elected Republican could oppose Trump at times and remain in office. The question appears to be answered. Trump’s power and influence over Republican candidates remains strong.
6th District Congressman Andy Barr was endorsed by Trump a week before the election and won the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate to replace Mitch McConnell. Barr bested Daniel Cameron by 30 percentage points. He’ll face far-left Democrat Charles Booker from Louisville. Ralph Alvarado also received Trump’s endorsement for the 6th District Congressional seat and defeated Ryan Dotson 57% to 26%. Zach Dembo, a former Department of Justice attorney, won his primary and will square off against Alvarado in November..
Three Kentucky House Incumbents Lost: Louisville Democrat Daniel Grossberg, who was plagued by ethics violations and charges of misconduct, lost in a three-way primary. Grossberg was asked to step down by Governor Andy Beshear but it was voters who ousted him. Louisville State Rep. Beverly Chester-Burton re-election campaign hung under a cloud of previous DUI convictions. She lost by five votes. Kim Banta, a northern Kentucky moderate Republican, lost her bid to newcomer (and former CPC staffer) Cole Cuzick. A total of 13 votes separated the candidates.
Incumbent Judge-executives Lost: Altogether, 18 Kentucky County Judge-executives, which are the highest county office holders, lost their re-election bids. The defeats cut across party lines as both Democratic and Republican judges lost their primaries. The most notable, Judge Gary Moore of Boone County was ousted by conservative Chet Hand. The turnover, described as an “unusually high number” of incumbent’s who lost, amounted to 15% of all judge executive positions.
Voter Turnout Higher Than Expected: To the surprise of Secretary of State Michael Adams, voter turnout was five percentage points higher than projected. Altogether, 25% of eligible voters turned out to vote in the midterms. Approximately 20% of eligible voters turned out in the 2022 mid-term primary election in Kentucky
PAC Spending: Several Political Action Committees engaged in state level elections, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars. In particular, several PACs engaged to defeat true conservatives, Cole Cuzick and Scott Berger. PACS like the Americans for Prosperity, the casino-backed and teacher’s union-funded Commonwealth Conservative Coalition, and others attacked the most conservative Republican in the race, yet each of these PACs still lost.
The fact that true conservatives prevailed in districts where CPC election resources were distributed shows that when candidates focus on the issues facing voters and take a conservative position, this matters greatly to Republican voters. Likewise, it shows the value CPCs election resources in highlighting this fact. As State Rep. Josh Calloway said, “The candidate comparison provided a contrast between me and my opponent. When one of the voters looked at her responses in 2024 and compared it to this year’s, it looked like she had flipped on her positions… It definitely had an impact.”