2026 Kentucky Senate election
November 3, 2026
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19 out of 38 seats in the Kentucky Senate 20 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Map of the incumbents: Republican incumbent Republican incumbent retiring Democratic incumbent No election | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Kentucky |
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| Government |
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 is January 9, 2026.[1]
Retiring incumbents
A total of one senator (one Republican) have announced their retirement, none of whom are retiring to run for other offices.
Republican
- 14th: Jimmy Higdon (Lebanon): Retiring.[2]
Summary by district
† – Incumbent not seeking re-election
| District | Incumbent | Party | Elected | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
| 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
Filed paperwork
- Danny Carroll, incumbent senator[4]
District 4
Republican primary
Filed paperwork
- Robby Mills, incumbent senator[4]
District 6
Republican primary
Filed paperwork
- Lindsey Tichenor, incumbent senator[4]
Democratic primary
Candidates
District 8
Republican primary
Filed paperwork
- Gary Boswell, incumbent senator[4]
District 10
Republican primary
Filed paperwork
- Matthew Deneen, incumbent senator[4]
Democratic primary
Filed paperwork
- Christopher Gatrost[4]
District 12
Republican primary
Filed paperwork
- Amanda Mays Bledsoe, incumbent senator[4]
Democratic primary
Filed paperwork
District 14
Republican primary
Candidates
Filed paperwork
Declined
- Jimmy Higdon, incumbent senator[9]
Democratic primary
Filed paperwork
- Malcolm Jones[4]
District 16
Republican primary
Filed paperwork
District 18
Republican primary
Filed paperwork
- Robin L. Webb, incumbent senator[4]
District 20
Republican primary
Filed paperwork
- Gex Williams, incumbent senator[4]
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Stella Pollard[10]
District 22
Republican primary
Filed paperwork
- Donald Douglas, incumbent senator[4]
Democratic primary
Filed paperwork
- Todd Bassett[4]
District 24
Republican primary
Filed paperwork
- Shelley Funke Frommeyer, incumbent senator[4]
District 26
Democratic primary
Filed paperwork
- Karen Berg, incumbent senator[4]
District 28
Republican primary
Filed paperwork
- Greg Elkins, incumbent senator[4]
District 30
Republican primary
Candidates
- Brandon Smith, incumbent senator
- Bill Wesley, state representative from the 91st district (2021–present)
District 32
Republican primary
Filed paperwork
- Mike Wilson, incumbent senator[4]
District 34
Republican primary
Filed paperwork
- Jared Carpenter, incumbent senator[4]
District 36
Republican primary
Filed paperwork
- Julie Raque Adams, incumbent senator[4]
District 38
Republican primary
Filed paperwork
- Michael J. Nemes, incumbent senator[4]
See also
Notes
References
- ^ "Kentucky State Senate elections, 2026". Ballotpedia. Middleton, Wisconsin: Lucy Burns Institute. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
- ^ George, Dennis (September 3, 2025). "Higdon will not seek re-election in 2026". The News-Enterprise. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
- ^ Pinski, Hannah. "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 "Candidate Search - 2026 primary election". Kentucky Registry of Election Finance. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
- ^ Campaign website
- ^ Campaign website
- ^ Campaign website
- ^ Campaign website
- ^ George, Dennis (September 3, 2025). "Higdon will not seek re-election in 2026". The News-Enterprise. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
- ^ Campaign website