Kentucky voters will head to the polls on Tuesday for the state Primary Election.
Only offices with opposition within the party will appear on the May 17 ballot. Those without in-party opposition will be in the November General Election ballot.
While early voting has concluded in some most areas, some counties may offer the option on Monday, please check with your county clerk’s office to be certain.
Otherwise, polls will open at 6 a.m. and remain open until 6 p.m. in Kentucky.
Statewide, Republican Senator Rand Paul will find opposition within the party from John Schiess, Tami L. Stanfield, Arnold Blankenship, Valeri “Dr. Val” Fredrick and Paul V. Hamilton.
On the Democrat side of the ballot, the party’s November representative on the ballot will be decided from contenders John Merrill, Joshua Wesley Blanton Jr., Charles Booker and Ruth Gao.
For U.S Representative, four of the five Buffalo Trace counties — Bracken, Mason, Robertson and Lewis — are in the 4th District and will find incumbent Republican Thomas Massie of Lewis County facing opposition from fellow Republicans Claire With, George Washington and Alyssa Dara McDowell.
Fleming County, in the 6th District, voters will find Republican incumbent Andy Barr facing Derek Petteys for the November spot and on the Democratic side of the ballot, Geoffrey Young and Chris Preece will vye for the fall slot.
In Mason County, voters will find few local races, with only one local county commission Republican ballot slot up for grabs with Jason Charles Sheppeck and Alicia M. Moran in the 2nd District hoping to win their way into the General Election.
In Bracken County, Republican voters will be asked to choose between Jessica Neal, Shelley “Funke” Frommeyer and Chris Robinson for the 24th State Senatorial District seat.
In countywide races on the Republican ballot, James Johnson and Cynthia Ruf are the choices for judge-executive, Jennifer Free and Dolly Plummer for county clerk and Mark Branham and Robert “Bobby” Boody for sheriff.
Also in Republican races, 1st District magistrate candidates include Sandy Ruf and Kody Jarrell; 6th District, John T. Scott, Danielle Evans and Trevor Hargett; 7th District, Abraham D. Johnson and Heather Free Brumley; and 8th District, Garvice E. Woods and Kevin Jarrells.
Democrats will find races for 5th District magistrate between Troy Teegarden and John M. Goecke; and 8th District, Jeff Collins and Ronald “Rusty” Monahon.
In Fleming County, Republican races include those for PVA with Stephanie B. Hardin and David J. Deatley; judge-executive between Heath Gray and John Sims Jr.; and jailer, Jeff Harmon and Jason Duncan.
For 1st District magistrate, either Joshua T. Marrs, Mark T. Hendrix and Kerri Lynn Moran will move forward to the November election; and in the 2nd District, it will be Taylor B. Hunt or Ken Allen III; 4th District, Christopher L. Smoot, Joe Dunaway Jr. or Danny Stephens; and in the 5th District, Seth Ramey or Donnie “Hot Shot” Fawns.
In Lewis County, the Republican judge-executive race features five candidates — Tony Palarie, George Sparks, David W. Iery, Steven Applegate and Carey Highfield; and two candidates are in the race for county clerk. They are Stephanie G. Story and Leslie A. Collier.
Magisterial district races among Republican include 1st District, Johnny Osborne, Terri Thomas and Michael Jerome Grayson; 2nd District, Joey McCann and Cindy Applegate; and 3rd District, Curtis Brewer and Mark A. Riley.
Candidates for 3rd District constable include Harold “Hammer” Cooper and Thaddeus Lawhun; and 4th District, Mark A. Horsley, Chuck Swearingen, Mitchell Wilson and Arthur Rayburn.
Robertson County voters will find Gregory King and Valerie Sweeney Grigson hoping to gain a spot on the Republican ballot in the General Election as judge-executive.
Democrats will choose among Democrats Mark A. Sutton and incumbent Stephanie A. Holbrook for judge-executive; and Lyle Hendrix, Benny Renner and Terry Lynn Gray for sheriff.
Magistrates in the Democratic primary in Robertson County include Paula Wright, Billy “Hammer” Allison, Rita Goddard and Vernon Kenny Highfield for 1st District; Sherry Cain Myers and Larry W. Jones for 3rd District; and Billy Stitt and Nicholas Flack for 5th District.
