Democrats Finally Lost Their Last State House Seat in Rural Kentucky

Kentucky Democrats lost their last rural seat in the state House when Republican David Pennington won the Floyd County-based district. The result came during a strong national midterm for Democrats and highlights the party’s retreat from eastern Kentucky, where it once held deep roots.

Democrats gained seven House seats and two Senate seats, mostly in Louisville-area suburbs, but Republicans kept veto-proof supermajorities in both chambers. Democratic nominee Johnny Ray Turner, a former state senator, received less than 40 per cent of the vote. The next General Assembly’s Democrats will represent urban areas and suburbs, while Governor Andy Beshear’s rural popularity has not translated into wider party success.