2023 Kentucky elections
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A general election was held in the U.S. state of Kentucky on November 7, 2023.[1][2]
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Notably, few Democratic candidates ran for statewide offices. The Lexington Herald-Leader attributed this to Kentucky's strong Republican lean and the fact that Republicans gained seats in the Kentucky General Assembly in 2022. However, Democrats have pointed to recent victories by liberal judges in nonpartisan elections and the defeat of a 2022 ballot measure that would have removed abortion rights from the Kentucky Constitution as signs that they can still win in the state.
Governor
Incumbent governor Andy Beshear ran for re-election.[3] He faced Republican nominee, incumbent attorney general Daniel Cameron. Due to his high favorability ratings, Beshear was considered the favorite in the election; however, polling tightened in the week leading up to the election.[4] Despite this apparent late momentum for Cameron, Beshear went on to comfortably win re-election by five percentage points, improving on his 2019 performance by 4.6 percentage points.
Secretary of State
Incumbent secretary of state Michael Adams ran for re-election.[5] He faced former state representative Charles "Buddy" Wheatley.
Unlike 2019, the race was not close. Adams won re-election by 21.2 percentage points, improving upon his past performance by 16.7 percentage points.
Attorney General
Incumbent attorney general Daniel Cameron ran for governor.[6]
Kentucky State Representative for the 43rd District Pamela Stevenson announced a run to succeed Cameron. She was the only high-profile state-level Democrat (barring Andy Beshear and Jacqueline Coleman) to have announced a run for statewide office.[7]
Russell Coleman, former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky was the only Republican candidate to have declared a run, and thus won the Republican primary unopposed.[8][9]
Coleman would go on to win the election by 16 percentage points. He also narrowly improved on Daniel Cameron’s win in 2019 by 0.5 percentage points.
Auditor of Public Accounts
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November 7, 2023
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  Ball: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Reeder: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Incumbent Auditor Mike Harmon was term-limited and could not seek re-election. He ran for governor.[10]
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
Eliminated in primary
- Derek Petteys[12]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Allison Ball | 190,685 | 72.4 | |
| Republican | Derek Petteys | 72,581 | 27.6 | |
| Total votes | 263,266 | 100 | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
Endorsements
General election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Allison Ball | 783,217 | 60.8 | |
| Democratic | Kim Reeder | 505,924 | 39.2 | |
| Total votes | 1,289,141 | 100 | ||
State Treasurer
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November 7, 2023
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 Metcalf: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Bowman: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Incumbent treasurer Allison Ball was term-limited and could not seek re-election. She ran successfully for state auditor.[11]
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Mark Metcalf, Garrard County Attorney[15][16]
Eliminated in primary
Endorsements
Statewide officials
- Allison Ball, incumbent treasurer[19]
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mark Metcalf | 135,400 | 51.2 | |
| Republican | Andrew Cooperrider | 77,347 | 29.3 | |
| Republican | OJ Oleka | 51,582 | 19.5 | |
| Total votes | 264,329 | 100 | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Michael Bowman, special assistant to Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman, former bank manager, and nominee for state treasurer in 2019[20][16]
Declined
- Neville Blakemore, construction executive and candidate for state treasurer in 2015[21]
- Matthew Lehman, pharmaceutical executive and nominee for Kentucky's 4th congressional district in 2022[21]
Endorsements
General election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mark Metcalf | 735,522 | 57.2 | |
| Democratic | Michael Bowman | 549,461 | 42.8 | |
| Write-in | 155 | 0.0 | ||
| Total votes | 1,285,138 | 100 | ||
Commissioner of Agriculture
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November 7, 2023
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 Shell: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Enlow: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Incumbent Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles ran for governor.[22]
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Jonathan Shell, former majority leader of the Kentucky House of Representatives[23][24]
Eliminated in primary
- Richard Heath, state representative and candidate for agriculture commissioner in 2015[25][24]
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 80–90%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 50–60%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jonathan Shell | 148,169 | 56.5 | |
| Republican | Richard Heath | 114,291 | 43.5 | |
| Total votes | 262,460 | 100 | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Sierra Enlow, former Louisville Economic Development Manager[26][24]
Eliminated in primary
- Mikael Malone[24]
Declined
- Rocky Adkins, senior advisor to Governor Andy Beshear, former minority leader of the Kentucky House of Representatives, and candidate for governor in 2019[27]
Endorsements
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Sierra Enlow | 103,243 | 58.7 | |
| Democratic | Mikael Malone | 72,560 | 41.3 | |
| Total votes | 175,803 | 100 | ||
General election
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Jonathan Shell (R) |
Sierra Enlow (D) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Opinion Strategies (R)[28][A] | July 19–20, 2023 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 45% | 27% | 27% |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jonathan Shell | 763,468 | 59.4 | |
| Democratic | Sierra Enlow | 522,521 | 40.6 | |
| Total votes | 1,285,989 | 100 | ||
See also
Notes
- Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear
Partisan clients
- Poll commissioned by the Republican State Leadership Committee