Major leaders from the party’s left wing, from Sens. Kentucky is a challenging state for Democrats to compete in a federal general election. Perhaps benefiting from Democrats’ distaste for McConnell, McGrath has been raking in fundraising cash. The commonwealth has six congressional districts. The Kentucky Senate race was one of the few June 23 primaries where a young progressive Black candidate didn’t surge to victory. Jefferson Circuit Judge Annie O'Connell ordered the doors back open until 6:30 p.m. after two Democratic U.S. Senate candidates asked for the order. McConnell is something of a boogeyman for Democrats, who despise him for moves like denying President Obama’s Supreme Court pick Merrick Garland a hearing, or holding up the vast majority of House bills in the Senate to prioritize filling the federal judiciary with 200 conservative judges — thereby reshaping the courts for a generation. Tweet; Share. He likes being the devil,” Nickolas said. When national Democrats approached McGrath about running against McConnell, the thinking was that if anyone could beat him, a woman Marine Corps veteran with 20 years of military service would be a good bet. Precincts reporting figures are not shown. Adams said the state typically sees about 20% turnout for a primary election but expects it to exceed 30% in this primary. She raised more than $40 million ahead of the primary, significantly outraising Booker and even McConnell. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. CHECK OUT WLWT:Stay in the know. Kentucky voters must be registered with a political party to participate in their primary elections. Barr's victory came several days after he suffered a tragedy with the death of his wife. Former Marine pilot Amy McGrath and freshman lawmaker Charles Booker were the leading vote-getters in the crowded Democratic primary, with results unreported from the state's two largest cities, Louisville and Lexington. Democrats are also hoping they can replicate Democratic Gov. U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie defeated challenger Todd McMurtry to cap a bare-knuckled race that included attacks over whose allegiance to President Donald Trump was strongest. Booker dominated in Jefferson County, his home area around Louisville and a key area for Democrats. McGrath is the moderate Democratic Party-backed candidate and a fundraising juggernaut. Booker’s campaign surge also started after some Kentucky voters had cast absentee ballots, although it’s difficult to know how much of an impact that could have had on the outcome. McGrath has been the benefactor of Democratic donors who would like nothing more than to see McConnell gone; 96 percent of her donations are from out-of-state donors, according to OpenSecrets. The former Marine fighter pilot dispatched Democratic opponent Charles Booker and will face Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in … A super PAC aligned with McConnell has already booked nearly $11 million in ads to run this fall, an investment that came alongside more likely battleground states like Arizona, North Carolina and Maine. Everyone in the White House cluster who has reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus. Advocacy groups also called for extended voting time in Lexington, citing long lines and waits of more than an hour. 2020 elections. Besides allowing registered voters to send absentee ballots by mail, the state had two weeks of early voting. Trump will almost certainly win Kentucky in 2020, so the best Democrats can hope for is a split-ticket scenario where pro-Trump voters don’t cast their ballot for McConnell. There is a statewide race for U.S. Senate this year, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell running for reelection. McGrath called for the party to unify in the effort to defeat McConnell, and promised a dialogue with those voters who didn't support her. Please consider making a contribution to Vox today. The US should too. She focused some of her late advertising more directly to the state’s Democrats, a concession to the rapidly tightening race, and outspent Booker heavily in the final week. STATE REPRESENTATIVE, 47TH DISTRICT (GOP): Click here for full election resultsRobert Foree and Felicia Rabourn are running in the Republican primary for Kentucky House of Representatives District 47. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Please support the Courier Journal by subscribing . He also said there were still positives to take away from his campaign. LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Republican congressional incumbents breezed to their party’s nominations Tuesday night, but many races in Kentucky were left in suspense and won’t be resolved for days after an unprecedented primary election coming amid the coronavirus pandemic. Among the high-profile races decided was the GOP congressional primary in Kentucky's 4th District. U.S. House, 4th District: Click here for full election resultsRepublican Rep. Thomas Massie, who drew Trump’s ire on coronavirus relief, faces a strong challenge from Covington attorney Todd McMurtry. Even then, her advertising leaned on many Democrats’ belief that her campaign is best suited to challenge McConnell this fall. His political shrewdness helped him rise through the chamber’s ranks to become the leader of Senate Republicans and now Senate majority leader. She’s raised over $40 million since entering the race, more than the Republican incumbent has raised. She also praised Booker for his campaign, saying there was no doubt he "tapped into and amplified the energy and anger of so many who are fed-up with the status quo and are rightfully demanding long overdue action and accountability from our government and institutions." Even if the national party thinks she’s the best to take on McConnell, she’s still the underdog in a long-shot race. The doors at the Kentucky Fair and Expo Center, the polling location, were locked at 6 p.m. but a group gathered outside. Support local journalism: Our election results are free for everyone to view. About 175 more voters were let in after the court reopened the polling location, Jefferson County Clerk spokesman Nore Ghibaudy said. ... Democratic Senate primary too early to call. The week of delays could serve as a preview for the November general election, if it is close. Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment: to empower you through understanding. ... Kentucky Primary U.S. Senate . Amy McGrath just won her unexpectedly close Kentucky Senate primary. McGrath will need that money to take on McConnell, but it also will take a carefully executed strategy to actually beat him in a state that Donald Trump won by 30 points in 2016 and where he still enjoys a 17 percent net approval rating. Map. Many outcomes might not be known for a week. Andy Beshear’s 2019 playbook of flipping some suburban areas around the blue centers of Louisville and Lexington that saw massive Democratic turnout. Amy Coney Barrett used an offensive term while talking about LGBTQ rights. McConnell “is a guy who is battle-tested, and he leans into his bad narrative. Vox’s partner Decision Desk called the race on June 30, around 11:15 am. Kentucky Primary State Senate But McGrath, a former Marine fighter pilot who was backed by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, had a superior organization and massive fundraising advantage that proved too much to overcome. Retired Marine Mike Broihier of Stanford is among eight other Democrats who filed to run. Rudy Giuliani is again trying to drum up a scandal about the Bidens and Ukraine. But Booker still came much closer than most political experts inside and outside the state would have believed a year ago — or even a few months ago. But President Donald Trump is favored to carry the state overwhelmingly in the fall, and Democrats would need to convince huge numbers of voters to split their tickets. RealClearPolitics - Election 2020 - Kentucky Senate - McConnell vs. McGrath Below are the June 23, 2020, Kentucky primary election results.Some counties have said they won't post results on election night but will announce them by June 30. Show full articles without "Continue Reading" button for {0} hours. Black candidates won a slew of victories in competitive House primaries in New York and Virginia on election night. In Louisville, a judge allowed a large group of late voters into the city's only polling place after they were held up by traffic. ", Kate Cooksey, a spokeswoman for McConnell's campaign, welcomed McGrath to the general election by calling her extreme, and saying she is "lucky to have gotten out of the primary with a victory, but her reputation sustained significant damage all across Kentucky.". Kentucky primary 2020: Voters chant for entry to Kentucky Expo Center. By Ella Nilsen Jun 30, 2020, 11:18am EDT Still, it is the first time McConnell will be on the ballot since becoming majority leader, and McGrath’s fundraising ability gives Democrats hope of making the contest expensive and potentially competitive. “While all eyes were on Kentucky today, we offered the nation a model for success in conducting an election during a pandemic,” he said. One mid-May poll showed McGrath leading McConnell by 1 percent, but otherwise, general election polling has been scarce. The race was too early to call Tuesday night. PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY, DEMOCRATIC: Click here for full election results. Former Vice President Joe Biden is all-but-assured the Democratic nominee, but several other candidates are on the ballot. STATE SENATE, 7TH DISTRICT (GOP): Click here for full election resultsThe winner of the Republican primary will face Democrat Joe Graviss and independent Ken Carroll in November. Please support the Courier Journal by subscribing . Chip in as little as $3 to help keep it free for everyone. newsletter. Topping the list of undecided races was the contest for the Democratic nomination to challenge McConnell in the fall. Find the results, maps, live projections and polls from the Kentucky primary on June 23rd, 2020 where Democrats and Republicans vote for their presidential and senate candidates. U.S. SENATE: Click here for full election resultsRepublicans: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has drawn six relatively unknown GOP challengers in his quest for a seventh term. “We went from being down 50 points in the polls to falling just short of a tie. Sen. Mazie Hirono confronted Barrett about her use of the term. Retired Marine fighter pilot Amy McGrath will face off against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell this fall, after winning a closer-than-expected primary against progressive challenger Charles Booker. Get real-time election results for the u.s. senate races across Kentucky. Booker conceded the race in a lengthy statement Tuesday evening — and though he didn't explicitly endorse McGrath, he called on his supporters to dedicate themselves to beating McConnell.