A special general election for District 31 of the Kentucky State Senate is scheduled for March 5, 2019. The seat was vacated when Ray Jones (D) resigned in January 2019 after becoming the Pike County Judge-Executive. The candidate filing deadline was January 15, 2019.

 

Two candidates are vying for the seat: Democrat Darrell Pugh and Republican Phillip Wheeler.

 

The last general election for the Kentucky State Senate took place on November 8, 2016, when 19 of the 38 seats were up for election. The elections did not result in any changes to the Senate’s political control, with the Republican party holding 27 of the chamber’s 38 seats (71 percent). The next regular election for the Kentucky State Senate is scheduled for November 3, 2020. Kentucky has a Republican state government trifecta. A trifecta exists when one political party simultaneously holds the governor’s office and majorities in both state legislative chambers.

 

As of March, 44 state legislative special elections have been scheduled or held in 18 states. Between 2011 and 2018, an average of 77 special elections took place each year.