Special elections are being held on Nov. 2 for one seat in the Kentucky State Senate and two seats in the Kentucky House of Representatives. Candidates running for special elections in Kentucky are selected by their respective local party organizations. The winners of the special elections will serve until Dec. 31, 2022.
- In Senate District 22, Helen Bukulmez (D) is facing off against Donald Douglas (R). Sindicat Dunn filed as an independent write-in candidate. The seat became vacant after Tom Buford (R) passed away on July 6. Buford had represented the district since 1991. He won re-election in 2018 with 66% of the vote.
- In House District 51, Edwin Rogers (D), Michael Pollock (R), and Timothy Shafer (I) are running in the special election. The seat became vacant after John Carney (R) passed away on July 17. Carney had represented the district since 2009. He won re-election in 2020 with 79% of the vote.
- In House District 89, Maetinee Suramek (D) is facing off against Timmy Truett (R). The seat became vacant after Robert Goforth (R) resigned on August 24. At the time of his resignation, Goforth was facing domestic violence-related charges. Goforth had represented the district since 2018. He won re-election in 2020 with 71% of the vote.
Kentucky has a divided government, and no political party holds a state government trifecta. A trifecta exists when one political party simultaneously holds the governor’s office and majorities in both state legislative chambers. Republicans control the state Senate by a 29-8 margin with one vacancy and the state House by a 73-25 margin with two vacancies.
As of October, 64 state legislative special elections have been scheduled for 2021 in 21 states. Between 2011 and 2020, an average of 75 special elections took place each year. Kentucky held 23 state legislative special elections from 2011 to 2020.
Additional reading: