Kentucky 2011 Election Results

Kentucky held its general election on November 8, 2011, deciding 7 statewide offices led by the governorship.

Highlights

• Every statewide office stayed with the party that already held it: Democrats kept the governorship, the lieutenant governorship (elected on the same ticket), and four other statewide offices, while Republicans kept the agriculture commissioner's office. With Democrats still running the House and Republicans the Senate, government stayed divided.
• Gov. Steve Beshear (D) won re-election, beating state Senate President David L. Williams (R) by about 20 points and carrying all six congressional districts, four of them held by Republicans; Lexington attorney Gatewood Galbraith (I) drew about 9 percent. Former Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson (D) replaced Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo on Beshear's ticket and became lieutenant governor. Williams's running mate was Richie Farmer (R), the term-limited agriculture commissioner.
• Down the ballot, Democrats held three more offices comfortably. Attorney General Jack Conway (D), who had lost the 2010 U.S. Senate race to Rand Paul, beat Hopkins County Attorney Todd P'Pool (R) by about 10 points. For secretary of state, Alison Lundergan Grimes (D) beat Bill Johnson (R) by about 21 points; she had ousted the appointed incumbent, Elaine Walker, in the May primary. For auditor, an office open because Crit Luallen was term-limited, Adam Edelen (D), Beshear's former chief of staff, beat John T. Kemper III (R) by about 12 points.
• The closest statewide race was for treasurer. Todd Hollenbach (D) held his seat by about 17,500 votes, roughly 2 points, over Lexington council member K.C. Crosbie (R), with Ken Moellman (L) taking nearly 5 percent.
• Republicans held the open agriculture commissioner's office: State Rep. James Comer (R) beat Bob Farmer (D) by about 28 points and drew more votes than any other candidate on the ballot.

Legislature

• House (100 seats): 58 D, 42 R before the election, 58 D, 42 R after; control stayed with Democrats.
• Senate (38 seats): 15 D, 22 R, 1 other or vacant before the election, 15 D, 22 R, 1 other or vacant after; control stayed with Republicans.

Statewide races