With Labor Day behind us, the campaign season is in full gear. Republicans are riding a wave of success in Kentucky. At stake this year: control of the state House, the last legislative body in the South still controlled by Democrats.
Democrats have 53 seats in the House, and Republicans have 47. The GOP has political momentum going into the fall, coming off two years of successful statewide campaigns.
Last month, GOP Minority Leader Jeff Hoover said he felt “really good” about the party’s chances to flip the house.
“Fundraising is going extremely well for us,” Hoover said. “Our candidates are working hard. We feel like we’ve got a great opportunity.”
If Republicans net four more state House seats this fall, they would control the entire legislative process in Frankfort. Hoover would likely be elected Speaker if Republicans take over.
Meanwhile, Kentucky’s U.S. Senate race continues its sleepy pace as Democratic candidate Jim Gray fights to be competitive and incumbent Rand Paul lays low, enjoying the Republican surge in the state.
Interest in the race has paled in comparison to the 2014 barnburner between Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell and Kentucky’s Democratic Secretary of State, Alison Lundergan Grimes.
Join us to talk Kentucky politics Friday at 1 p.m. on 89.3 WFPL, and call us with your questions. You can listen online at wfpl.org/stream.
Related reading:
