Five Metro Council incumbents seemed likely to hold onto their seats in the general election, a result that will maintain the Democrats’ supermajority in the 26-member legislative body.
Half of the council seats — the even-numbered districts — were up for election this year. In eight races, there was no opposing party candidate, leaving five competitive seats.
Prior to the election, Democrats held 19 of the council’s 26 seats. That balance did not shift with Tuesday’s results.
The numbers the county clerk reported Tuesday night included all early in-person votes, and Election Day in-person votes and the majority of absentee ballots. Spokesperson Nore Ghibaudy from the Jefferson County Clerk's office estimated there may be another 10,000 ballots outstanding, including those still in the mail, those delivered to dropboxes and provisional and military ballots.
District 2
Democrat Barbara Shanklin got nearly 7,800 votes, or about 78% of votes counted by Tuesday night, compared to challenger Republican Folly H. Aboussa’s roughly 2,200. Shanklin is a founding member of the Metro Council, and the only council member the district has had since local government was consolidated. She chairs the community affairs, health and education committee and is on the public safety committee.
District 6
Council president David James, a Democrat, had 7,347 votes, or about 86% of the votes counted by Tuesday night. His opponent, Republican Kristi “Kristina” Smith got 1,166. James was first elected to the council in 2010 and is currently serving his third consecutive single-year term as council president. He is a retired Louisville police detective.
District 14
The District 14 race was the closest of the contested Metro Council races on election night. Incumbent Democrat Cindi Fowler had 5,933 votes at 10 p.m. Tuesday, versus her challenger Republican Michael Powell’s 5,164 votes. Fowler serves on the committees for government oversight and audit, and parks and sustainability, which she chairs.
District 16
Republican Scott Reed led Tuesday evening with 11,799 votes, compared to challenger Democrat James M. Green’s 9,555 votes. Reed, a sales executive at his family company, was seeking his second consecutive term. He serves on the planning and zoning and budget committees.
District 18
Incumbent Republican Marilyn Parker got 9,159 votes, more than her Democrat opponent Mera Kathryn Corlett’s 7,754. Parker was running for a third consecutive term. She is a registered nurse. She serves on the community affairs, health and education; public safety; and parks and sustainability committees.
Uncontested Races
Two candidates who won their primaries in June — Jecorey Arthur in District 4 and Cassie Chambers Armstrong in District 8, both Democrats — had no general election opponent and will be new faces on the council starting in January.
Here are the other council incumbents who didn’t have challengers this election and were reelected: Pat Mulvihill (D-10), Rick Blackwell (D-12), Stuart Benson (R-20), Robin Engel (R-22), Madonna Flood (D-24) and Brent Ackerson (R-26).
