A general election was held in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virgini ...

on November 7, 2023. Notably, few Democratic candidates ran for statewide offices. The ''

Lexington Herald-Leader The ''Lexington Herald-Leader'' is a newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and based in Lexington, Kentucky. According to the ''1999 Editor & Publisher International Yearbook'', the paid circulation of the ''Herald-Leader'' is the second larg ...

'' attributed this to Kentucky's strong Republican lean and the fact that Republicans gained seats in the

Kentucky General Assembly The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It comprises the Kentucky Senate and the Kentucky House of Representatives. The Gene ...

in 2022. However, Democrats have pointed to recent victories by liberal judges in nonpartisan elections and the defeat of a 2022 ballot measure that would have removed abortion rights from the

Kentucky Constitution The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the document that governs the Commonwealth of Kentucky. It was first adopted in 1792 and has since been rewritten three times and amended many more. The later versions were adopted in 1799, 1850, ...

as signs that they can still win in the state. In addition to the candidates listed below, former state representative

Attica Scott Attica Woodson Scott (born January 30, 1972) is an American politician serving as a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from the 41st district. Early life and education Scott was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and attended duPont Ma ...

was speculated as a potential statewide candidate, but she did not run for any office in 2023.

Governor

Incumbent

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Andy Beshear Andrew Graham Beshear (born November 29, 1977) is an American attorney and politician who has served as the 63rd governor of Kentucky since December 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the son of the 61st governor of Kentucky, Steve Be ...

ran for re-election. He faced Republican nominee, incumbent attorney general Daniel Cameron. Due to his high favorability ratings, Beshear was considered the favorite in the election; however, polling tightened in the week leading up to the election. Despite this apparent late momentum for Cameron, Beshear went on to comfortably win re-election by five percentage points, improving on his

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

performance by 4.6 percentage points.

Attorney general

Incumbent

attorney general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

Daniel Cameron ran for governor. Kentucky State Representative for the 43rd District

Pamela Stevenson Pamela D. Stevenson (born April 8, 1959) is an American politician, attorney, and retired U.S. Air Force Colonel. She is a Democrat and represents District 43 in the State House. She is the Democratic nominee in the 2023 Kentucky Attorney Gener ...

announced a run to succeed Cameron. She was the only high-profile state-level Democrat (barring Andy Beshear and

Jacqueline Coleman Jacqueline Coleman (born June 9, 1982) is an American educator and politician serving as the 58th lieutenant governor of Kentucky since 2019. She has worked as an administrator, high school teacher, and high school basketball coach. Coleman is a ...

) to have announced a run for statewide office.

Russell Coleman Russell Coleman (born January 3, 1976) is an American attorney and politician who is Attorney General of Kentucky. He previously served as United States Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky from 2017 to 2021. Early life and career Col ...

, former

U.S. Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

for the Western District of Kentucky was the only Republican candidate to have declared a run, and thus won the Republican primary unopposed. Coleman would go on to win the election by 16 percentage points. He also narrowly improved on Daniel Cameron’s win in

by 0.6 percentage points.

Secretary of state

Incumbent secretary of state Michael Adams ran for re-election. He faced former state representative Charles "Buddy" Wheatley. Unlike

, the race wasn't close. Adams won re-election by 21.3 percetange points, improving upon his past performance by 16.7 percentage points.

Treasurer

Incumbent

treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury o ...

Allison Ball Allison Ball (born August 27, 1981) is an American attorney and politician who serves as the Kentucky State Treasurer. She is a member of the Republican Party. Early years and career Ball is a ninth-generation Eastern Kentuckian. Her family h ...

was term-limited and could not seek re-election. She ran successfully for

state auditor State auditors (also known as state comptrollers, state controllers, state examiners, or inspectors general) are fiscal officers lodged in the executive or legislative branches of U.S. state governments who serve as external auditors, financ ...

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

Mark Metcalf Mark Metcalf (born March 11, 1946) is an American television and film actor often playing the role of an antagonistic and aggrieved authority figure. He is best known for his role as sadistic ROTC officer Douglas C. Neidermeyer in the 1978 Ame ...

Garrard County Garrard County ( ;) is a county located in the Bluegrass Region of Kentucky. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the county's population was 16,953. Its county seat is Lancaster. The county was formed in 1796 and was named for James Garrard, Governor o ...

Attorney

=Eliminated in primary

= *Andrew Cooperrider, businessman *OJ Oleka, former deputy state treasurer

=Endorsements

2023 Kentucky Treasurer election Republican primary results map by county

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Michael Bowman, special assistant to

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, former bank manager, and nominee for state treasurer in

=Declined

= *Neville Blakemore, construction executive and candidate for state treasurer in

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...

*Matthew Lehman, pharmaceutical executive and nominee for

Kentucky's 4th congressional district Kentucky's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Located in the northeastern portion of the state, it is a long district that follows the Ohio River. However, the district is dominated by its far ...

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeyp ...

= Endorsements

General election

Auditor of Public Accounts

Incumbent

Auditor An auditor is a person or a firm appointed by a company to execute an audit.Practical Auditing, Kul Narsingh Shrestha, 2012, Nabin Prakashan, Nepal To act as an auditor, a person should be certified by the regulatory authority of accounting an ...

Mike Harmon Michael Joseph Harmon (born January 24, 1958) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He currently competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 47 Chevrolet Camaro for Mike Harmon Racing. In the past, he drove ...

was term-limited and could not seek re-election. He ran for governor.

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

, state treasurer

=Eliminated in primary

= *Derek Petteys

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Kim Reeder, tax attorney

= Endorsements

General election

Agriculture Commissioner

Incumbent Agriculture Commissioner

Ryan Quarles Ryan Francis Quarles (born October 20, 1983) is an American Republican politician who has served as Agriculture Commissioner of Kentucky since 2016. He served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 2011 to 2016. Early life and education ...

ran for governor.

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

Jonathan Shell Jonathan Shell (born December 1, 1987) is an American politician and the agriculture commissioner of Kentucky. A Republican, he is a former member of the Kentucky House of Representatives. He represented District 71 which comprises Garrard, Rockca ...

, former majority leader of the

Kentucky House of Representatives The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form a ...

=Eliminated in primary

= *

Richard Heath Richard Heath (born August 9, 1955) is a U.S. politician and a Republican member of the Kentucky House of Representatives representing District 2 since January 8, 2013. Education Heath earned his BS in agricultural education and his MA in a ...

state representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

and candidate for agriculture commissioner in

2023 Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner election Republican primary results map by county

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Sierra Enlow, economic development consultant and former Louisville Economic Development Manager

=Eliminated in primary

= *Mikael Malone

=Declined

= *

Rocky Adkins Rocky J. Adkins (born November 4, 1959) is an American politician from Kentucky. He is a member of the Democratic Party and is serving as a senior advisor to the Governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear. He is a former member of the Kentucky House of ...

, senior advisor to

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

, former minority leader of the

, and candidate for

= Endorsements

General election

Polling

Notes

;Partisan clients

References

External links

;Official campaign websites for Secretary of State
Michael Adams (R) for Secretary of State

Buddy Wheatley (D) for Secretary of State
;Official campaign websites for Treasurer
Michael Bowman (D) for Treasurer

Mark Metcalf (R) for Treasurer
;Official campaign websites for Auditor
Allison Ball (R) for Auditor

Kim Reeder (D) for Auditor
;Official campaign websites for Agriculture Commissioner
Sierra Enlow (D) for Ag Commissioner

Jonathan Shell (R) for Ag Commissioner
{{Kentucky

Governor

Attorney general

Secretary of state

Treasurer

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

=Eliminated in primary

=Endorsements

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

=Declined

= Endorsements

General election

Auditor of Public Accounts

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

=Eliminated in primary

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= Endorsements

General election

Agriculture Commissioner

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

=Eliminated in primary

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

=Eliminated in primary

=Declined

= Endorsements

General election

Polling

See also

Notes

References

External links