Republicans Prevail in Two Special Elections for Kentucky House of Representatives
The special elections were called after two Republican State Representatives left to take executive office positions.
The special elections occurred today to fill two vacancies in the Kentucky House of Representatives. These are the first two special elections in 2024 for the state’s lower legislative chamber. The Democratic and Republican candidates were selected by local party leaders.
The special election for Kentucky State House District 24 was called after State Representative, Brandon Reed, a Republican, resigned to become Executive Director of the Kentucky Office of Agricultural Policy. He represented this district from January 2017 to January 2024.
Republican Courtney Gilbert has been declared the winner in the special election. The race was called in her favor as she’s currently leading with 73.4% against Democrat John Pennington with 26.6%. 1,397 votes have been counted.
Notably, both Gilbert and Pennington sought their respective party’s nominations for District 24 in the 2022 election. Both of them ultimately lost in the primaries - with Gilbert being defeated 68.3-31.7 against Reed. However, Gilbert will only serve in the State House for the remainder of the current session as she did not fill out the paperwork to run in the regularly scheduled election later this year.
Kentucky State House District 24 covers parts of Green, Hart and LaRue Counties.
The special election for Kentucky State House District 26 was called after State Representative, Russell Webber, a Republican, resigned to become Deputy Treasurer of Kentucky. He represented this district from January 2013 to January 2024.
Republican Peyton Griffee has been declared the winner in the special election after running unopposed.
Griffee currently serves as a partner at the Sweat & Griffee Law Firm in Shepherdsville, Kentucky. He previously worked as a clerk in the Civil Division of the Office of the Kentucky Attorney General and as a prosecutor in the Office of the Hardin County Attorney.
Kentucky State House District 26 covers parts of Bullitt and Hardin Counties.
Once Gilbert and Griffee are sworn in, the Kentucky House of Representatives will feature 80 Republicans and 20 Democrats. The chamber has no additional vacancies at this time. All 100 seats will be up for regular two-year terms in November 2024.