Four incumbents re-elected in Mercer

Four Mercer County incumbents were re-elected Tuesday in two of the few contested races in the county.

District 55 Rep. Kim King (R-Harrodsburg) easily won a second term against Democratic challenger Kent Stevens. King garnered 69 percent of the votes in Mercer and 61 percent of the overall vote in the district, which encompasses Mercer, Anderson and portions of Spencer counties.

King, 50, did not return a call seeking comment as of this morning. She toppled former representative Stevens to win her first term in 2010. King, a fitness trainer, positions herself as a protector of traditional family values in her campaign literature. Some of her associations include the National Rifle Association and Kentucky Right to Life.

Incumbents also were victorious in another contested race, for four Harrodsburg City Commission two-year seats. All three incumbents — Marvin “Bubby” Isham, Charlie Mattingly and Scott Moseley — won their second terms. Rose Bishop, former Mercer Circuit Court clerk, came out of a brief retirement to run for the commission and was the fourth candidate elected to a seat.

“I’m very thankful for the outcome,” Isham said from his residence Tuesday night.

More than 60 percent of Mercer’s registered voters came out for the election, which Isham said he appreciated. “I’m glad people were coming out and voting even if they didn’t support me,” Isham said.

Moseley said Tuesday night he looks forward to continuing his efforts to make the city a more attractive place for young adults to raise their children.

“I’m feeling very grateful to the citizens of Harrodsburg for their ongoing trust in me,” Moseley said. “I’ve always had a commitment to making Harrodsburg a better place for everybody.”

Bishop and Mattingly could not be reached for comment, but Isham and Moseley both had praise for their fellow commissioners-elect.

“Rose Bishop has been an undeniable asset to the community for many years and she as well as Mattingly will be of great service to Harrodsburg,” Isham said.

 

Mercer County vote totals 

President: Republican, Mitt Romney, 6,820; Democrat, Barack Obama 2,966; Green, Jill Stein, 29; Independent, Randall A. Terry, 35; Libertarian, Gary Johnson, 86.

U.S. Representative, 2nd District: Republican, S. Brett Guthrie, 5,854; Democrat, David Lynn Williams, 2,963; Independent, Andrew R. Beacham, 245; Libertarian, Craig R. Astor, 135.

State Representative, 55th District: Republican, Kim King 6,798; Democrat, Kent Stevens, 3,067.

Commonwealth’s Attorney, 50th Judicial Circuit: nonpartisan race, Richard “Richie” Bottoms, 6,819.

Circuit Clerk: Democrat, Elizabeth “Beth” Neal, 6,626.

Harrodsburg City Commission: nonpartisan race, Howard “Poppa” Sallee, 927; Charlie Mattingly, 1,573; Scott Moseley, 1,656; Quentin Pidcock, 237; Rose Bishop, 1,697; Garry Bradshaw, 1,041; Marvin “Bubby” Isham, 1,507.