Clark County voters followed the majority of voters statewide Tuesday in re-electing Democrat Gov. Steve Beshear to a second term as he handily defeated Republican challenger David Williams.
Clark County’s voter turnout surpassed expectations, with about 30 percent of registered voters heading to the polls, Clark County Clerk Anita Jones said.
Prior to the election, Jones predicted about 22 percent of voters would cast ballots, but Jones said unseasonably warm weather and increased interest in the state elections in the past few days both led to the higher than expected participation.
“It was that last minute spur, I guess,” Jones said.
Statewide, Beshear and running mate Jerry Abramson defeated David Williams and running mate Richie Farmer 58 percent to 31 percent, according to Associated Press reports, while independent candidate Gatewood Galbraith received 73,962 votes, or 9 percent.
Locally, Beshear received 3,966 votes, or 51 percent, to Williams’s 2,255, or 29 percent. Galbraith received 1,464 votes, or 19 percent.
In other statewide races, Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes defeated Republican Bill Johnson for the secretary of state post with 494,214 votes, or 61 percent, to Johnson’s 321,037 votes, or 39 percent.
Grimes fared even better in Clark County with 66 percent of votes, or 5,004. Johnson received 2,563 votes, or about 34 percent.
Grimes replaces Elaine Walker, who was appointed to the position after Republican Trey Grayson resigned to direct Harvard University’s Institute of Politics.
Incumbent Attorney General Jack Conway was re-elected with 55 percent of the vote statewide, or 449,599 votes. Republican challenger Todd P’Pool received 367,623 votes, 45 percent of the state total.
Conway also received 55 percent of the vote in Clark County with 4,119 votes. P’Pool received 3,344 votes.
Democrat Adam Edelen defeated Republican John T. Kemper III in the race for auditor of public accounts. Edelen had 416,580 votes, or 56 percent, to Kemper’s 321,917 votes, or 44 percent, according to AP reports.
Edelen earned almost 61 percent of votes, 4,431, in Clark County, to Kemper’s 39 percent, 2,865.
In the closest race of the election, Democratic incumbent State Treasurer Todd Hollenbach IV defeated Republican K.C. Crosbie with 49 percent of the votes.
Crosbie was able to carry Clark County with 50 percent of votes, 3,739, and Hollenbach received 44 percent, 3,308, while Libertarian Kenneth Moellman received 5 percent of the vote in Clark County, mirroring the state results.
The only victory of the night for the Republican Party came in the race for agriculture commissioner where Republican James Comer, a cattle farmer, defeated Democrat Bob Farmer with 513,123 votes, or 64 percent. Farmer received 291,284 votes, or 36 percent, with 99 percent of precincts reporting, according to the AP.
The margin of victory was slightly smaller in Clark County, with Comer securing 63 percent of the vote, and Farmer receiving almost 37 percent.
Contact Rachel Parsons at rparsons@winchestersun.com.
