While Republicans have had an increasingly tight grip on the statehouse for years, it’s taken until now for the party to officially claim a higher percentage of registered voters in the state than Democrats.
According to the latest Kentucky State Board of Elections data, the GOP has a voter registration advantage of 2,491 voters — that’s statewide. A slim margin but still more evidence that Kentucky’s trend to the right is nowhere near slowing.
That said, Kentucky Secretary of State Micheal Adams, a Republican, reminded KET viewers ahead of this year’s May Primary that it’s not just the two major parties that affect the balance.
"The fastest growing group are independents. Consistently they have the highest growth each month, as people sort of pull away from both of the two parties."Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams
And Adams said that’s a fact members of his party should keep in mind.
"If we don't get the candidates to vote for our candidates, we're gonna lose, so let's make sure that we are appealing to other people beyond our little echo chambers," Adams counseled.
— KY Secretary of State Michael Adams (@KYSecState) July 15, 2022
Whether Republicans take that advice is an open question.
With the growing strength of their party’s majorities in the General Assembly, and a gubernatorial candidate echoing former President Donald Trump, for now, there appears to be less incentive, politically, for some to move toward the center.
Republicans also redrew voter district maps, which, if they pass legal muster, could also affect future elections.
But there are forces pulling the other direction – namely recent polling ranking Gov. Andy Beshear the most popular Democratic governor in the country.
Just how those factors play out in coming elections, only time will tell.
