What to Expect in Kentucky’s Primaries

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, one of President Donald Trump’s most vocal critics within the Republican Party, faces a tough primary challenge Tuesday in Kentucky’s state primary. It’s the latest example this primary season of the president trying to purge the party of Republicans he perceives as disloyal.

Kentucky voters will also pick nominees for U.S. Senate, five other U.S. House seats and the state General Assembly. Voters in Louisville will winnow down a crowded field for mayor.

The Commonwealth’s marquee race on Tuesday is in the 4th Congressional District, where Massie seeks the GOP nomination for an 8th full term. His opponent is Ed Gallrein, a farmer and former Navy SEAL who entered the race at Trump’s urging.

Also Read | What to Expect in Alabama’s Primaries.

Massie is the rare Republican in Washington who has clashed with Trump on his key domestic and foreign policy initiatives, opposing both his signature tax package and the war with Iran. He has also been a leader in Congress of the effort to release the files of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Massie has a fundraising advantage, but Gallrein has remained competitive. The incumbent more than doubled his opponent’s spending over the course of the campaign, but the two began the month on comparable footing in terms of funds in the bank.

The 4th Congressional District in northern Kentucky stretches along the Ohio River and shares a border with Indiana and Ohio. Trump received about 67% of the district vote in the 2024 general election, carrying all 21 counties with at least 59% of the vote. Massie ran unopposed in 2024 and received 65% of the vote in his 2022 reelection bid. Although Massie also carried every county in 2022, Trump outperformed him two years later in all but two counties.

Also Read | What to Expect in Georgia’s Primaries.

In the U.S. Senate primaries, nearly 20 candidates are competing to succeed longtime GOP Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who is retiring after seven terms. Among the 11 candidates for the Republican nomination are U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, who has Trump’s endorsement, and former state Attorney General Daniel Cameron, a former McConnell aide who has criticized his ex-boss on the campaign trail.

Seven candidates seek the Democratic nomination, including former state Rep. Charles Booker, military veteran and 2020 U.S. Senate nominee Amy McGrath and state House Minority Leader Pamela Stevenson.

In Louisville, Mayor Craig Greenberg is running for a second term against 10 other candidates. The top two vote-getters in the nonpartisan primary will advance to the general election.

Here are some of the key facts about the election and data points the AP Decision Team will monitor as the votes are tallied:

When do polls close?

Polls close at 6 p.m. local time, which is 6 p.m. ET and 7 p.m. ET. Polls in most of Kentucky are in Eastern time and close at 6 p.m. ET, but polls in the Central Time Zone close at 7 p.m. ET.

What’s on the ballot?

The AP will provide vote results and declare winners in contested primaries for U.S. Senate, U.S. House and Louisville mayor.

Who gets to vote?

Only voters registered with a political party may participate in that party’s primary. Democrats may not vote in the Republican primary or vice versa. Independent or unaffiliated voters may not participate in either primary.

How many voters are there?

As of April 24, there were about 3.4 million registered voters in Kentucky, including about 1.6 million registered Republicans and about 1.4 million registered Democrats.

How many people actually vote?

In the 2022 primaries for U.S. Senate, about 386,000 votes were cast in the Republican primary and about 292,000 in the Democratic primary.

How much of the vote is cast early or by absentee ballot?

About 21% of the Democratic vote and about 17% of the Republican vote in the 2023 state primaries was cast before primary day.

As of Wednesday, about 27,000 ballots had already been cast in Tuesday’s election, including about 14,000 from Republicans and about 12,000 from Democrats.

When are early and absentee votes released?

Vote release practices vary from county to county. Results from early and absentee voting tend to be released from medium-to-large sized counties as part of the first vote update, usually before any in-person Election Day results are released.

How long does vote-counting usually take?

In the 2024 primary, the AP first reported results at 6:06 p.m. ET, or 6 minutes after polls closed in most of the state. The last vote update of the night was at 9:47 p.m. ET with more than 99.9% of total votes counted.

When will the AP declare a winner?

The Associated Press does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow a trailing candidate to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.

How do recounts work?

Kentucky requires an automatic recount for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, state General Assembly and nearly all statewide offices if the vote margin is 0.5% of the total vote or less. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is subject to a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.

Are we there yet?

As of Tuesday, there will be 168 days until the 2026 midterm elections.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2026 election at https://apnews.com/projects/elections-2026/.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 18, 2026 05:35 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).