A general election was held in the U.S. state of

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

on November 3, 2015. All of Kentucky's executive officers were up for election. Primary elections were held on May 19, 2015.

Governor and Lieutenant Governor

Incumbent Democratic

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Steve Beshear was term-limited and could not run for re-election to a third term in office. In Kentucky, gubernatorial candidates pick their own running mates and they are elected on shared tickets in both the primary and general elections. The candidates for the Democratic nomination were

Attorney General of Kentucky The Attorney General of Kentucky is an office created by the Kentucky Constitution. (Ky.Const. § 91). Under Kentucky law, they serve several roles, including the state's chief prosecutor (KRS 15.700), the state's chief law enforcement officer (K ...

Jack Conway and his running mate State Representative

Sannie Overly Sannie Louise Overly (born July 2, 1966) is an American lawyer, engineer, and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, Overly served in the Kentucky House of Representatives, representing the 72nd district. She was the Democratic caucus ch ...

; and retired engineer and 2014 Congressional candidate Geoff Young and his running mate Jonathan Masters. Conway and Overly easily defeated Young and Masters in the primary election for the Democratic Party nomination. For the Republicans, businessman and candidate for the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

Matt Bevin Matthew Griswold Bevin (; born January 9, 1967) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 62nd governor of Kentucky, from 2015 to 2019. He was the third Republican Party (United States), Republican elected Kentucky governor sin ...

ran on a ticket with

Tea Party A tea party is a social gathering event held in the afternoon. For centuries, many societies have cherished drinking tea with a company at noon. Tea parties are considered for formal business meetings, social celebrations or just as an afternoon ...

activist and 2014 State House candidate Jenean Hampton; Agriculture Commissioner of Kentucky James Comer ran on a ticket with State Senator

Christian McDaniel Christian 'Chris' McDaniel (born July 19, 1977, in Covington, Kentucky) is an American politician and a Republican member of the Kentucky Senate representing District 23 since January 8, 2013. He was the running mate of Republican gubernatori ...

; former

Louisville Metro Council The Louisville Metro Council is the city council of Louisville, Kentucky (Louisville Metro). It was formally established in January 2003 upon the merger of the former City of Louisville with Jefferson County and replaced the city's Board of Al ...

man and nominee for

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

in 2010 Hal Heiner ran on a ticket with former Lexington-Fayette Urban County Councilwoman and nominee for

Kentucky State Treasurer The Kentucky State Treasurer is elected every four years along with the governor and other statewide officials. The treasurer, who can serve two terms, acts as the state's chief elected fiscal officer.Kentucky TreasureWebsite/ref> The salary is $1 ...

in 2011 K.C. Crosbie; and former Associate Justice of the

Kentucky Supreme Court The Kentucky Supreme Court was created by a 1975 constitutional amendment and is the state supreme court of the U.S. state of Kentucky. Prior to that the Kentucky Court of Appeals was the only appellate court in Kentucky. The Kentucky Court of ...

Will T. Scott ran on a ticket with former Menifee County Sheriff Rodney Coffey. Bevin held an 83-vote lead over Comer in the primary election, with both Heiner and Scott conceding. The

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

, referring to the race between Bevin and Comer a "virtual tie", did not call the race in favor of either candidate. In addition, Comer refused to concede and stated that he would ask for a recanvass. The request for recanvass was filed with the Kentucky Secretary of State's office on May 20, 2015 with Secretary of State

Alison Lundergan Grimes Alison Case Lundergan Grimes (born November 23, 1978) is an American lawyer and Democratic politician who was the secretary of state of Kentucky from 2012 until 2020. Grimes was elected in 2011 after defeating incumbent Elaine Walker in the D ...

ordering the recanvass to occur at 9:00 a.m. local time on May 28, 2015. Upon completion of the recanvass, Grimes announced that Bevin remained 83 votes ahead of Comer. Grimes also stated that should Comer want a full

recount An election recount is a repeat tabulation of votes cast in an election that is used to determine the correctness of an initial count. Recounts will often take place if the initial vote tally during an election is extremely close. Election reco ...

, it would require a court order from the Franklin Circuit Court. On May 29, Comer announced he would not request a recount and conceded the nomination to Bevin.

Results

Attorney General

Incumbent Democratic Attorney General Jack Conway was term-limited and could not run for re-election to a third term in office. He instead ran for Governor.

Andy Beshear Andrew Graham Beshear (born November 29, 1977) is an American attorney and politician who has served as the 63rd governor of Kentucky since December 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the son of the 61st governor of Kentucky, Steve B ...

's campaign received illegal

campaign contribution Campaign finance, also known as election finance or political donations, refers to the funds raised to promote candidates, political parties, or policy initiatives and referendums. Political parties, charitable organizations, and political act ...

s from a man working for Beshear's father, whom Beshear himself later hired. The man contributed the money from illegal kickbacks he had received, and ultimately went to prison for bribery. Tim Longmeyer was working for Beshear's father, at the time Kentucky's governor, as a member of his cabinet when Longmeyer accepted $212,000 in illegal kickbacks from companies, for steering $2 million in Kentucky state contracts to them. Longmeyer then used the kickback monies to make illegal campaign contributions. Longmeyer contributed some of the money to Andy Beshear's campaign. Andy Beshear, after winning the race, hired Longmeyer to be his own top deputy, the second-most-powerful law enforcement officer in the state, and prosecutors said that in that new role under Beshear, Longmeyer accepted $1,000 to steer Kentucky state contracts to some law firms. Longmeyer resigned right before federal charges were leveled against him. Longmeyer was ultimately charged, pled guilty, and was sentenced to 70 months incarceration for bribery, which he is serving in a federal prison in Alabama. Beshear defeated

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Whitney Westerfield Whitney H. Westerfield (born November 29, 1980) is an American attorney, politician and a Republican member of the Kentucky Senate representing District 3 since January 8, 2013. In 2015, Westerfield was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for At ...

by a margin of 0.2 percent, getting 50.1% of the vote to Westerfield's 49.9%. The margin was approximately 2,000 votes.

Democratic primary

Candidates

;Declared *

, attorney and son of Governor Steve Beshear ;Declined *

Secretary of State of Kentucky The secretary of state of Kentucky is one of the constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is now an elected office, but was an appointed office prior to 1891. The current secretary of state is Republican Michael Adams, who was ...

and nominee for the U.S. Senate in

(running for re-election) * Jennifer Moore, former Chairwoman of the

Kentucky Democratic Party The Kentucky Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The party is a longstanding institution in the Commonwealth; 45.7% of Kentuckians were registered as Democrats in 2022, more than the 44.8% who ...

* John Tilley, state representative

Republican primary

Candidates

;Declared * Michael T. Hogan, Lawrence County Attorney *

, state senator ;Declined * Luke Morgan, attorney * Mark Wohlander, attorney

Results

General election

Polling

Results

Secretary of State

Incumbent Democratic Secretary of State

was eligible to run for re-election to a second term in office. She had considered running for

Governor of Kentucky The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; since 1992, incumbents have been able to seek re-e ...

or for

. She decided to seek re-election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

;Declared * Charles Lovett, candidate for Jefferson County Justice of the Peace in 2010 *

, incumbent Secretary of State and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2014 ;Declined * Colmon Elridge, aide to Governor Steve Beshear and former Executive Vice President of

Young Democrats of America The Young Democrats of America (YDA) is the youth wing of the Democratic Party of the United States. YDA operates as a separate organization from the Democratic National Committee; following the passage of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, i ...

* David O'Neill, Fayette County

Property Valuation Administrator Real estate appraisal, property valuation or land valuation is the process of developing an opinion of value for real property (usually market value). Real estate transactions often require appraisals because they occur infrequently and every prop ...

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

;Declared * Steve Knipper, former Erlanger City Councilman ;Withdrew * Michael Pitzer, candidate for the State House in 2008 ;Declined * Michael Adams, attorney and general counsel for the

Republican Governors Association The Republican Governors Association (RGA) is a Washington, D.C.-based 527 organization founded in 1961, consisting of U.S. state and territorial Republican governors. The Republican Governors Association is dedicated to one primary objective: e ...

* Matt Bevin, businessman and candidate for U.S. Senate in

( ran for Governor) * Ken Fleming, former Louisville Metro Council member * Damon Thayer, Majority Leader of the Kentucky Senate

General election

Polling

Results

State Auditor

Incumbent Democratic State Auditor Adam Edelen had considered running for Governor in 2015, even lining up a running mate, but ultimately declined to do so. He instead ran for re-election to a second term in office.

Democratic primary

Candidates

;Declared * Adam Edelen, incumbent State Auditor ;Declined * Chris Tobe, CFA, writer, former trustee of the Kentucky Retirement Systems and former staffer to State Auditor Ed Hatchett

Republican primary

Candidates

;Declared *

Mike Harmon Michael Joseph Harmon (born January 24, 1958) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He currently competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 47 Chevrolet Camaro for Mike Harmon Racing. In the past, he drove i ...

, State Representative and candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky in 2011 ;Declined * Damon Thayer, Majority Leader of the Kentucky Senate

General election

Polling

Results

State Treasurer

Incumbent Democratic State Treasurer Todd Hollenbach was term-limited and could not run for re-election to a third term in office. He had said that he may run for another office in 2015, but did not specify which, and eventually declined to run for another statewide office. He instead successfully ran for an open seat on the Jefferson County District Court, defeating 20 other candidates.

Democratic primary

Candidates

;Declared * Neville Blakemore, Executive Chairman of Great Northern Building Products and nominee for Louisville Metro Council in 2006 * Jim Glenn, State Representative and candidate for State Auditor in 2003 * Daniel Grossberg, Jefferson County Commissioner and President of the Louisville Young Democrats * Richard Henderson, former State Representative and former Mayor of Jeffersonville *

Rick Nelson Rick may refer to: People *Rick (given name), a list of people with the given name *Alan Rick (born 1976), Brazilian politician, journalist, pastor and television personality *Johannes Rick (1869–1946), Austrian-born Brazilian priest and mycol ...

, state representative ;Declined * Colmon Elridge, aide to Governor Steve Beshear and former Executive Vice President of

* Dee Dee Ford-Keene, businesswoman and former President of the Democratic Women's Club of Kentucky * Chris Tobe, CFA, writer, former trustee of the Kentucky Retirement Systems and former staffer to State Auditor Ed Hatchett

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

;Declared *

Allison Ball Allison Ball (born August 27, 1981) is an American attorney and politician who serves as the Kentucky State Treasurer. She is a member of the Republican Party. Early years and career Ball is a ninth-generation Eastern Kentuckian. Her family ha ...

, attorney * Kenny Imes, state representative * Jon Larson, former Fayette County Judge/Executive, candidate for Attorney General in 2007 and nominee for Kentucky's 6th congressional district in

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

Results

General election

Polling

Results

Agriculture Commissioner

Incumbent Republican Agriculture Commissioner James Comer did not run for re-election to a second term in office. He instead ran for Governor, and was defeated by Matt Bevin in the Republican primary.

Democratic primary

Candidates

;Declared * Jean-Marie Lawson Spann, businesswoman, radio host and agriculture activist ;Declined * Dennis Parrett, state senator

Republican primary

Candidates

;Declared *

Richard Heath Richard Heath (born August 9, 1955) is a U.S. politician and a Republican member of the Kentucky House of Representatives representing District 2 since January 8, 2013. Education Heath earned his BS in agricultural education and his MA in a ...

, state representative *

Ryan Quarles Ryan Francis Quarles (born October 20, 1983) is an American Republican politician who has served as Agriculture Commissioner of Kentucky since 2016. He served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 2011 to 2016. Early life and education ...

, state representative ;Declined * James Comer, incumbent Agriculture Commissioner * Paul Hornback, state senator * Damon Thayer, Majority Leader of the Kentucky Senate

Results

General election

Polling

Results

Kentucky Supreme Court

District 7

A non-partisan special election was held along with the May 19, 2015 primary elections to fill the 7th district seat of the

. The seat was vacated when Justice Will T. Scott resigned to run for Governor. The winner of the election will serve the remainder of Scott's term, with the seat coming up for re-election next in 2020.

Candidates

;Declared * Janet Stumbo,

Kentucky Court of Appeals The Kentucky Court of Appeals is the lower of Kentucky's two appellate courts, under the Kentucky Supreme Court. Prior to a 1975 amendment to the Kentucky Constitution the Kentucky Court of Appeals was the only appellate court in Kentucky. Th ...

Judge and former

Justice * Sam Wright, Kentucky Circuit Court Judge ;Withdrew * John Lewis, Elliott County Attorney

Results

References

{{2015 United States elections