Republican Party of Kentucky

Republican Party of Kentucky
Chairperson	Robert J. Benvenuti III
Senate President	Robert Stivers
House Speaker	David Osborne
Headquarters	Frankfort, Kentucky
Membership (2023)	1,609,649[1]
Ideology	Conservatism
National affiliation	Republican Party
Colors	Red
Statewide Executive Offices	5 / 7
Seats in the Kentucky Senate	31 / 38
Seats in the Kentucky House of Representatives	80 / 100
Seats in the U.S. Senate	2 / 2
Seats in the U.S. House of Representatives	5 / 6
Election symbol
Website
rpk.org
Politics of Kentucky Elections

The Republican Party of Kentucky is the affiliate of the Republican Party in Kentucky and follows its nationally established platform. The party's headquarters is in Frankfort, Kentucky.^[2]

The party gained relevance around the 1940s, though Kentucky was still part of the Solid South at the time. Since this emergence, the party did poorly in state executive office elections until 2015 but saw some success on the federal level and in the Kentucky General Assembly. The party is organized into two main committees that hold authority.^[3] In the 2015 Kentucky elections, the party captured the offices of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Treasurer, and Auditor, gaining the majority of the state executive offices for the first time in modern history. In 2016, Republicans gained control of the state house for the first time since 1920.^[4]

It is currently the dominant party in the state, controlling all but one of Kentucky's six U.S. House seats, both U.S. Senate seats, and has supermajorities in both houses of the state legislature. The only two statewide offices that the party does not currently control are the governorship and the lieutenant governorship, which are currently held by Democrats Andy Beshear and Jacqueline Coleman respectively. In 2022, Republicans overtook Democrats in voter registration.^[5]

Cassius Marcellus Clay and John Gregg Fee organized the Republicans in Madison County, Kentucky. Clay was selected as Kentucky's member of the Republican National Committee.^[6]

After the times of the Solid South, Kentucky has a unique Republican history. Although it is a traditionally Democratic Southern State, the Republican Party of Kentucky became more relevant in Kentucky political affairs around the 1940s and 1950s.^[7] Although candidates in presidential and congressional races began to fare well and see success in elections around this time, it did not translate to much success on the state and local levels.^[2] Despite receiving measurable numbers of votes and being competitive in elections, many of the candidates for gubernatorial and legislative races consistently failed to get elected into office.

Despite becoming consistently competitive in state elections, the party's strength in the 1970s and 1980s were comparable to that of the 1930s and 1940s. Between the time of the emergence of the Republican Party of Kentucky and the 1980s, the only Republican governor elected to office was Louie B. Nunn in 1967.^[8] This is considered one of the few high points for the party. Problems within the party organization contributed greatly to these struggles. Part of it is due to the turnover at the state party chairman position throughout the 1970s, which hindered any consistency and progress within the party organization. While in the 1980s, however, much of the difficulties for the party came from trying to get good candidates to run for office.^[2] For example, in the four state elections held between 1979 and 1987, Republicans only contested 53 out of the 100 State House of Representative seats and only 11 of the 19 State Senate seats.^[9]

The Republican Party of Kentucky is organized based on three levels of authority. The top authority comes from the registered Republicans in Kentucky when the State Convention is in session. However, since the convention is often out of session, there are two lower levels of main authority. The Republican State Central Committee (RSCC) has full control of party operations when State Convention is not in session, while the executive committee within the RSCC controls operations when the RSCC is not in session.^[3]

The Republican Party of Kentucky's main authority when not assembled in State Convention is the Republican State Central Committee. The RSCC is responsible for a number of activities and operations involving the party on the state and local levels and is required to meet twice per year through established rules. Some of the operations include controlling of funds, creating committees, and promoting campaigns on all levels. The RSCC meets within twenty days of the Republican State Convention to elect certain officers, while some other officers in turn are appointed by the elected officers. For example, the State Chairman is elected by the RSCC, who in turn appoints a Treasurer of his or her choosing.^[3]

While the RSCC is not in session, the responsibilities for party organization are delegated to the executive committee, which consists of 56 members and is required through established rules to meet four times a year. Most of the power in the executive committee resides in six high-ranking members, which are the State Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, National Committeewoman, and National Committeeman.^[3]

• Robert J. Benvenuti III, State Chairman
• DeAnna Brangers, Vice Chairman
• Karen Kelly, Secretary
• Cathy Bell, Treasurer
• KC Crosbie, National Committeewoman
• John T. McCarthy III, National Committeeman

The Kentucky Republican Party controls five of the seven statewide offices and holds a majority in the Kentucky Senate. Republicans also hold both of the state's U.S. Senate seats and five of the six U.S. House seats. This did not change in the recent state office elections of 2011, as James Comer won the Agriculture Commissioner seat, while the Democrats won all the others.

Republicans have controlled both of Kentucky's seats in the U.S. Senate since 1998:

• 
  Senior U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell
  (Minority Leader)
• 
  Junior U.S. Senator Rand Paul

Out of the 6 seats Kentucky is apportioned in the U.S. House of Representatives, 5 are held by Republicans:

District	Member	Photo
1st	James Comer
2nd	Brett Guthrie
4th	Thomas Massie
5th	Hal Rogers
6th	Andy Barr

Republicans control five of the seven elected statewide offices:

• Attorney General: Russell Coleman
• Auditor: Allison Ball
• State Treasurer: Mark Metcalf
• Agriculture Commissioner: Jonathan Shell
• Secretary of State: Michael Adams

• Senate President: Robert Stivers
  • Senate President Pro Tempore: David P. Givens
  • Senate Majority Leader: Damon Thayer
• Speaker of the House: David Osborne
  • House Speaker Pro Tempore: David Meade
  • House Majority Leader: Steven Rudy

The Republican Party of Kentucky holds supermajorities in both chambers of the Kentucky General Assembly. They currently hold 30 of the 38 seats in the Kentucky Senate, while holding 75 out of 100 seats in the Kentucky House of Representatives.

In April 2011, recently elected 82nd District State Representative Dewayne Bunch was severely injured at the school that he worked at. He was knocked unconscious while trying to break up a fight between two students.^[10] With the accident causing severe trauma and requiring a long recovery process, Bunch was forced to resign. Bunch's resignation was announced by his wife and recognized by Republican Floor Leader Jeff Hoover on October 26, 2011, in a public press release.^[11]

Effective June 1, 2011, five specific pieces of legislation sponsored by the Kentucky Republican Caucus were passed in the state of Kentucky. These bills reflect many of the beliefs of the Republican Party of Kentucky on a handful of issues, which include education, gun control, and veteran affairs. In regards to education, House Bill 92, which was sponsored by Republican Representative Adam Koenig, is a law that requires high schools throughout Kentucky to provide seniors with more voter information. In addition, House Bill 464, which was sponsored by Republican Representative David Osborne, provides the Kentucky Board of Education with stricter rules in dealing with errors in textbooks.^[12] Along with laws influencing practices in education, a law that expands the concealed carry policies was also sponsored by the Kentucky Republican Caucus and put into law in 2011. Republican Representative Alicia Webb-Edgington sponsored House Bill 313, which allows loaded or unloaded firearms to be stored in any original compartments of the owners vehicle.^[12]

Kentucky Republican Party gubernatorial election results

Election	Gubernatorial candidate	Votes	Vote %	Result
2011	David L. Williams	294,034	35.29%	Lost N
2015	Matt Bevin	511,374	52.52%	Won Y
2019	Matt Bevin	704,754	48.84%	Lost N
2023	Daniel Cameron	627,457	47.46%	Lost N

• Abbott, Richard (1986). The Republican Party and the South, 1855-1877: The First Southern Strategy. University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 0807816809.

• Official website