Kentucky 2026 live primary election results
Trump is keeping a close eye on the Senate and 4th District GOP primaries.
Kentucky is home to high-stakes primary elections that have been emblematic of the Republican Party's struggle between their establishment wing and the growing "America First" movement under President Donald Trump.
On the Senate side, Kentucky voters have their first chance to weigh in on a leader to succeed top Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell, the state’s longest-serving senator who is retiring after more than 40 years in Congress.
One of the most vicious and expensive House primaries is also playing out in Kentucky as Trump actively works to oust incumbent Rep. Thomas Massie, a top GOP critic of the president.
Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time.
State significance
Kentucky has sided with Trump for the past three presidential elections, with Trump winning the state by 30 points in 2024.
The predominantly red state is led by Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, who was first elected in 2019 and reelected in 2023. But Kentucky has not seen a Democratic senator since Wendell Ford, who served from 1974 to 1999.
Earlier this month, Trump waded into the Senate Republican primary and endorsed Rep. Andy Barr in the 6th Congressional District, while also asking businessman Nate Morris to step aside in the race and take on a role within the administration. Morris' name will remain on the ballot, but his votes will not be counted, according to the Kentucky Secretary of State.
Barr will face off against former attorney general and former gubernatorial candidate Daniel Cameron. Both candidates have past ties to McConnell, though they have made clear attempts to distance themselves from the current senator, who represents establishment Republicanism.
Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District features a MAGA proxy battle as incumbent Massie fights for reelection against Trump-backed challenger Ed Gallrein, a Navy SEAL and fifth-generation farmer.
Massie and Trump have long engaged in a bitter feud, recently driven by Massie's push to release the Jeffrey Epstein files, opposition to the Iran war and efforts to strike down Trump-championed legislation.