Kentuckians are casting their votes Tuesday in the commonwealth’s primary election, with state Democrats finally getting their say in the presidential contest between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.
Both candidates have made western Kentucky appearances in the last couple days and Calloway County Democratic Party chair David Ramey says the race is much tighter here than he thought it would be six months ago.
“Both candidates are talking about economic concerns that people in Kentucky have and it’s going to be interesting to watch what happens tonight when the votes start rolling in," Ramey said.
The Kentucky GOP held a caucus back in March won by now-apparent nominee Donald Trump. Calloway County Republican Party chair Greg DeLancey says he encountered some voter confusion in the time between the caucus and today’s primary.
“Some voters I think that may not have checked their sources may have thought the caucus took the place of the GOP primary, but I think as a whole, those that are out at the polls are fairly enthusiastic about their choices," DeLancey said.
Those choices include a hotly contested primary in the race to succeed retiring 1st District Congressman Ed Whitfield, with James Comer, Mike Pape, Jason Batts and Miles Caughey running. Democrat Sam Gaskins is running unopposed.
Meanwhile, several Democrats - including Jim Gray, Sellus Wilder and Ron Leach - are vying for the opportunity to run against Sen. Rand Paul in November. Paul himself faces two primary challengers.
Local races include the primaries for Paducah mayor and city commission, as well as Graves County coroner. Visit wkms.org Tuesday night for election results.
