2014 Senate Race has Started

2014 is going to be an important election no matter which way you lean politically.  One of the most discussed races for Kentuckians this year is the senate seat that is currently held by veteran Mitch McConnell (R).  McConnell is seeking his fifth term in office for the seat he has held in Kentucky since 1984.  McConnell was a strong winner in the primary with around 60% of the votes.

His biggest contender is the democrat candidate, Alison Lundergan Grimes.  Grimes is currently the Kentucky Secretary of State, which she has held since 2012.  She was the strong favorite in the May primary election, and if elected, this would be her first term in a federal position.  The next contender for McConnell’s seat is libertarian candidate, David Patterson.  Patterson is currently a peace officer in the city of Harrodsburg.  If elected, this would be his first term in any office.

There are also three write-in candidates vying for your votes this year.  Shawna Sterling (R)  ran in the May primary election on the republican ticket, where she came in third with over 7,000 votes.  Robert Randsell is also running and he currently lives in Florence, KY.  He has recently received a lot of national press over his campaign slogan “With Jews, We Lose”.  Mike Maggard is third write-in candidate running for office against McConnell (R) this year and he currently lives in Richmond, KY.  There appears to be very little information about Mr. Maggard available, but his campaign slogan is “Balanced Budget, Low Taxes, and Liberty”.

With a diverse group of candidates running this year, it should be interesting to see how the candidates campaign. Unless you avoid television, you have probably already seen the steady stream of McConnell and Grimes commercials.  There is a debate scheduled for October 13th, but it is likely that we only see McConnell and Grimes participate.  Patterson is currently suing the Kentucky Educational TV station to participate in the debate. With a restriction on pre-election poll support (a minimum of 5% support is needed), it is unclear at this time if any of the write-in candidates will meet that criterion.

The General Election will be held on Tuesday, November 4th.  Voting locations will be open from 6 AM until 6 PM.  To determine if you are registered to vote and where you should vote, visit the Voter Information Center.    To learn more about your rights as voter, visit the informational page on the Secretary of State’s website.