Few have filed for May primary

Jan. 7 last day to file for party nomination contests

With the fil­ing dead­line days away, only a few coun­ty offi­cials face chal­lengers in the May 17 pri­ma­ry election.

As of Monday after­noon, only four mem­bers of the Clark County Fiscal Court and one con­sta­ble, all Republicans, were opposed for re-elec­tion with­in their own party.

First District Magistrate Daniel Konstantopoulos has drawn a chal­lenge from Steven Young Caudill; District 2 Magistrate Travis Thompson is opposed by Ernest Wayne Pasley; Joe Graham will face Larry G. Hall in District 3; and 5^th District Magistrate Christopher M. Davis is chal­lenged by David Stambaugh II.

There is a Republican pri­ma­ry race in District 4 that does not involve an incum­bent because the cur­rent mag­is­trate, Greg Elkins, chose to run for coun­ty judge-exec­u­tive instead. The GOP can­di­dates in that race are Tom Korb and Jonathan Taylor.

There is also a Democratic can­di­date for mag­is­trate in District 5, William J. Swope II, but unless he draws a chal­lenger in his party’s pri­ma­ry, his name will not be on the May 17 ballot.

That also goes for the Fiscal Court’s only Democrat, Magistrate Robert Blanton, who remains unop­posed for re-elec­tion in both the pri­ma­ry and gen­er­al elections.

The only con­sta­ble who has drawn a chal­lenger so far is Shelby Lynn Toler,  who is opposed in the Republican pri­ma­ry by William Gerald Ham.

Other incum­bent con­sta­bles who have filed for re-elec­tion are Doug Woodall in District 1, David Wayne Puckett in District 4, and Jerry Edwards Jr. in District 5. All are Republicans.

Candidates have until 4 p.m. on Jan. 7 to file for the primaries.

County judge-executive

Magistrate Greg Elkins filed for coun­ty judge-exec­u­tive fol­low­ing the death in October of Judge Chris Pace, a Republican. But now two oth­er Republicans have filed. They are Les Yates, a for­mer state rep­re­sen­ta­tive, and County Coroner Robert Gayheart.

A Democrat, Justin Charles, has also filed, but won’t be on the bal­lot unless anoth­er mem­ber of his par­ty chal­lenges him.

Currently, the office is held by a Democrat, Judge Henry Branham, who was coun­ty judge before Pace and was appoint­ed to the posi­tion again by Gov. Andy Beshear to fin­ish Pace’s term.

Other county offices

County Clerk Michelle Turner, a Democrat, has not drawn a chal­lenger in her party’s pri­ma­ry, but there are two Republican can­di­dates for May: Deputy County Clerk Linda Jako and Paula Edwards.

Two oth­er Democratic incum­bents, Jailer Frank Doyle, and Property Valuation Administrator Jason Neely, also have drawn Republican chal­lengers but no chal­lengers in the Democratic pri­ma­ry. The GOP can­di­date for jail­er is Paul Wyatt II, and the Republican in the PVA’s race is Jada Brady, who ran for state rep­re­sen­ta­tive as a write-in last year.

Republican incum­bents Sheriff Berl Perdue Jr. and County Attorney William Elkins have filed for re-elec­tion, but at this point, they have no oppo­nents in the GOP pri­ma­ry or the gen­er­al election.

Neal Ray Oliver, a Republican, is the only can­di­date for coro­ner, and no one has filed to run for coun­ty sur­vey­or or for the soil and water con­ser­va­tion board.

City races

Winchester Mayor Ed Burtner’s announce­ment that he would not seek anoth­er term left an open­ing to fill that role.

City Commissioner JoEllen Reed and busi­ness­man Ralph Harrison, who chal­lenged Burtner for the job before, have filed.

City elec­tions in Winchester are non-par­ti­san, and unless there is at least one more can­di­date for may­or, Reed and Harrison will advance to the fall elec­tion on Nov. 8.

Reed’s deci­sion to run for may­or and Commissioner Ramsey Flynn’s announce­ment that he would be step­ping down next year because he and his wife are mov­ing out of town leave two open seats on the Winchester Board of Commissioners. If there are no more than eight can­di­dates for the four-mem­ber com­mis­sion, there won’t be a pri­ma­ry for the city leg­isla­tive body, and all can­di­dates will run in November.

So far, four have filed: Commissioner Kitty Strode, for­mer Commissioner Kenny Book, and two new­com­ers, Greg Yates and Roi A. Mayes.

Judicial contests

Like city races, judi­cial elec­tions are non­par­ti­san. So far, the only con­test­ed seat is that for the 2^nd Division of the 25^th District Court. The incum­bent, Judge Robert Jennings of Richmond, faces Richmond attor­ney Kristin Jane Clouse. Interestingly, both their fathers were also judges: William Jennings and William Clouse.

State legislature

Both Republican incum­bents who rep­re­sent Clark County in Frankfort have filed for re-elec­tion, but both are unop­posed in the party’s primary.

State Rep. Ryan Dotson, who was elect­ed last year to the 73^rd House seat after win­ning Clark County by just two votes in the GOP pri­ma­ry, so far has no chal­lenger for his party’s nom­i­na­tion this time, but has drawn a Democratic con­tes­tant for the fall race, Rory Houlihan.

State Sen. Ralph Alvarado, who rep­re­sents the 28^th District in the Senate, has no oppo­si­tion in either the pri­ma­ry or the general.

Congress

Two Democrats, Geoffrey M. Young of Lexington and Chris Preece of Berea, have filed for the 6^th District U.S. House seat held by Republican Andy Barr, who is run­ning for anoth­er term and has no oppo­si­tion in the primary.

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican, has sev­er­al oppo­nents, includ­ing Democrat Charles Booker, who ran a strong sec­ond to Amy McGrath for his party’s nom­i­na­tion last year to chal­lenge Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell.