Jessamine County Sees High Voter Turnout with Incumbents Retaining Seats in Local Elections

Nicholasville – Election night in Jessamine County ended with a robust voter turnout of 62.36 percent. Out of 43,308 registered voters, 26,009 ballots were cast and counted by the time polls closed at 10 p.m. on Tuesday, November 5, 2024.

In Nicholasville, incumbent city commissioners retained their seats. Pete Sutherland led with 5,394 votes, closely followed by Bethany Davis Brown with 5,378 votes. Other incumbents, Patty Grose Teater and Charles “Dexter” Knight, garnered 5,005 and 4,945 votes respectively. Challengers Betty Black, Johnny Templin, and Ronnie Rothwell secured 3,717, 3,450, and 2,516 votes.

Meanwhile, voters in Wilmore chose five incumbents and former city clerk Sharon Moore, who received the highest votes at 1,497. Incumbents Wes Metcalfe, David R. Riel, Jim Brumfield, Andy Bathje, and Leonard Fitch were all re-elected with respective votes of 1,450, 1,328, 1,299, 1,266, and 1,222. Incumbent Kim Deyer lost her seat, receiving 1,188 votes.

In educational governance, all incumbents of the Jessamine County Board of Education emerged victorious. Roberty “Bobby” Welch dominated the 1st Educational District with 1,981 votes, defeating Rosanna Lee Crusott, who secured 1,354 votes. Incumbent Amy Day won the 2nd district with 2,060 votes, while Debra Locker Hood retained her 3rd district position with 1,331 votes against her opponents Rachel Baker and Anthony Robert Turner.

Doug Fain was re-elected as Circuit Court Clerk, gaining a significant 16,948 votes in an uncontested race. Additionally, the Commonwealth’s Attorney in the 13th Judicial Circuit was also reelected without contest.

State election results were equally notable in Jessamine County. Incumbent State Representative Matt Lockett outperformed his opponent Ryan Stanford with 9,085 votes. Lockett also enjoyed a statewide win, receiving 12,610 votes, constituting 60 percent of the total Kentucky votes.

Incumbent Kim King in the 55th District and Daniel A Fister in the 56th District also won their races. King achieved 3,155 votes in Jessamine County and 16,382 votes statewide, while Fister received 3,031 votes locally and 13,863 statewide.

On the judicial front, Pamela R. Goodwine was elected as a Justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court, receiving 13,606 votes in Jessamine County and 180,755 statewide, defeating Erin Izzo.

Local voters also passed Constitutional Amendment 1, which reinforces that only citizens can vote, while Amendment 2, proposing public funding for private schools, was rejected both in Jessamine County and statewide.

In national elections, former President Donald J. Trump concluded the night with a solid win, amassing 17,854 votes in Jessamine County and 65 percent statewide. His opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, garnered 8,303 local votes.

The elections in Jessamine County not only reflect the sentiments of local voters but also pattern statewide trends, creating a significant political landscape moving forward.