
(NewsGlobal.com)- Secretary of State Michael Adams confirmed Friday that Republicans had more registered voters than Democrats.
By June 30, there were 1,612,060 GOP voters and 1,609,569 Democrats. In 2000, Democrats had a 525,000-voter registration advantage.
Adams, a Republican, praised Kentucky native and first Republican President Abraham Lincoln in a statement.
After 150 years, Lincoln’s birthplace had joined his party, he added. Today is a great day for the Grand Old Party, which has fought for minimal government and personal responsibility.
Michon Lindstrom, the secretary of state’s communications director, cites many explanations for the GOP’s gain.
Since Adams assumed office in January 2020, more than 126,000 deceased voters have been purged from the books. However, the office is also noticing an increase in people shifting affiliations. She also remarked that registration attempts had increased in recent months.
Both parties control roughly 45% of registered voters, a slim margin. The figures mask a transformation in Kentucky and national politics during the past 40 years.
Mitch McConnell’s 1984 triumph over U.S. Sen. Walter “Dee” Huddleston sparked the rise of the Republican Party in the state.
McConnell says he never expected Friday to come. “Grassroots initiatives” helped him overcome the Democrats’ advantage.
He stated, “This is excellent news for the commonwealth, but it’s just the beginning.”
Wendell Ford, a Democrat, was the last Kentucky senator to win in 1992. Then he retired. Ron Lewis won a special election in May 1994 to finish U.S. Rep. William Natcher’s term.
Four of Kentucky’s seven congressional seats were Democratic in 1991. The GOP gained four seats in 1994. Since 2012, Republicans have held five.
Bill Clinton carried Kentucky in 1996.
Mac Brown said that this didn’t happen quickly, and they didn’t accomplish it alone. This day is the result of decades of hard labor by many.
In 2000, the Kentucky state Senate switched to the GOP, which now has 30 of 38 seats.
After the 2016 election, Republicans took control of the state House from Democrats, who had held it since 1922.
Democrats solely possess the governorship. A rising group of GOP contenders wants to challenge Gov. Andy Beshear and become the third Republican governor since 2003.