The Dec. 16 special election is to fill the District 37 Senate seat left vacant when Yates took over as Jefferson County clerk following the death of longtime clerk Bobbie Holsclaw. Democrat Gary Clemons and Republican Calvin Leach are facing off for the seat.

This year was a pretty calm year politically for the state of Kentucky, as no elections took place this year, but election season is slowly heating up as 2026 is changing that. Candidates have already started to file to run and for re-election all across Kentucky.

Republican, Kentucky State Representative J.T. Payne of Henderson files for re-election. According to a press release, he filed the paperwork on Wednesday. Payne says he remains committed to education,