A guide to the May 17 primary election in Kentucky
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Candidates in Kentucky’s May 17 primary are hoping for the chance to earn their party’s nominations in federal, state and local races.
U.S. SENATE
Republican incumbent Rand Paul won his party’s nomination as he pursues a third term, defeating five little-known challengers in the Kentucky primary. Paul has made a name for himself as a national voice for a libertarian-leaning philosophy based on limited government and restrained spending.
Former state lawmaker Charles Booker of Louisville defeated three opponents on the Democratic side. Booker gained attention for his racial and economic justice message amid nationwide protests over the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other Black Americans in encounters with police. Booker barely lost the Democratic Senate primary that year to an establishment-backed rival.