Kentucky GOP Hits Historic Milestone, Surpassing Democrats in Number of Registered Voters
Republicans in Kentucky surpassed Democrats last month in the number of registered voters for the first time in history, according to state elections officials.
The state Board of Elections on July 15 released its monthly voter registration numbers, showing 1,612,060 voters registered as Republicans to 1,609,569 registered as Democrats.
The red shift now overtaking the state stands in stark contrast to the historical inter-party dynamics; several decades ago, Republicans had less than half the number of registered voters than Democrats.
“After a century and a half, the birthplace of Lincoln has finally aligned with the party of Lincoln,” Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams said in a statement.
‘Kentucky Goes Red’
Adams pointed out, however, that Republicans in his state now hold a plurality but not a majority, adding that the GOP must appeal to some of the 55 percent of non-Republicans in the state in order to win elections. Independents make up 137,116 of the total number of registered voters in Kentucky, while 189,727 are unaffiliated, according to the elections board data.
Following the election board’s historic announcement, Kentucky Republicans took a victory lap on Twitter, celebrating with a graphic that says: “Kentucky goes Red.”
“Big news, y’all: Kentucky is officially a REPUBLICAN state. In a historic milestone, there are now more registered Republicans than Democrats in Kentucky,” they said in the post caption.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) hailed the shift in a statement.
“Today is a day I never thought would happen,” McConnell said. “After decades of hard work and grassroots efforts across the Commonwealth, registered Republicans now outnumber registered Democrats in Kentucky.
“Congratulations to all my fellow Republicans who have worked so hard and so long to make this historic day possible. This is great news for the Commonwealth but it’s just the beginning,” he added.
McConnell’s remarks
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