A ‘blue wave’? Kentucky voter registration stats say no

voted in the Democratic primary in May, a six-person contest with three wellknown candidates. Less than half that many voted in the Republican primary, where Barr won easily over little-known challenger Chuck Eddy.

Primary elections are closed in Kentucky, meaning only people registered with a political party can vote in that party’s primary. Democrats dominated state politics for most of the 20th century and held a huge voter registration advantage. In 2016, Trump won Kentucky with 62 percent of the vote, helping Republicans win majorities in the state House and Senate. As Republicans win more races statewide and locally, voters have more incentive to register with the GOP so they can vote in primaries.

One example is Erik Henderson, McGrath’s husband, who registered as a Republican in Scott County last year. He could not vote for his wife in the primary but will in the general election.

Anthony Harover, chairman of the GOP in Shelby County, where Republicans are on the cusp of a majority in voter registration, said the practical value of being registered as a Democrat has diminished over time. But he thinks that’s because national Democratic leaders lost touch with Kentucky voters.

“People have been voting for Republicans, nationally and statewide, in Shelby County for a long time,” he said. “I think they finally just decided the Democratic Party nationally doesn’t fit the way they believe.”

Registrations really took off when Obama became president, influencing people like Evans, who said that made her realize “the liberalism on the Democratic ticket is not acceptable to me.”

Barr’s campaign is built to appeal to voters like her; his TV ads paint McGrath as a liberal feminist. Barr said he views the voter registration trends as proof voters want what he is selling.

“What that tells me is that my constituents are happy with the direction of the country and they are increasingly aligning themselves with our agenda,” he said.