NC GAZETTE / WBRT RADIO
STAFF REPORT
Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026 — Voter turnout in Nelson County for Tuesday’s election was an impressive 45.56 percent, slightly higher than the statewide turnout of 42.6 percent.
The Kentucky Secretary of State’s website shows that 1,445,743 ballots were cast statewide.
14th SENATE DISTRICT. With an endorsement by outgoing state Sen. Jimmy Higdon, Springfield pharmacist Ben Mudd handily defeated Democratic candidate Carrie Truitt by taking 63 percent of Tuesday’s vote.
Mudd went on to win the entire 14th District, earning 66 percent of the votes cast in the five-county state senate district.
The 14th Senate District includes all of Nelson County and four other counties.
50th HOUSE DISTRICT. Incumbent state Rep. Candy Massaroni had the greatest vote total in any race Nelson County. She received 10,513 votes, or 66 percent of the total votes cast in her race against Democratic challenger J.D. Netherton.
COUNTY JUDGE-EXECUTIVE. Incumbent Republican Judge-Executive Tim Hutchins won in his race against Democratic challenger J.T. Roby, though Hutchins’ win was not a landslide victory. For much of Election night, Roby’s vote totals were neck-and-neck with Hutchins’ totals, though vote totals from several polling locations helped him win with 55 percent of the votes cast.
NELSON COUNTY SHERIFF. Republican candidate Jarren Culver beat his opponent, Democrat A.J. Lewis Jr., by more than 3,600 votes.
NELSON FISCAL COURT – DISTRICT 1. Incumbent Democrat Keith Metcalfe handily dispatched Republican challenger and former chief deputy of the Nelosn County Sheriff’s Office Brandon Bryan in a landslide win by earning 67 percent of votes cast, 1,994 votes to Bryan’s 965 votes.
NELSON FISCAL COURT – DISTRICT 3. Incumbent Republican M.T. Harned defeated his Democratic challenger, Cameron Richards in a landslide win by garnering 64 percent of the votes cast.
NELSON FISCAL COURT – DISTRICT 4. Democratic candidate Frankie Cambron lost to Republican Brent Bray for the open seat as magistrate in District 4, with Bray receiving 65 percent of the votes cast.
The magistrates for District 2 and 5 were decided in the May primary election. Gary Coulter won his old seat back on fiscal court and Bloomfield Fire Chief Ted Shields won the race for District 5 magistrate.
BARDSTOWN MAYOR AND COUNCIL. Incumbent Bardstown Mayor Dick Heaton cruised to an easy victory Tuesday night over his opponent, Minoj Patel, with 74 percent of the votes cast.
As has been the case in a number of previous elections, Councilman Roland “Coach Roe” Williams was the top vote-getter among the six incumbent council members, receiving 2,499 votes. All six incumbent council members were re-elected. Challengers Matthew Cooper received 1,063 votes, and former Mayor John Royalty received 899 votes.
MAYOR OF BLOOMFIELD, NEW HAVEN. Incumbent Bloomfield Mayor Chris Dudgeon won a very close race against his challenger, Bloomfield City Councilwoman Laura Barnett for the race for Bloomfield mayor, with Dudgeon receiving 180 votes to Barnett’s 173 votes. (Editor’s note: At this writing, all vote totals are unofficial until certified by the state.)
In the New Haven mayor’s race, Fred DeWitt received 143 votes to Willliam Metcalf’s 82 votes.
BARDSTOWN BOARD OF EDUCATION. The top three vote-getters out of the four candidates for the Bardstown Board of Education were incumbent board member Kevin Rogers, with 2,071 votes; Paul K. Bowling, with 1,730 votes; and Ellen Baker Finn, with 1,728. Ginny Roby Holland missed the top three with 1,639 votes.
U.S. SENATE. Former U.S. Rep. Andy Barr won in a landslide over Democratic challenger Charles Booker.
Barr’s win, with 61 percent of the vote with 112 out of 120 counties reporting, qualifies as a landslide victory, thanks in no small part to third-party ads that attacked Booker, highlighting his alleged far-left ideologies, which were said to include “abolish ICE”
2nd CONGRESSIONAL. Incumbent Republican U.S. Representative Brett Guthrie cruised to an easy landslide victory over his Democrat challenger, Megan Wingfield, with Guthrie earning 62 percent of the total vote.
4th CONGRESSIONAL Republic Ed Gallrein, the candidate President Trump picked to run against — and defeat — Congressman Thomas Massie in the May primary election, won his race against Melissa Strange in his own landslide victory with 61 percent of the state votes cast.
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