AP

3 Kentucky Republicans win re-election to Congress

Nov 8, 2022, 3:37 AM | Updated: 6:01 pm

FILE - Kentucky Senate Minority Leader Morgan McGarvey addresses the media as he accepts an endorse...

FILE - Kentucky Senate Minority Leader Morgan McGarvey addresses the media as he accepts an endorsement from U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Ky., for his seat in the House of Representatives in Louisville, Ky., Monday, Feb. 7, 2022. The retirement of Kentucky's only Democrat in Congress puts the state's most competitive House seat up for grabs Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, pitting Democratic state Sen. McGarvey against Republican businessman Stuart Ray. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)

(AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)


              This photo provided by the Stuart Ray Campaign shows Stuart Ray. The retirement of Kentucky's only Democrat in Congress puts the state's most competitive House seat up for grabs Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, pitting Democratic state Sen. Morgan McGarvey against Republican businessman Ray. (Ben Keeling/Courtesy of Stuart Ray Campaign via AP)
            
              FILE - Kentucky Senate Minority Leader Morgan McGarvey addresses the media as he accepts an endorsement from U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Ky., for his seat in the House of Representatives in Louisville, Ky., Monday, Feb. 7, 2022. The retirement of Kentucky's only Democrat in Congress puts the state's most competitive House seat up for grabs Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, pitting Democratic state Sen. McGarvey against Republican businessman Stuart Ray. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Three Kentucky Republicans easily won reelection to Congress on Tuesday, including the longest-serving member of the U.S. House.

Andy Barr, James Comer and Harold “Hal” Rogers, who was elected to a 22nd consecutive term, won their districts. Rogers was first elected to Congress in 1980.

Two more congressional Republicans, Brett Guthrie and Thomas Massie, were expected to cruise to re-election in the deep-red state.

The retirement of Kentucky’s only Democrat in Congress put the state’s most competitive House seat up for grabs, pitting Democratic state senator Morgan McGarvey against Republican businessman Stuart Ray.

John Yarmuth served eight terms in the Louisville-area 3rd District and endorsed McGarvey, the state Senate minority leader, in Tuesday’s general election.

Ray, a former state Fish and Wildlife commissioner, narrowly won the GOP primary to face McGarvey and sought to capitalize on a national political climate favoring Republicans.

The 3rd District has been a Democratic stronghold for more than a decade. President Joe Biden won Louisville, one of the state’s most diverse areas, with about 59% of the vote in the 2020 presidential race.

Ray has pledged to cut spending and bring more economic development to Kentucky’s largest city. He has repeatedly criticized Democrats’ efforts to curb inflation.

McGarvey, a lawyer, campaigned in support of universal government healthcare, legalizing marijuana and expanding renewable energy to combat climate change. He has been critical of Ray’s support of an abortion ban in Kentucky and said the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol was a “terrorist insurrection.”

Ray said he opposes gun control laws, supports charter schools and thought the border wall begun by former President Donald Trump should be completed.

The 3rd District remained intact under the GOP’s redistricting plan and is far more diverse than other areas of Kentucky. It covers most of Kentucky’s Jefferson County, where white residents make up nearly two-thirds of the district’s population and Black residents account for about 20%, according to census figures.

____

Follow AP’s coverage of the elections at: https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections

Check out https://apnews.com/hub/explaining-the-elections to learn more about the issues and factors at play in the 2022 midterm elections.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Image: A cargo ship is stuck under the part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after ...

Associated Press

Authorities identify 2 bodies recovered at site of Baltimore bridge collapse

A major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below.

1 day ago

Photo: Mountaineer Jim Whittaker has died at 95....

Gene Johnson, The Associated Press

Lou Whittaker, among the most famous American mountaineers, has died at age 95

Lou Whittaker, a legendary American mountaineer who helped lead ascents of Mount Everest, K2 and Denali, has died at age 95.

2 days ago

File photo: Former Sen. Joe Lieberman speaks in Washington on Jan. 18, 2024....

Associated Press

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, Democrats’ VP pick in 2000, dead at 82

Former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who nearly won the vice presidency on the Democratic ticket with Al Gore in 2000, has died.

2 days ago

islamic state attack...

Vanessa Gera, The Associated Press

What we know after the Islamic State group claims responsibility for Moscow massacre

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for an attack on a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed at least 133 people.

5 days ago

Moscow shooting...

The Associated Press

Russia: 60 dead, 145 injured in concert hall raid; Islamic State group claims responsibility

Assailants burst into a concert hall in Moscow on Friday and sprayed the crowd with gunfire, killing over 60 people, injuring more than 100.

7 days ago

Photo: Britain's Kate, Duchess of Cambridge visits 282 (East Ham) Squadron, RAF Air Cadets, Cornwel...

Associated Press

Kate Middleton announces she has cancer, is undergoing chemotherapy

Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, says she is undergoing chemotherapy to treat cancer. She has been out of view since Christmas.

7 days ago

3 Kentucky Republicans win re-election to Congress