Dec 17, 2025

Democrat Gary Clemons, a South Louisville union leader and U.S. Army veteran, won Kentucky’s vacant Senate District 37 seat on Tuesday in a roughly 47.5‑point landslide, taking 72.6 percent of the vote to Republican Calvin Leach’s 25.1 percent, according to unofficial Jefferson County results.

“State Democrats are overperforming and winning special elections across every part of the country,” said Heather Williams, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) president, in a statement shared with Newsweek. “Momentum is on our side as voters turn away from MAGA Republicans and back state Democrats who are fighting to lower costs.”

Newsweek contacted a spokesperson for the Republican Party of Kentucky for comment outside normal business hours.

Why It Matters

The south‑end Louisville district has long leaned Democratic, but Clemons’ margin far exceeds recent benchmarks. Democrat David Yates beat Leach by about 20 points in 2024, and former Vice President Kamala Harris only carried the area by roughly 6 points in the presidential election that year. Tuesday’s special drew a turnout of around 7 percent (just over 5,000 ballots), illustrating how low‑turnout December contests can produce outsized swings.

What To Know

The seat remained vacant after Yates was appointed interim Jefferson County clerk earlier this year.

Clemons, president of United Steelworkers Local 1693, campaigned on bolstering support for working families, lowering costs for essentials, creating jobs, and representing blue-collar interests in the state legislature.

“I’ve spent my life working alongside the people who keep Louisville running—in factories, in shops, and in all jobs important in our neighborhoods–union or not,” Clemons said in a statement to Newsweek.

He said working families need a voice in Frankfort and that his South End roots, Army Reserve service, and nearly two decades in union leadership have shaped his commitment to public service, with a focus on veterans and working‑class issues.

Clemons will be sworn in on January 6, the first day of Kentucky’s 2026 legislative session in Frankfort, alongside other newly elected lawmakers, according to state Democratic officials.

The win keeps the seat in Democratic hands in a chamber otherwise dominated by Republicans, adding a labor voice just weeks before lawmakers convene for the 2026 budget session in Frankfort.

Over the past year, Democrats have repeatedly outperformed in key races. In Virginia, Democrat James Walkinshaw won a state House special by about 50 points, far exceeding Kamala Harris’ 2024 margin. In Rhode Island, Democrat Stefano Famiglietti captured a state Senate seat with a 67-point win, outperforming Harris’ prior showing by more than 50 points

Democrats have also shown signs of strength in traditionally Republican territory by outperforming their 2024 margins, even when falling short of outright victories. In Tennessee’s deep-red 7th Congressional District, Democratic state Representative Aftyn Behn lost a December 2025 special election by about nine points, a markedly narrower margin than President Donald Trump’s roughly 22-point win there in 2024.

What People Are Saying

Democratic Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear wrote on X: “Continuing the trend of Democrats outperforming previous elections by wide margins all over the country, congratulations to State Senator-Elect Gary Clemons in KY’s 37th Senate District…I was proud to campaign for Gary and know he will be a strong voice for working families in the state Senate!

DLCC President Heather Williams said: “We must keep up this enthusiasm as we tackle our next special elections just weeks away, where majorities in our most competitive chambers are on the line.”

Zachary Donnini, head of data science at Vote Hub, wrote in a post on X: “The new reality of consistent Democratic overperformances in recent special elections, combined with the GOP’s push for mid-decade redistricting, is likely to create real tension for Republican incumbents through the rest of the 2020s.”

Clemons (right) talking to voters on December 15.

What Happens Next

Over the next six weeks, a string of special elections will test party strength in key state legislative districts. Democrats are defending a seat in Iowa’s Senate District 16 on December 30, aiming to stave off a GOP supermajority, while South Carolina holds three specials on December 23 in Republican-leaning territory.

Early January brings contests in Virginia—including a Richmond-area Senate seat on January 6—followed by Georgia’s Senate District 18 on January 20, a traditionally red district where Democrats hope to narrow margins. Minnesota will round out the month with two House specials on January 27, giving Democrats a chance to restore parity in the state House.

https://www.newsweek.com/democrat-wins-election-by-48-point-landslide-in-kentucky-11224737