This was, for the most part, an off-year for Kentucky elections. But in Louisville’s South End, voters have the chance to fill a recent vacancy in the state Senate just before the start of the 2026 General Assembly, in which lawmakers will craft the state’s next two-year budget.

David Yates, who vacated the seat earlier this year to serve as Jefferson County clerk, was elected to the seat as a Democrat in 2020. He beat his Republican opponent, U.S. Army veteran Calvin Leach, by 20 percentage points in 2024; Leach is once again running for the seat.

Meanwhile, Democrats selected local union leader Gary Clemons, also an Army veteran, as their nominee. One third-party candidate is also vying for the spot; Wendy Higdon, a surgical technologist, is the Libertarian Party’s nominee.

Early, no-

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