The incumbent seat of Kentucky State Senate District 7, Adrienne Southworthwill not advance to the November election as her party’s candidate — but the Republican winner of the primary is too close to call late Tuesday night.
Aaron Reed, a Republican from Shelbyville, led Ed Gallrein, also a Republican from Shelbyville, by just over 100 votes around 11 p.m., according to unofficial election results.
Southworth has held the seat since 2021.
The winner of the Republican primary will face Rhonda Davis, a Democrat from Lawrenceburg, in the November election.
Reed is a former Navy SEAL who founded a gun shop in Shelby County.
Gallrein is also a former Navy SEAL, and his family run a popular farm in Shelby County, the most populous county in District 7.
On Tuesday evening they were separated by one percentage point.
According to unofficial election results, Reed had received 39% of the vote, Gallrein 38% and Southworth 22%.
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Senate District 7 has been redrawn since the last election and now consists of Anderson, Henry and Shelby counties, and part of Jefferson County. Reed had previously thrown his hat — he is known for wearing a cowboy hat — into the ring for a new Senate seat in the 2022 cycle before being pulled out.
The Shelby County native had the support of many “Liberty” Republicans in the state, whose views are generally further aligned than the mainstream party on issues like gun control and the role of government.
How the battle between GOP Liberty and mainstream GOP is playing out in KY’s 2024 primaries
Americans for Prosperity, a libertarian Republican group affiliated with the Koch Brothers, spent more than $70,000 to back Reed in the crowded race.
During her time in the Senate, Southworth has occasionally voted against her own caucus, leading to conflict between her and Senate Republican leaders.
She has also been criticized for engaging in election conspiracy theories in her first year as a senator, including the use of misinformation about the use of voting machines.
