| State: | Kentucky |
| District: | 31 |
| Chamber: | Senate |
| Representative: | Phillip Wheeler |
| Party: | Republican |
| Residence: | Pikeville |
| Incumbentsince: | March 19, 2019 |
| Democratic: | 43.3 |
| Republican: | 49.9 |
| Npp: | 6.5 |
| Percent White: | 95.2 |
| Percent Black: | 1.3 |
| Percent Hispanic: | 1.1 |
| Percent Asian: | 0.6 |
| Percent Native American: | 0.1 |
| Percent Multiracial: | 1.7 |
| Population: | 115,731 |
| Population Year: | 2022 |
| Registered: | 86,880 |
| Registered Year: | June 2024 |
Kentucky's 31st Senatorial district is one of 38 districts in the Kentucky Senate. Located in the eastern part of the state, it comprises the counties of Elliott, Johnson, Lawrence, Martin, and Pike. It has been represented by Phillip Wheeler (R–Pikeville) since 2019.[1] As of 2022, the district had a population of 115,731.[2]
On July 1, 2024, the district had 86,880 registered voters, who were registered with the following parties.
| Party | Registration | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voters | % | |||
| Republican | 43,320 | 49.86 | ||
| Democratic | 37,621 | 43.30 | ||
| Independent | 2,565 | 2.95 | ||
| Libertarian | 212 | 0.24 | ||
| Green | 25 | 0.03 | ||
| Constitution | 19 | 0.02 | ||
| Socialist Workers | 11 | 0.01 | ||
| Reform | 5 | 0.01 | ||
| "Other" | 3,102 | 3.57 | ||
| Total | 86,880 | 100.00 | ||
| Source: Kentucky State Board of Elections | ||||
| Year | Office | Results |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Senator | McConnell 61.3 - 35.5% |
| 2015 | Governor | Bevin 56.3 - 40.6% |
| Secretary of State | Knipper 51.6 - 48.4% | |
| Attorney General | Beshear 50.02 - 49.98% | |
| Auditor of Public Accounts | Harmon 53.6 - 46.4% | |
| State Treasurer | Ball 57.6 - 42.4% | |
| Commissioner of Agriculture | Quarles 59.1 - 40.9% | |
| 2016 | President | Trump 79.7 - 17.6% |
| Senator | Paul 60.8 - 39.2% | |
| 2019 | Governor | Bevin 55.1 - 42.4% |
| Secretary of State | Adams 60.3 - 39.7% | |
| Attorney General | Cameron 59.6 - 40.4% | |
| Auditor of Public Accounts | Harmon 61.9 - 35.5% | |
| State Treasurer | Ball 66.3 - 33.7% | |
| Commissioner of Agriculture | Quarles 62.2 - 35.1% | |
| 2020 | President | Trump 80.2 - 18.7% |
| Senator | McConnell 73.3 - 23.0% | |
| Amendment 1 | 50.7 - 49.3% | |
| Amendment 2 | 69.9 - 30.1% |
| Year | Office | Results |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Senator | Paul 76.4 - 23.6% |
| Amendment 1 | 51.8 - 48.2% | |
| Amendment 2 | 63.9 - 36.1% | |
| 2023 | Governor | Cameron 58.0 - 42.0% |
| Secretary of State | Adams 71.9 - 28.1% | |
| Attorney General | Coleman 71.3 - 28.7% | |
| Auditor of Public Accounts | Ball 73.2 - 26.8% | |
| State Treasurer | Metcalf 69.0 - 31.0% | |
| Commissioner of Agriculture | Shell 72.6 - 27.4% |
| Member | Party | Years | Electoral history | District location | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kelsey Friend Sr. | Democratic | January 1, 1972 – January 1, 1980 | Elected in 1971. Reelected in 1975. Lost renomination. | 1972–1974 Letcher and Pike Counties. | |||
| 1974–1984 | |||||||
| align=left | John Doug Hays | Democratic | nowrap | January 1, 1980 – January 1, 1984 | Elected in 1979. Lost renomination. | ||
| Kelsey Friend Sr. | Democratic | January 1, 1984 – January 1, 1997 | Elected in 1983. Reelected in 1988. Reelected in 1992. Lost renomination. | 1984–1993 Letcher (part), Martin (part), and Pike Counties. | |||
| 1993–1997 | |||||||
| align=left | Gary C. Johnson | Democratic | nowrap | January 1, 1997 – January 1, 2001 | Elected in 1996. Retired. | 1997–2003 | |
| Ray Jones II | Democratic | January 1, 2001 – January 7, 2019 | Elected in 2000. Reelected in 2004. Reelected in 2008. Reelected in 2012. Reelected in 2016. Resigned after being elected Judge/Executive of Pike County. | ||||
| 2003–2015 | |||||||
| 2015–2023 | |||||||
| Phillip Wheeler | Republican | March 28, 2019 – present | Elected to finish Jones's term. Reelected in 2020. | ||||
| 2023–present |
See main article: articles and 2024 Kentucky Senate election.
See main article: article and 2020 Kentucky Senate election.
See main article: article.
See main article: article and 2016 Kentucky Senate election.
See main article: article and 2004 Kentucky Senate election.
See main article: article and 1996 Kentucky Senate election.