| State: | Kentucky |
| District: | 8 |
| Chamber: | Senate |
| Representative: | Gary Boswell |
| Party: | Republican |
| Residence: | Owensboro |
| Incumbentsince: | January 1, 2023 |
| Democratic: | 45.1 |
| Republican: | 45.6 |
| Npp: | 8.7 |
| Percent White: | 87.8 |
| Percent Black: | 4.1 |
| Percent Hispanic: | 3.2 |
| Percent Asian: | 1.8 |
| Percent Native American: | 0.1 |
| Percent Pacific Islander: | 0.1 |
| Percent Multiracial: | 2.6 |
| Percent Other Race: | 0.3 |
| Population: | 121,147 |
| Population Year: | 2022 |
| Registered: | 91,355 |
| Registered Year: | June 2024 |
Kentucky's 8th Senatorial district is one of 38 districts in the Kentucky Senate. Located in the western part of the state, it comprises the counties of Daviess, Hancock, and McLean. Within the district is the economic leading city of Owensboro. It has been represented by Gary Boswell (R–Owensboro) since 2023.[1] As of 2022, the district had a population of 121,147.[2]
From 1966 to 1967, the district was represented by Wendell Ford, who would later be elected governor and U.S. senator from Kentucky.
On July 1, 2024, the district had 91,355 registered voters, who were registered with the following parties.
| Party | Registration | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voters | % | |||
| Republican | 41,618 | 45.56 | ||
| Democratic | 41,223 | 45.12 | ||
| Independent | 3,251 | 3.56 | ||
| Libertarian | 430 | 0.47 | ||
| Green | 57 | 0.06 | ||
| Constitution | 41 | 0.04 | ||
| Socialist Workers | 15 | 0.02 | ||
| Reform | 4 | 0.00 | ||
| "Other" | 4,716 | 5.16 | ||
| Total | 91,355 | 100.00 | ||
| Source: Kentucky State Board of Elections | ||||
| Year | Office | Results |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Senator | McConnell 55.5 - 41.3% |
| 2015 | Governor | Bevin 54.8 - 42.7% |
| Secretary of State | Grimes 51.8 - 48.2% | |
| Attorney General | Beshear 53.0 - 47.0% | |
| Auditor of Public Accounts | Harmon 53.9 - 46.1% | |
| State Treasurer | Ball 57.9 - 42.1% | |
| Commissioner of Agriculture | Quarles 58.7 - 41.3% | |
| 2016 | President | Trump 64.2 - 30.0% |
| Senator | Paul 58.8 - 41.2% | |
| 2019 | Governor | Bevin 50.9 - 46.7% |
| Secretary of State | Adams 53.7 - 46.3% | |
| Attorney General | Cameron 59.7 - 40.3% | |
| Auditor of Public Accounts | Harmon 56.4 - 40.0% | |
| State Treasurer | Ball 59.8 - 40.2% | |
| Commissioner of Agriculture | Quarles 58.6 - 38.2% | |
| 2020 | President | Trump 64.4 - 33.6% |
| Senator | McConnell 58.0 - 36.2% | |
| Amendment 1 | 64.8 - 35.2% | |
| Amendment 2 | 66.6 - 33.4% |
| Year | Office | Results |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Senator | Paul 65.3 - 34.7% |
| Amendment 1 | 51.4 - 48.6% | |
| Amendment 2 | 55.5 - 44.5% | |
| 2023 | Governor | Beshear 50.2 - 49.8% |
| Secretary of State | Adams 61.0 - 39.0% | |
| Attorney General | Coleman 60.4 - 39.6% | |
| Auditor of Public Accounts | Ball 60.8 - 39.2% | |
| State Treasurer | Metcalf 58.5 - 41.5% | |
| Commissioner of Agriculture | Shell 62.0 - 38.0% |
| Member | Party | Years | Electoral history | District location | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=left | Wendell Ford | Democratic | nowrap | January 1, 1966 – December 12, 1967 | Elected in 1965. Resigned after being elected Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky. | 1964–1972 Daviess and Hancock Counties. | ||
| Delbert Murphy | Democratic | December 1967 – January 1, 1991 | Elected to finish Ford's term. Reelected in 1969. Reelected in 1973. Reelected in 1977. Reelected in 1981. Reelected in 1986. Retired. | |||||
| 1972–1974 Daviess and Hancock Counties. | ||||||||
| 1974–1984 | ||||||||
| 1984–1993 Daviess, Hancock, and Ohio (part) Counties. | ||||||||
| David Boswell | Democratic | January 1, 1991 – January 1, 2011 | Elected in 1990. Reelected in 1994. Reelected in 1998. Reelected in 2002. Reelected in 2006. Lost reelection. | |||||
| 1993–1997 | ||||||||
| 1997–2003 | ||||||||
| 2003–2015 | ||||||||
| Joseph R. Bowen | Republican | January 1, 2011 – January 1, 2019 | Elected in 2010. Reelected in 2014. Retired. | |||||
| 2015–2023 | ||||||||
| align=left | Matt Castlen | Republican | nowrap | January 1, 2019 – January 1, 2023 | Elected in 2018. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Gary Boswell | Republican | nowrap | January 1, 2023 – present | Elected in 2022. | 2023–present |
See main article: article and 2022 Kentucky Senate election.
See main article: article and 2018 Kentucky Senate election.
See main article: article and 2010 Kentucky Senate election.