Election Results 2024: Madon scores 11-day historic write-in Senate campaign win
It only lasted 11 days, but Pineville Mayor Scott Madon's run for Eastern Kentucky's Senate District 29 was a resounding success.
According to numbers finalized late Wednesday, Madon won the district – it includes Bell, Knott, Harlan, Letcher and Floyd counties – in landslide fashion.
The crunched campaign timeline came after the passing of Sen. Johnnie Turner of Harlan, who died in late October due to complications following a lawnmower accident.
Turner's passing and the withdrawal of the only other candidate on the ballot, Independent David Suhr, led to the rare situation that unfolded. The only eligible vote-getters were write-in candidates who had to file their paperwork just days after Turner died. All told, 11 different people filed.
Madon garnered 35 percent of the electorate with 35.2%. The second-best was Floyd County's Willie Crase, who logged 15%, followed by Letcher County's Tyler Ward and Independet candidate Tanner Hesterberg.
Justin Noble, the candidate who received the endorsement of Democratic figures like Gov. Andy Beshear and former House Democratic leader Rocky Adkins, placed fifth with about 10% of the vote.
The write-in votes needed to be counted visually by local election officials, with voters needing to both fill in a square designated for a write-in vote and spell out their preferred candidate's last name.
The Pineville mayor carved out some advantages in the early going. He gained the support of the deep-pocketed Senate Republican Campaign Caucus Committee; Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester; and longtime Fifth Congressional District Rep. Hal Rogers, R-KY.
While results in Floyd, Knott and Letcher were scrambled between a handful of candidates, Madon ran away with massive margins in his native Bell County, as well as neighboring Harlan. He garnered more than 2,500 votes in those counties – 79% of Bell and 61% of Harlan.
Madon also received the endorsement of Turner's surviving family over his competition, stating that their support "despite their time of tremendous grief and mourning was incredibly touching."
"Having the endorsement and blessing of the family of the late Sen. Johnnie L. Turner meant the world to me, and to have their backing and encouragement despite their time of tremendous grief and mourning was incredibly touching and very emotional for me. I will do my very best to carry on and continue Sen. Turner's legacy of service to Eastern Kentucky," Madon wrote in a statement.
Madon has mentioned infrastructure – road projects are vital to the region, where long and winding valleys dominate the landscape – and energy as key policy priorities heading into his first term in Frankfort.
"I will wake up every day with the mountain people on my mind and the desire to work hard for you in Frankfort to make our home an even better place to live, work, and raise a family," Madon said.
