Overwhelming win for Republican Party in Tri-County
Nov. 5—TRI-COUNTY — In the Tri-County area, the 2024 presidential election saw overwhelming support for the Republican ticket. Across the local counties, voters turned out in significant numbers, favoring former President Donald J. Trump and running mate J.D. Vance.
In Whitley County, the Republican duo received 10,520 votes, or 69.78% of the total, with strong participation in early voting and on Election Day. Trump and Vance saw 551 votes from absentee mail-in ballots, 83 from absentee walk-ins, 4,555 from early voting, and 5,331 on Election Day.
In Knox County, Trump and Vance continued to lead with an impressive 11,178 votes. This total included 576 mail-in votes, 133 from early voting excused, 3,144 from early voting unexcused, and 7,325 on Election Day.
Laurel Countians also leaned Republican with 23,516 voters selecting Trump and only 4,037 voters selecting Democratic candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Combined, these numbers reinforced the Republican ticket's significant lead in this region and ultimately, the commonwealth.
Harris and running mate Tim Walz, the Democratic candidates, received 2,236 votes in Whitley County, representing 14.83% of the county's vote. Harris and Walz saw 263 votes from absentee mail-in ballots, 20 from absentee walk-ins, 877 from early voting, and 1,076 on Election Day.
In Knox County, the Democratic ticket received 1,821 votes, with 244 mail-in votes, 20 from early voting excused, 518 from early voting unexcused, and 1,039 on Election Day.
Other candidates saw limited support in both counties. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Independent) received 93 votes in Whitley and 84 in Knox County, while Chase Oliver (Libertarian) secured 23 votes in Whitley and 30 in Knox County.
U.S. Representative Hal Rogers secured his 23rd consecutive term, continuing his tenure as the longest-serving Kentuckian in federal office.
Expressing gratitude, Rogers stated, "I'm honored that the people of southern and eastern Kentucky continue to faithfully trust me to echo their voice on Capitol Hill," and reaffirmed his commitment to addressing key issues like drug prevention and regional economic growth.
In addition to Rogers, Robert Stivers was re-elected as State Senator for the 25th District without opposition, Nick Wilson was re-elected for the State Representative seat for the 82nd District (Whitley, McCreary and a portion of Laurel counties) and Tom O'dell Smith as Representative for District 86 (Knox and a portion Laurel).
All results are unofficial until they can be certified.
