Kentucky 2027 · Statewide offices
Kentucky secretary of state race 2027
Primary Tuesday, May 18, 2027 · General election Tuesday, November 2, 2027
Open seat. Michael Adams won the secretary of state's race in 2019 and 2023. Section 93 bars these officers from re-election for four years after two consecutive terms, so the 2027 race is for an open seat. [1][2][3]
Secretary of state results
Primary: May 18, 2027
Results will appear here after the last Kentucky polls close, at 6 p.m. Central time on Tuesday, May 18, 2027. They come from the State Board of Elections results site and stay unofficial until the state certifies them.
General election: November 2, 2027
Results will appear here after the last Kentucky polls close, at 6 p.m. Central time on Tuesday, November 2, 2027. They come from the State Board of Elections results site and stay unofficial until the state certifies them.
Who is running
As of November 6, 2026. The filing deadline for the primary is January 8, 2027 at 4 p.m.
Filed for the primary ballot
No one has filed yet with the Secretary of State.
Registered a campaign
| Candidate | Party | Registered |
|---|---|---|
 | Republican | |
 | Republican | |
 | Republican |
A Secretary of State filing puts a name on the primary ballot. A Registry of Election Finance registration only opens a campaign account. The two lists come from different agencies and are shown as published, without matching names.
The 2023 result
Michael Adams (Republican) won by 275,147 votes out of 1,295,845 cast, according to the Secretary of State’s certified results.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Counties won | McCracken County |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Republican | 785,237 | 60.6% | 118 | 13,672 (66.3%) |
 | Democratic | 510,090 | 39.4% | 2 | 6,954 (33.7%) |
 | Write-in | 518 | <0.1% | 0 | 2 (<0.1%) |
All 120 counties
| County | | | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adair | 4,140 | 996 | 0 |
| Allen | 4,060 | 985 | 0 |
| Anderson | 6,570 | 2,569 | 3 |
| Ballard | 1,968 | 656 | 0 |
| Barren | 8,262 | 3,302 | 3 |
| Bath | 2,043 | 1,272 | 1 |
| Bell | 4,096 | 1,236 | 0 |
| Boone | 25,775 | 13,299 | 147 |
| Bourbon | 3,831 | 2,122 | 0 |
| Boyd | 6,776 | 4,802 | 0 |
| Boyle | 5,941 | 3,442 | 1 |
| Bracken | 1,645 | 660 | 1 |
| Breathitt | 1,584 | 1,171 | 0 |
| Breckinridge | 4,372 | 1,725 | 0 |
| Bullitt | 17,023 | 7,494 | 9 |
| Butler | 2,875 | 712 | 0 |
| Caldwell | 2,737 | 982 | 0 |
| Calloway | 7,419 | 3,672 | 1 |
| Campbell | 17,060 | 13,454 | 13 |
| Carlisle | 1,385 | 365 | 0 |
| Carroll | 1,450 | 814 | 0 |
| Carter | 4,042 | 2,137 | 1 |
| Casey | 3,626 | 616 | 0 |
| Christian | 7,714 | 4,117 | 4 |
| Clark | 7,382 | 3,940 | 2 |
| Clay | 3,243 | 614 | 0 |
| Clinton | 2,110 | 338 | 0 |
| Crittenden | 1,959 | 512 | 0 |
| Cumberland | 1,546 | 302 | 0 |
| Daviess | 17,858 | 11,883 | 7 |
| Edmonson | 2,771 | 776 | 3 |
| Elliott | 930 | 648 | 0 |
| Estill | 2,670 | 878 | 0 |
| Fayette | 46,461 | 55,246 | 20 |
| Fleming | 3,110 | 1,240 | 0 |
| Floyd | 5,148 | 3,439 | 0 |
| Franklin | 9,890 | 9,524 | 4 |
| Fulton | 900 | 453 | 0 |
| Gallatin | 1,426 | 639 | 7 |
| Garrard | 4,371 | 1,211 | 0 |
| Grant | 4,663 | 1,556 | 14 |
| Graves | 7,876 | 2,528 | 2 |
| Grayson | 5,347 | 1,487 | 1 |
| Green | 2,946 | 626 | 4 |
| Greenup | 6,233 | 3,398 | 1 |
| Hancock | 1,782 | 1,104 | 0 |
| Hardin | 17,526 | 10,908 | 14 |
| Harlan | 4,398 | 1,016 | 0 |
| Harrison | 3,731 | 1,830 | 0 |
| Hart | 3,532 | 1,367 | 1 |
| Henderson | 6,931 | 5,356 | 1 |
| Henry | 3,448 | 1,626 | 10 |
| Hickman | 1,060 | 341 | 1 |
| Hopkins | 8,401 | 4,025 | 0 |
| Jackson | 2,824 | 358 | 1 |
| Jefferson | 105,790 | 146,216 | 51 |
| Jessamine | 11,537 | 5,276 | 1 |
| Johnson | 4,037 | 1,010 | 0 |
| Kenton | 26,928 | 21,598 | 34 |
| Knott | 2,016 | 1,227 | 0 |
| Knox | 5,192 | 1,272 | 0 |
| Larue | 3,334 | 1,133 | 2 |
| Laurel | 12,787 | 2,798 | 0 |
| Lawrence | 2,656 | 884 | 1 |
| Lee | 1,129 | 355 | 0 |
| Leslie | 1,850 | 284 | 0 |
| Letcher | 2,689 | 1,365 | 0 |
| Lewis | 2,322 | 495 | 1 |
| Lincoln | 5,176 | 1,550 | 2 |
| Livingston | 2,161 | 688 | 2 |
| Logan | 4,616 | 1,846 | 1 |
| Lyon | 1,980 | 803 | 1 |
| Madison | 16,781 | 9,860 | 3 |
| Magoffin | 1,861 | 1,179 | 0 |
| Marion | 3,192 | 2,223 | 0 |
| Marshall | 8,241 | 3,090 | 5 |
| Martin | 1,456 | 252 | 0 |
| Mason | 3,065 | 1,642 | 0 |
| McCracken | 13,672 | 6,954 | 2 |
| McCreary | 2,444 | 474 | 0 |
| McLean | 2,045 | 872 | 0 |
| Meade | 5,665 | 2,558 | 3 |
| Menifee | 1,223 | 608 | 1 |
| Mercer | 5,270 | 2,203 | 2 |
| Metcalfe | 2,108 | 801 | 0 |
| Monroe | 3,367 | 465 | 0 |
| Montgomery | 5,310 | 2,538 | 1 |
| Morgan | 2,209 | 1,083 | 0 |
| Muhlenberg | 5,224 | 2,812 | 0 |
| Nelson | 9,161 | 5,424 | 4 |
| Nicholas | 1,258 | 731 | 0 |
| Ohio | 4,459 | 1,693 | 0 |
| Oldham | 16,298 | 9,369 | 44 |
| Owen | 2,607 | 965 | 0 |
| Owsley | 703 | 184 | 0 |
| Pendleton | 2,828 | 1,053 | 1 |
| Perry | 3,381 | 1,985 | 1 |
| Pike | 8,360 | 4,033 | 0 |
| Powell | 1,962 | 1,024 | 0 |
| Pulaski | 15,283 | 3,478 | 4 |
| Robertson | 443 | 239 | 0 |
| Rockcastle | 3,544 | 651 | 0 |
| Rowan | 3,422 | 2,821 | 0 |
| Russell | 4,381 | 848 | 3 |
| Scott | 11,878 | 7,133 | 4 |
| Shelby | 10,928 | 5,475 | 16 |
| Simpson | 3,020 | 1,517 | 0 |
| Spencer | 5,406 | 1,911 | 1 |
| Taylor | 5,545 | 2,112 | 1 |
| Todd | 1,922 | 696 | 0 |
| Trigg | 2,895 | 1,181 | 0 |
| Trimble | 1,686 | 796 | 0 |
| Union | 2,471 | 1,255 | 0 |
| Warren | 20,751 | 13,445 | 45 |
| Washington | 2,738 | 1,284 | 1 |
| Wayne | 3,507 | 1,005 | 0 |
| Webster | 2,321 | 1,053 | 0 |
| Whitley | 6,560 | 1,529 | 0 |
| Wolfe | 1,001 | 707 | 0 |
| Woodford | 6,318 | 4,310 | 3 |
What the secretary of state does
- The secretary of state is elected statewide at the same election as the governor, for a four-year term, and must be at least 30 and have lived in Kentucky for two years before the election. [4]
- The secretary of state keeps a register of the governor's official acts, attests them and presents them to either house of the General Assembly when asked. [4]
- Other duties are set by law, and a secretary of state who has served two consecutive terms cannot be re-elected for the next four years. [3]
Key dates
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| Last day to change party registration and still vote in that party's May primary | |
| Filing deadline for candidates who must run in the primary, 4 p.m. | |
| Last day to register to vote in the primary | |
| No-excuse in-person early voting, Thursday through Saturday | |
| Primary Election Day. Polls open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time | |
| Last day to register to vote in the general election | |
| No-excuse in-person early voting, Thursday through Saturday | |
| General Election Day. Polls open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time |
Other 2027 statewide races
Sources
- Kentucky State Board of Elections, 2019 General Election Certified Results
- Kentucky Secretary of State, Certification of Election Results for 2023 General Election
- Kentucky Constitution, Section 93
- Kentucky Constitution, Section 91
Candidates: Kentucky Secretary of State, candidate filings: 2027 Primary Election and Kentucky Registry of Election Finance, candidate search: May 18, 2027 primary, retrieved November 6, 2026. 2023 results: Kentucky Secretary of State, Certification of Election Results for 2023 General Election. All 2027 Kentucky races →