Last night, Democrat Gary Clemons won the special election for Kentucky Senate District 37. In yet another sign of Democratic momentum, Clemons overperformed the top of the 2024 ticket by a whopping 42-points. 

With his win, Democrats have now won or overperformed in 227 of 255 key elections this year — nearly 90%.

In response, DNC Deputy Communications Director Abhi Rahman released the following statement: 

“Another election, another massive Democratic overperformance, this time in Kentucky. Voters across the country are hurting as they face rising grocery and utility costs, an abysmal job market, and a Republican health care crisis — and they know Donald Trump and the Republican Party are to blame. While Republicans keep bending the knee to Trump and billionaires, Democrats are fighting for working families. That’s why Democrats are consistently overperforming in 2025 and will continue building momentum into 2026 and beyond.”

Read more below:

Newsweek: Democrat Wins Election by 47-Point Landslide in Kentucky  

By Daniel Orton

• Democrat Gary Clemons, a South Louisville union leader and U.S. Army veteran, won Kentucky’s vacant Senate District 37 seat on Tuesday in a roughly 47.5‑point landslide, taking 72.6 percent of the vote to Republican Calvin Leach’s 25.1 percent, according to unofficial Jefferson County results.

• Clemons, president of United Steelworkers Local 1693, campaigned on bolstering support for working families, lowering costs for essentials, creating jobs, and representing blue-collar interests in the state legislature.

• Over the past year, Democrats have repeatedly outperformed in key races. In Virginia, Democrat James Walkinshaw won a state House special by about 50 points, far exceeding Kamala Harris’ 2024 margin. 

• In Rhode Island, Democrat Stefano Famiglietti captured a state Senate seat with a 67-point win, outperforming Harris’ prior showing by more than 50 points.

• Democrats have also shown signs of strength in traditionally Republican territory by outperforming their 2024 margins, even when falling short of outright victories. 

• In Tennessee’s deep-red 7th Congressional District, Democratic state Representative Aftyn Behn lost a December 2025 special election by about nine points, a markedly narrower margin than President Donald Trump’s roughly 22-point win there in 2024.

###