Primary election day in Kentucky is Tuesday, May 19. While races for Congress and the Kentucky statehouse have dominated campaign headlines, voters also will cast their ballot for county offices and other local positions.
A total of 1,956 candidates for county office* appear on 2026 primary ballots statewide. (Note: candidates with no primary opposition do not appear on the ballot until the general election in November.) Of those with a primary, 1,712 are Republican candidates (87.5%) and 244 are Democratic candidates (12.5%) in a contested race. There are 416 incumbent candidates appearing on primary ballots statewide, 387 Republican incumbents and 29 Democratic incumbents.
KACo will post updates to our 2026 County Election Results page as information becomes available.
- View the full list of candidates on the primary ballot here.
- View sample ballots by county on the Secretary of State's website here.
Magistrate and county commissioner races together account for the largest share of candidates on primary ballots statewide, with 1,110 total candidates. Of those, 974 are Republican candidates and 136 are Democratic candidates. Combined, these races represent more than half of all county-level primary ballot candidates.
County judge/executive races are the second-largest category, with 238 candidates on the ballot, including 211 Republicans and 27 Democrats. There are 75 counties with multiple Republicans vying for the position and 11 counties with a contested primary for Democrats.Sheriff races include 220 total candidates on ballots statewide, with 184 Republican candidates and 36 Democratic candidates.
Jailer races include 181 candidates on the ballot, including 169 Republicans and 12 Democrats.
County clerk races include 74 candidates on the ballot, including 60 Republicans and 14 Democrats.
Coroner races include 69 total candidates, with 59 Republicans and 10 Democratic candidates.
Property valuation administrator (PVA) races include 44 candidates on the primary ballot statewide, including 39 Republicans and 5 Democrats.
County attorney races include the fewest candidates overall, with 20 total candidates on the ballot statewide, including 16 Republicans and 4 Democrats.
*Source: KACo analysis of county candidates includes magistrates and commissioners, judge/executives, sheriffs, jailers, county clerks, coroners, PVAs and county attorneys.
KACo Election Coverage
Check out more of KACo's coverage of the 2026 primary election here.
