Voters guide: Meet the KY candidates running for the U.S. House of Representatives

All six of Kentucky’s representatives to the U.S. House — five Republicans and one Democrat — are seeking another two-year term in Congress.

And, all six of them are facing challengers, including a few primary contests.

The filing deadline for candidates who must run in a primary was 4 p.m. Jan. 5. The filing deadline for candidates running as independents is June 4.

Primaries are Tuesday, May 21, and the general election is Tuesday, Nov. 5.

Here’s a list of everyone who has filed to run for the U.S. House of Representatives in Kentucky in 2024, according to filings with the Kentucky Office of the Secretary of State.

Some candidates have not launched campaign websites or social media pages. This story will be updated if more information becomes available.

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Kentucky’s 1st Congressional District

James Comer is the Republican incumbent who has held this 1st District seat since 2016. He has also served in the Kentucky House of Representatives and as the Commissioner of Agriculture, and ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2015.

Comer is the chair of the House Oversight Committee, a role that has significantly raised his national profile as he’s investigated President Joe Biden and his family. Comer’s campaign website says he is a “fierce advocate for government accountability, balancing the federal budget, rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure and implementing business-friendly policies.”

Erin Marshall of Frankfort has filed to run as a Democrat. According to her LinkedIn profile, Marshall works for Lexmark as a sales communication manager. Her campaign website describes her as “a millennial, a single mom, a Democratic activist, and a native Kentuckian” who says it’s time for “women to fight back against GOP hypocrisy and bring some much-needed common sense” to Congress.

Kentucky’s 2nd Congressional District

Brett Guthrie of Bowling Green is the Republican incumbent who has represented the 2nd District since 2009. He previously served a decade in the Kentucky Senate. Guthrie is an Army veteran, having served in the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell. His campaign website touts a “100% pro-life” record and an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association.

William Compton of Bowling Green has filed to run as a Democrat. His campaign website says he is a graduate of Western Kentucky University, a public schools educator and a city commissioner in Plum Springs in Warren County. Compton has described himself as an “openly gay, pro-labor, progressive Democrat.” He also ran for the 2nd District in 2022, losing in the primary.

Hank Linderman of Falls of Rough has filed to run as a Democrat. Linderman is a musician. As a candidate, he “helped create ‘The Contract For Rural & Working America’, a set of aspirational goals for government, including the adoption of Medicare for All and the Green New Deal, and how to apply those goals to the very specific needs of rural and working America,” according to his campaign website. He has previously run for the 2nd District in 2022, 2020 and 2018.

Kentucky’s 3rd Congressional District

Morgan McGarvey of Louisville is the Democratic incumbent in his first term in Congress. He previously served a decade in the Kentucky Senate, including four years as minority leader. He is Kentucky’s only Democrat in Congress.

His campaign website says McGarvey supports “full legalization and decriminalization” of marijuana at the federal level, codifying abortion access as it was under Roe v. Wade, and prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation and gender identity.

Geoff Young of Lexington has filed to run as a Democrat. Young has repeatedly run for office in Kentucky, including the 6th Congressional District (including once as a Republican) and governor. He won the 6th District Democratic primary in 2022, but the Kentucky Democratic Party refused to support his candidacy. Young lost the general election to incumbent Andy Barr.

Young ran for governor in 2023 in the Democratic primary, but incumbent Gov. Andy Beshear easily won the nomination. Young has sued the Kentucky Democratic Party, accusing it of rigging contests against him. The U.S. Constitution doesn’t require a candidate live in the district they seek to represent, which is how Young is able to run for the 3rd District instead of the 6th District where he has lived for years.

Jared Randall of Louisville has filed to run as a Democrat.

Mike Craven of Louisville has filed to run as a Republican. He also ran unsuccessfully in the 2022, 2020 and 2018 Republican primaries.

Denny Ormerod of Louisville has filed to run as a Republican. He ran for governor in 2023, finishing in last place among a field of 12 candidates in the Republican primary with just 696 votes.

Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District

Thomas Massie of Garrison in Lewis County, just south of the Ohio River, is the Republican incumbent representing the 4th District, a position he has held since 2012. Prior to that, he briefly served as judge executive of Lewis County.

His campaign website touts that Massie is “Kentucky’s most conservative congressman” with endorsements from Kentucky’s junior U.S. Sen. Rand Paul alongside U.S. Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Lauren Bobert of Colorado and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.

Eric Deters of Walton filed to run as a Republican. Deters, a former attorney and the fourth-place finisher in the 2023 GOP gubernatorial primary, has long-promised to challenge Massie. At one point, Deters said he would run against Massie as an independent candidate, but told the Herald-Leader he changed his voter registration back to Republican in time to run in the party primary.

Deters is an unabashed supporter of former President Donald Trump and has been vocally critical of U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell. In Fall 2022, he pleaded guilty to menacing his nephew.

Michael McGinnis of Fort Thomas filed to run as a Republican.

No Democrats filed to run in the 4th District.

Kentucky’s 5th Congressional District

Hal Rogers of Somerset is the Republican incumbent representing the 5th District, a seat he has held since 1981. As the longest-continuously serving member, Rogers is considered the dean of the House of Representatives. He is the longest-serving Kentucky Republican ever elected to federal office.

Rogers was the only member of the Kentucky congressional delegation to vote against certifying the results of the 2020 election in which Trump lost to President Joe Biden.

Dana Edwards of Manchester filed to run as a Republican. According to his campaign website, Edwards is a surgeon and founder of a drug addition treatment clinic. If elected, Edwards’ website says he will join the House Freedom Caucus, a small, ultraconservative faction of Republican lawmakers.

On policy issues, Edwards says he is anti-abortion, pro-gun and in favor of term limits and school choice.

David E. Kraftchak Jr. of London filed to run as a Republican. According to his website, Kraftchak — who goes by “Krafty” — served in the U.S. Navy for 20 years and now works as a regional airline pilot. His campaign platform includes reopening coal mines, using federal dollars to open new trade schools in rural areas and completing construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Brandon Monhollen of London filed to run as a Republican. He previously ran against Rogers in the 2022 Republican primary. According to a Ballotpedia survey he completed in 2022, he served nearly 28 years in the U.S. Army and described himself as passionate about battling the “woke, liberal, socialist, progressives at all times.”

No Democrats filed to run in the 5th District.

Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District

Andy Barr of Lexington is the incumbent Republican representing the 6th District, a seat he’s held since 2013. An attorney by profession, Barr was deputy general counsel for former Gov. Ernie Fletcher and also worked in private practice. Barr supports restarting Trump’s border wall, and his campaign website touts the endorsements of the National Right to Life, the NRA and the Kentucky Fraternal Order of Police. He will not face a primary challenger in 2024.

Randy Cravens of Richmond filed to run as a Democrat. Cravens previously ran as a write-in candidate in 2022 and received public support from Democratic officials who opposed the candidacy of the party’s nominee, Young, who ran a pro-Russia, pro-Putin campaign. His stances include increasing requirements on firearm purchases, supports LGBTQ rights and marijuana legalization, according to his website.

Todd Kelly of Lexington filed to run as a Democrat.

Don B. Pratt of Lexington filed to run as a Democrat. Pratt is a longtime Lexington activist and has previously run for Urban County Council. For years, he’s collected suitcases for children in foster care who need a way to carry their belongings.

Jonathan Richardson of Lexington filed to run as a Democrat.

Shauna Rudd of Lexington filed to run as a Democrat. According to her TikTok account, she grew up in Breathitt County, has lived in Lexington for six years and works as a mental health counselor. Rudd said she’s never run for office before, but considers herself a political person.

Politics reporter Austin Horn contributed to this news report.