Republican wins state Senate seat in special election

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) – Republican Phillip Wheeler defeated Democrat Darrell Pugh by 541-votes in a special election Tuesday to fill a vacant state Senate seat in eastern Kentucky, according to unofficial numbers from the State Board of Elections.

(R) Phillip Wheeler  6,188

(D) Darrell Pugh  5,649

Those vote totals translate to about 52-to-48 percent.

The voter turnout in the 31st District was 34-percent, according to the State Board of Elections.

The district includes Elliott, Lawrence, Martin, Morgan and Pike counties.  There are 34,363 registered voters in the district, according to the State Board of Elections.

Here is the vote breakdown by county:

Elliott County:  Pugh 450, Wheeler 168

Lawrence County:  Wheeler 895, Pugh 639

Martin County:  Wheeler 688, Pugh 265

Morgan County:  Pugh 671, Wheeler 609

Pike County:  Wheeler 3828, Pugh 3624

The seat became vacant when former Senate Minority Floor Leader Ray Jones, a Democrat, was elected Pike County Judge-Executive.