Kentucky's 31st Senate district
{{Short description|American legislative district}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox legislative district
|state = Kentucky
|district = 31
|chamber = Senate
|image = 350px
|representative = Phillip Wheeler
|party = Republican
|residence = Pikeville
|incumbentsince = March 19, 2019
|Democratic = 41.7
|Republican = 51.2
|NPP = 6.8
|percent_white = 94.2
|percent_black = 1.3
|percent_hispanic = 1.1
|percent_asian = 0.7
|percent_native_american = 0.1
|percent_pacific_islander = 0.1
|percent_multiracial = 2.5
|population = 114,618
|population_year = 2023
|registered = 87,645
|registered_year = 2025
}}
Kentucky's 31st Senatorial district is one of 38 districts in the Kentucky Senate. Located in the eastern part of the state, it comprises the counties of Elliott, Johnson, Lawrence, Martin, and Pike. It has been represented by Phillip Wheeler (R–Pikeville) since 2019.{{Cite web |url=https://legislature.ky.gov/Legislators/Pages/Legislator-Profile.aspx?DistrictNumber=131 |title=Legislator-Profile - Legislative Research Commission |website=legislature.ky.gov |language=en |access-date=June 23, 2024}} As of 2023, the district had a population of 114,618.{{Cite web |url=http://censusreporter.org/profiles/61000US21031-state-senate-district-31-ky/ |title=Census profile: State Senate District 31, KY |website=Census Reporter |language=en |access-date=January 10, 2025}}
Voter registration
On January 1, 2025, the district had 87,645 registered voters, who were registered with the following parties.
| class="wikitable" |
| colspan="2" rowspan="2" |Party
! colspan="2" |Registration |
|---|
| Voters
!% |
| style="background-color:{{party color|Republican Party of Kentucky}}" |
| style="text-align:right;"|44,840 | style="text-align:right;"|51.16 |
| style="background-color:{{party color|Kentucky Democratic Party}}" |
| style="text-align:right;"|36,550 | style="text-align:right;"|41.70 |
| style="background-color:{{party color|Independent politician}}" |
| style="text-align:right;"|2,838 | style="text-align:right;"|3.24 |
| style="background-color:{{party color|Libertarian Party (United States)}}" |
| style="text-align:right;"|228 | style="text-align:right;"|0.26 |
| style="background-color:{{party color|Green Party of the United States}}" |
| style="text-align:right;"|30 | style="text-align:right;"|0.03 |
| style="background-color:{{party color|Constitution Party (United States)}}" |
| style="text-align:right;"|20 | style="text-align:right;"|0.02 |
| style="background-color:{{party color|Socialist Workers Party (United States)}}" |
| style="text-align:right;"|12 | style="text-align:right;"|0.01 |
| style="background-color:{{party color|Reform Party of the United States of America}}" |
| style="text-align:right;"|5 | style="text-align:right;"|0.01 |
| | "Other"
| style="text-align:right;"|3,122 | style="text-align:right;"|3.56 |
| colspan="2" |Total
| style="text-align:right;"|87,645 | style="text-align:right;"|100.00 |
| colspan="4" |Source: [https://elect.ky.gov/Resources/Documents/voterstatsdistrict-December%202024.pdf Kentucky State Board of Elections] |
Election results from statewide races
= 2014 – 2020 =
| class=wikitable
! Year ! Office ! Results{{efn|name=elections|Figures presented in this table are calculated by summing [https://elect.ky.gov/results/Pages/default.aspx precinct election results] published by the Kentucky State Board of Elections, using [https://elect.ky.gov/Resources/Pages/Registration-Statistics.aspx precinct data] that list each precinct's senatorial district.}} |
| 2014
| Senator | align="right" {{party shading/Republican}} | McConnell 61.3 - 35.5% |
|---|
| rowspan=6 | 2015
| Governor | align="right" {{party shading/Republican}} | Bevin 56.3 - 40.6% |
| Secretary of State
| align="right" {{party shading/Republican}} | Knipper 51.6 - 48.4% |
| Attorney General
| align="right" {{party shading/Democratic}} | Beshear 50.02 - 49.98% |
| Auditor of Public Accounts
| align="right" {{party shading/Republican}} | Harmon 53.6 - 46.4% |
| State Treasurer
| align="right" {{party shading/Republican}} | Ball 57.6 - 42.4% |
| Commissioner of Agriculture
| align="right" {{party shading/Republican}} | Quarles 59.1 - 40.9% |
| rowspan=2 | 2016
| align="right" {{party shading/Republican}} | Trump 79.7 - 17.6% |
| Senator
| align="right" {{party shading/Republican}} | Paul 60.8 - 39.2% |
| rowspan=6 | 2019
| Governor | align="right" {{party shading/Republican}} | Bevin 55.1 - 42.4% |
| Secretary of State
| align="right" {{party shading/Republican}} | Adams 60.3 - 39.7% |
| Attorney General
| align="right" {{party shading/Republican}} | Cameron 59.6 - 40.4% |
| Auditor of Public Accounts
| align="right" {{party shading/Republican}} | Harmon 61.9 - 35.5% |
| State Treasurer
| align="right" {{party shading/Republican}} | Ball 66.3 - 33.7% |
| Commissioner of Agriculture
| align="right" {{party shading/Republican}} | Quarles 62.2 - 35.1% |
| rowspan=4 | 2020
| align="right" {{party shading/Republican}} | Trump 80.2 - 18.7% |
| Senator
| align="right" {{party shading/Republican}} | McConnell 73.3 - 23.0% |
| Amendment 1
| {{ya}} 50.7 - 49.3% |
| Amendment 2
| {{na}} 69.9 - 30.1% |
= 2022 – present =
| class=wikitable
! Year ! Office ! Results{{efn|name=elections}} |
| rowspan=3 | 2022
| Senator | align="right" {{party shading/Republican}} | Paul 76.4 - 23.6% |
|---|
| Amendment 1
| {{ya}} 51.8 - 48.2% |
| Amendment 2
| {{ya}} 63.9 - 36.1% |
| rowspan=6 | 2023
| Governor | align="right" {{party shading/Republican}} | Cameron 58.0 - 42.0% |
| Secretary of State
| align="right" {{party shading/Republican}} | Adams 71.9 - 28.1% |
| Attorney General
| align="right" {{party shading/Republican}} | Coleman 71.3 - 28.7% |
| Auditor of Public Accounts
| align="right" {{party shading/Republican}} | Ball 73.2 - 26.8% |
| State Treasurer
| align="right" {{party shading/Republican}} | Metcalf 69.0 - 31.0% |
| Commissioner of Agriculture
| align="right" {{party shading/Republican}} | Shell 72.6 - 27.4% |
| rowspan=3 | 2024
| align="right" {{party shading/Republican}} | Trump 83.4 - 15.5% |
| Amendment 1
| {{ya}} 64.8 - 35.2% |
| Amendment 2
| {{na}} 68.2 - 31.8% |
List of members representing the district
| class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
! Member ! Party ! Years ! Electoral history ! District location |
| style="height:4em"
| align=left | Edgar Owen Billington | {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic | nowrap | January 1, 1964 – | Elected in 1963. | 1964–1968 |
| style="height:4em"
| align=left | Francis M. Burke | {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic | nowrap | January 1, 1968 – | Elected in 1967. | 1968–1972 |
| style="height:4em"
| rowspan=2 align=left | Kelsey Friend Sr. | rowspan=2 {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic | rowspan=2 nowrap | January 1, 1972 – | rowspan=2 | Elected in 1971. | 1972–1974 |
| style="height:4em"
| rowspan=2 | 1974–1984 |
| style="height:4em"
| align=left | John Doug Hays | {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic | nowrap | January 1, 1980 – | Elected in 1979. |
| style="height:4em"
| rowspan=2 align=left | Kelsey Friend Sr. | rowspan=2 {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic | rowspan=2 nowrap | January 1, 1984 – | rowspan=2 | Elected in 1983. | 1984–1993 |
| style="height:4em"
| 1993–1997 |
| style="height:4em"
| align=left | Gary C. Johnson | {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic | nowrap | January 1, 1997 – | Elected in 1996. | rowspan=2 | 1997–2003 |
| style="height:4em"
| rowspan=3 align=left | 100px | rowspan=3 {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic | rowspan=3 nowrap | January 1, 2001 – | rowspan=3 | Elected in 2000. |
| style="height:4em"
| 2003–2015 |
| style="height:4em"
| rowspan=2 | 2015–2023 |
| style="height:4em"
| rowspan=2 align=left | 100px | rowspan=2 {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican | rowspan=2 nowrap | March 19, 2019 – | rowspan=2 | Elected to finish Jones's term. |
| style="height:4em"
| 2023–present |
Elections
= 2024 =
{{Main|2024 Kentucky Senate election}}
= 2020 =
{{Main|2020 Kentucky Senate election}}
= 2019 special =
{{Main|2020 Kentucky Senate election#District 31 special}}
= 2016 =
{{Main|2016 Kentucky Senate election}}
= 2004 =
{{Main|2004 Kentucky Senate election}}
= 1996 =
{{Main|1996 Kentucky Senate election}}
Notes
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}