Hubbard wins, will face Winters for seat
By TOM BERRY
Staff Writer
Claiming victory in Calloway and six other counties, former U.S. Rep. Carroll Hubbard won the Democratic nomination for the District 1 senate seat Tuesday, setting the stage for him to try and retake the job that started his political career 41 years ago.
Hubbard, 71, who first won the nomination in May 1967 and later claimed the office at the age of 30, said he was grateful to Democratic voters for their confidence and giving him a second chance at representing them in Frankfort.
“Naturally I'm thrilled with the results having carried all seven counties in the first state senate district,” he said. “I'm grateful to the 12,981 people that voted for me. I'm also grateful to the 3,143 Calloway County voters that supported me at the polls.”
Hubbard defeated former Appeals Court Judge Rick Johnson, who took 9, 943 votes across the district. He received 3,024 votes in Calloway County - 119 shy of Hubbard's mark.
Johnson said following the vote tally that he was also grateful to supporters and pledged to continue working for honesty and integrity in public service.
“I greatly appreciate the voters who supported my call for personal responsibility and ethical leadership in government,” Johnson said. “I will continue to work with those voters to bring honor and integrity to our government.”
Hubbard will square off against incumbent Sen. Ken Winters, R-Murray, during the General Election Tuesday Nov. 4.
Nearly 200 candidates were on Tuesday's ballot, eyeing seats in the Kentucky General Assembly. Most incumbent lawmakers, however were unopposed in the primary and many are also unopposed this fall.
Democrats currently hold a 64-36 advantage in the Kentucky House, while Republicans have a 22-15-1 lead in the state Senate.
The lone Senate independent Bob Leeper, who defeated Hubbard in the 2006 contest for the 2nd District seat, is not up for re-election.
Hubbard said he is ready to square off against Winters.
“I'm looking forward to the race this fall and the November election,” he said.
Winters said he was ready to run against Hubbard and is confident voters will allow him to continue his efforts at improving educational opportunities and achievement in Kentucky.
“I am delighted that the primary is over and we can get directly involved in the fall election,” he said. “I felt very comfortable about the situation before and I surely would look forward to serving western Kentucky and the First Senate District for another four years.
“We have a lot more to do and certainly as chair of the (senate) education committee I think I have a lot of work yet to get done to secure a strong future for the young people of Kentucky.”
Winters said education is the future of the commonwealth's economic success and will be his first priority if re-elected; just as it has been for the past four years.
“That is a passion of mine ... to make sure our people are prepared and can prosper and Kentucky can prosper as a result of their education and training,” he said.
Milward Dedman, a party-switching former Republican state representative, lost his bid for re-election to Kentucky's 55th state House District. Democrat Kent Stevens, of Lawrenceburg, defeated Dedman, D-Harrodsburg, in the primary race.
The district comprises the central Kentucky counties of Anderson, Mercer and Spencer.
With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Stevens had 55 percent of the vote to Dedman's 45 percent, according to unofficial results.
Stevens, a former elementary school principal, used a sports analogy to compare his victory in the primary to the work he has ahead of him in the fall election.
“When you're in the middle of a game and you make a play, or you make a barehanded stop, or you hit a winning shot, you get excited,” Stevens said of his primary election victory over Dedman. “You don't just want to win the game, you want to win the series. My job is not complete.”
Dedman has been a member of the state House since 2005. He defeated Stevens by 278 votes in the 2006 general election, but became a Democrat himself in September.
Dedman, a real estate broker, said he did not believe his party change was the reason he lost. Rather, Dedman said, voters in Stevens' home county may have wanted a representative who lived in their town.
“The people who know me, I don't think it had an effect on them,” Dedman said. “I don't know if they wanted their representative from their county, or if they were protesting my switch of parties. I don't feel my switch of parties had an effect.”
Stevens faces Republican Timothy Gray in the general election.
All 100 Kentucky House seats and half of the 38 state Senate seats are up for election this year. A majority of House members - 62 - face no opposition. Five senators are running unopposed in both elections.
Story created May 21, 2008 - 10:56:40 EDT.
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