2015 Kentucky Attorney General election
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   Beshear: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Westerfield: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Kentucky |
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 Government |
The 2015 Kentucky Attorney General election was held on November 3, 2015, as part of the 2015 Kentucky elections to elect the Attorney General of Kentucky. Incumbent attorney general Jack Conway was term-limited, and instead ran for governor of Kentucky. He was succeeded by Democratic candidate Andy Beshear.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Andy Beshear, attorney
Declined
- Alison Lundergan Grimes, Secretary of State of Kentucky (2012–2020) and candidate for the United States Senate in 2014 (ran for reelection)[1]
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Whitney Westerfield, state senator from the 3rd district (2013–2025)
Eliminated in primary
- Michael T. Hogan, County Attorney of Lawrence County (2003–2022)[2]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Whitney H. Westerfield | 96,605 | 53.38 | |
| Republican | Michael T. Hogan | 84,386 | 46.62 | |
| Total votes | 180,991 | 100.0 | ||
General election
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Andy Beshear (D) |
Whitney Westerfield (R) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA[4] | October 23–26, 2015 | 798 | ± 3.5% | 47% | 35% | — | 17% |
| WKU[5] | October 19–25, 2015 | 770 | ± 3.5% | 42% | 36% | — | 22% |
| SurveyUSA[6] | September 22–27, 2015 | 701 | ± 3.8% | 38% | 38% | — | 22% |
| SurveyUSA[7] | July 22–28, 2015 | 685 | ± 3.8% | 40% | 33% | — | 24% |
| Public Policy Polling[8] | June 18–21, 2015 | 1,108 | ± 2.9% | 36% | 41% | — | 23% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Andy Beshear (D) |
Luke Morgan (R) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gravis Marketing[9] | January 5–6, 2015 | 608 | ± 4% | 42% | 37% | — | 22% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Andy Beshear | 479,567 | 50.12 | |
| Republican | Whitney H. Westerfield | 477,366 | 49.88 | |
| Total votes | 956,933 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
By congressional district
Beshear won two of six congressional districts, including one that elected a Republican.[11]
| District | Beshear | Westerfield | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 45% | 55% | Ed Whitfield |
| 2nd | 47% | 53% | Brett Guthrie |
| 3rd | 64% | 36% | John Yarmuth |
| 4th | 45% | 55% | Thomas Massie |
| 5th | 41% | 59% | Hal Rogers |
| 6th | 54% | 46% | Andy Barr |
Aftermath
In 2016, Steve Beshear's former personal cabinet secretary, Tim Longmeyer, was marred in controversy when he was exposed on bribery charges, including redirecting $6,000 of kickbacks into Andy Beshear's Attorney General campaign.[12] Andy Beshear had recently hired Longmeyer as a deputy. However, the prosecutors in Longmeyer's case indicated that there is no evidence to support that Andy Beshear knew what Longmeyer was doing.[13]
Over the next three years, Republican Governor Matt Bevin spearheaded an investigation into former governor Steve Beshear's administration as well as Andy Beshear's Attorney General campaign. Spending approximately $550,000 leading up to the 2019 Kentucky gubernatorial election, the investigation led to no conclusive results regarding the culpability of Steve or Andy Beshear.[14]
References
- ^ "Alison Lundergan Grimes running for re-election as Secretary of State". WDRB. January 26, 2015. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
- ^ Estep, Bill (February 7, 2023). "Former KY prosecutor ordered to repay nearly $600,000 in theft, conspiracy case". The Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
- ^ "Official 2015 Primary Election Results" (PDF). elect.ky.gov. Frankfort, Kentucky: Kentucky State Board of Elections. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
- ^ SurveyUSA
- ^ WKU
- ^ SurveyUSA
- ^ SurveyUSA
- ^ Public Policy Polling
- ^ Gravis Marketing
- ^ "Official 2015 General Election Results" (PDF). elect.ky.gov. Frankfort, Kentucky: Kentucky State Board of Elections. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
- ^ https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MfOj9a768FaazEZZooYcY48DzGEfzOm99vxiBOUdiSo/edit?gid=1981434678#gid=1981434678
- ^ Barton, Ryland (September 29, 2016). "Ex-State Official Gets 70 Month Sentence In Bribery, Kickback Scheme". Louisville Public Media. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
- ^ "Prosecutors: Kentucky Consultant Gave Bribes for Contract". WKMS. June 11, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
- ^ Loftus, Tom (June 12, 2019). "3 years, 0 criminal charges and $550K later, Bevin is still investigating Steve Beshear". The Courier Journal. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
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