McGarvey wins Democratic nod, Ray narrowly bests GOP field in congressional primaries

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville Democrat Morgan McGarvey won his party's nomination in the 3rd Congressional District Tuesday.

McGarvey, the Democratic floor leader in the state Senate, carried 63.3% of the vote and a 21,974-vote lead over state Rep. Attica Scott, D-Louisville, with all precincts reporting Tuesday, according to preliminary results from the Jefferson County Clerk's Office.

The Associated Press called the Democratic primary for McGarvey at 9:05 p.m.

"I refuse to accept that we can't do big things in our country anymore," McGarvey said during his victory speech. "We can, and November is not just an election. It's about ensuring that we have a world for the next generation to inherit. That's what I've worked to do in Frankfort, and it's what I'll work to do in Washington."

Stuart Ray, president of The Peregrine Company, narrowly won the GOP nomination in the crowded seven-person Republican primary field by just 58 votes, edging past Rhonda Palazzo with 9,703 votes to her 9,645 votes. Ray carried 29.5% of the vote in the Republican primary.

Palazzo, the GOP nominee in the 2020 3rd Congressional District race, lost to retiring U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth by 25.4 points in the 2020 contest.

The 3rd Congressional District, which includes most of Jefferson County, has represented by Yarmuth since his election in 2006. The eight-term incumbent announced his decision to not seek a ninth term in October.

Scott had already declared her candidacy, and McGarvey launched his bid for the seat within minutes of Yarmuth’s announcement. They are the only Democrats competing for the seat, and Yarmuth endorsed McGarvey in February.

McGarvey held a significant fundraising lead over Scott and the rest of the 3rd Congressional District field. Federal election records show McGarvey has raised more than $1.5 million as of April 27 with $468,183 remaining in his coffers.

McGarvey reported more cash left to spend than others have raised cumulatively. Ray, who leads the GOP pack in fundraising, reported raising $342,784 while Scott’s campaign netted contributions totaling $236,476, both of as April 27.

In interviews with WDRB on Wednesday, both candidates laid out their priorities, should they win the seat.

"I've been knocking on doors since December -- just went through a legislative session here in Kentucky," McGarvey said. "I think people are obviously worried. They're worried about whether they can afford health care. They're worried about whether they’re gonna get a good education, or gonna have good paying jobs, making sure that people feel safe in their communities. That's understandable. I think most of us feel that way. What I think we need to relay to people is that we're listening, and that we can make real progress on solving these problems."

For his part, Ray said he plans to tackle the record-high inflation plaguing the country -- and for him, that means the reigning in waste.

"We need to reduce this spending, and we need to ratchet it back," he said. "And there’s a lot of wasteful spending. Now, there's always good infrastructure spending that needs to be done, and there's social concerns as far as health care and so I'm not looking to go in and cut everything. But when you're in the trillions, there's a lot of wasteful spending. We need to ratchet that back. That, in turn, will help control inflation."

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