The long-time Republican incumbent Rep. Steven Rudy held off a political newcomer to win the House District 1 GOP primary, according to unofficial results Tuesday.
Rudy won about 61% of the more than 3,500 votes cast in the primary with the majority of his votes coming from the portion of McCracken County included in the district. House District 1 consists of Fulton, Hickman, Carlisle and Ballard counties, along with a western portion of McCracken.
In an interview, Rudy said he would continue to make sure policies are shaped by “western Kentucky values” as a part of GOP leadership – Majority Floor Leader – in the state’s House of Representatives.
“We finally have somebody from the far west in a leadership role. I plan on serving again in that,” Rudy said. “I look forward to serving our region as a whole to put us at the forefront on economic development, on budget priorities and investments.”
No Democrat has filed to run for the seat, which means Rudy will be uncontested in the November general election to serve a tenth term.
Rudy said he is always willing to welcome constituents to speak with him at his family’s farm supply business in Ballard County, and that complaints of him not being responsive to constituent concerns came when he was busy with his work in Frankfort – specifically during the pandemic when face-to-face meetings weren’t possible.
Rudy’s primary opponent – Hickman County farmer Chris Tucker – had largely criticized Rudy on that point.
Unofficial results showed Tucker, who had never run for elected office before, had won sparsely populated Hickman and Carlisle counties. In an interview, Tucker said he believes the nearly 1,400 votes he received are a sign that there are “a lot of disappointed people” in Rudy’s district.
“I'll work with anybody that wants to help the people this district,” Tucker said. “I'm kind of itching for a rematch to be honest.”
