Gooch reclaims seat in state senate

Rep. Jim Gooch

McConnell carries Webster County

by MATT HUGHES

J-E News Editor

Locally residents were paying close attention to both the State Representative seat belonging to Providence native Jim Gooch, while across the state all eyes were on the US Senate seat currently held by Senator Mitch McConnell.

Representative Gooch easily reclaimed his seat on Tuesday night against Daviess County Republican Dianne Burns Mackey with a vote of 9,465 to 6,320 Gooch dominated the polls in Webster County, beating his competitor 3,098 to 1,296, taking 70.51 percent of the vote. 

“I really want to thank the district, especially the people of Providence and Webster County” said Gooch. “Despite $70,000 in negative TV ads against me, the people who know me stuck by me.”

This will be Gooch’s 11th term in office. He serves as Chairman of the Natural Resource and Environmental Committee and serves on the Tourism, Economic Development and Environmental Committee.

McConnell’s battle was a lot closer, and with challenges expected from both Democratic and Republican parties, the ultimate result might not be known for some time.

As of 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 4, 2014, McConnell had a clear lead over Democratic Party candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes in the statewide race. The latest numbers showed 680,612 for McConnell, 511,075 in favor of Grimes and 37,918 for Libertarian Party candidate David M. Patterson.

McConnell easily led all three candidates at the polls in Webster County. The final numbers reported by County Clerk Valerie Newell showed the Senator defeating Grimes and Patterson 2,854-1,512-134.