Beshear Wins KY Governor's Race:
Democrat Steve Beshear has won the Kentucky governor's race, defeating Governor Ernie Fletcher.

Democrat Steve Beshear is holding an early lead in his race against Governor Fletcher. Beshear is attempting a political comeback 20 years after he last held office.

With 35 percent of precincts reporting, Beshear has 238,640 votes or 62 percent, to Fletcher's 144,532 votes or 38 percent.

Fletcher is the first GOP governor in more than 30 years in this predominantly Democratic state. He was indicted last year on charges that connected Republicans allegedly were rewarded with jobs at the expense of Democrats.

During his campaign, Beshear reminded voters about Fletcher's scandal at every opportunity.

Steve Beshear says he believed his political career was over years ago, when he lost in the 1987 gubernatorial primary.

Now, 20 years later he is Kentucky's governor elect after winning today's election.

Beshear spent much of last year urging other prominent Democrats to run for governor. When they declined, he decided to run himself.

Beshear says he knows that he will be a better governor today. He says that he hopes he's wiser and he knows that he's more patient.

Democrat Jack Conway has opened a lead tonight over his Republican opponent, Stan Lee, in the Kentucky attorney general's race.

With 64 percent of precincts reporting, Conway has 387,553 votes or 63 percent, to Lee's 231,836 votes or 37 percent.

Conway and Lee offered sharply differing political philosophies, though they shared overarching goals of cracking down on illegal drugs, fraud and child predators.

It is the first run for statewide office by both. The winner will succeed Attorney General Greg Stumbo. He decided against seeking a second term and instead ran for lieutenant governor as part of a slate that finished second in his party's May primary.

Much of Stumbo's term was dominated by his office's investigation of claims that Republican Governor Fletcher's administration improperly gave protected state jobs to political supporters.

With 90 percent of precincts reporting, Luallen has 522,079 votes or 60 percent, to Greenwell's 353,069 votes or 40 percent.

Luallen said the Democrats brought their voters home in tonight's election.

Greenwell spent this campaign's final week with her sick mother rather than out rallying voters. Her elderly mother has been hospitalized with pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

She said that her absence from the campaign's closing days may have prompted some voters to incorrectly think she dropped out of the race and hurt her chances.

With 86 percent of precincts reporting, Farmer had 529,991 votes or 64 percent, to Williams' 303,863 votes or 36 percent.

Farmer will continue to lead the state's Agriculture Department and its 320 employees.

Farmer a Republican, says that agriculture is not a partisan issue. He says if Kentuckians work together, they can meet all the challenges facing agriculture in the state.

Farmer says his first term coincided with rising statewide farm cash receipts that surpassed four billion dollars in two of the last three years.

She had pledged to abolish the office had she won. With 86 percent of precincts reporting, Hollenbach has 480,509 votes or 58 percent, to Wheeler's 344,375 votes or 42 percent.

Hollenbach will take over for Democrat Jonathan Miller, who is in his second term as state treasurer and cannot seek re-election because of term limits.

The state treasurer's duties include maintaining the state's unclaimed property and sitting on several boards, including the Kentucky Lottery, and Kentucky Teachers' Retirement System.

Wheeler ran a highly unusual campaign that talked down the job she wanted.