| Alison Lundergan Grimes | |
|---|---|
| Official portrait | |
| 76th Secretary of State of Kentucky | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 2, 2012 |
|
| Governor | Steve Beshear |
| Preceded by | Elaine Walker |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 23, 1978 Maysville, Kentucky |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | Rhodes College American University |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Website | Kentucky Secretary of State |
Alison Lundergan Grimes (born November 23, 1978) is an American attorney and Democratic politician who is the Secretary of State of Kentucky, having defeated incumbent Elaine Walker in the May 17, 2011 primary election and Republican Bill Johnson in the November 8, 2011 general election.
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Grimes is the daughter of former Kentucky Democratic chairman Jerry Lundergan and was born in Maysville, Kentucky. She went to Lexington Catholic High School in Lexington, Kentucky and then went on to graduate from Rhodes College where she was a member of Chi Omega sorority and graduated from the Washington College of Law at American University in Washington, D.C.
She was a practicing attorney in Lexington, Kentucky before running for Secretary of State.
In 2010 Grimes announced her candidacy for the office of Secretary of State of Kentucky, left open by term limited incumbent Republican Trey Grayson.
When Grayson resigned to accept a position at Harvard University, Governor Steve Beshear appointed Bowling Green Mayor Elaine Walker over Grimes to fill the rest of Grayson's term in office. Despite this Grimes stayed in the race and defeated Walker by a double digit margin in the May primary.
She went on to face Republican businessman and former Senate candidate Bill Johnson. A main aspect of the campaign was Grimes opposition to Johnson's proposal to require an address in order to vote. Grimes argued this would take away voting rights from the homeless among others. She also became well known through commercials that showed her elderly grandmothers.
Grimes defeated Johnson with over 60% of the vote. She received a higher percentage of the vote than any other Kentucky statewide Democratic candidate during the 2011 elections and has received much speculation over her possible political future.
Her term as Secretary of State began on January 2, 2012.
| 2011 Democratic primary results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| Democratic | Alison Lundergan Grimes | 85,436 | 55.26% | |
| Democratic | Elaine Walker | 69,185 | 44.74% | |
| Totals | 154,621 | 100% | ||
| 2011 General Election results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| Democratic | Alison Lundergan Grimes | 494,368 | 60.63% | |
| Republican | Bill Johnson | 321,065 | 39.3% | |
| Totals | 815,433 | 100% | ||
Kentucky Secretary of State Election, 2011
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Elaine Walker |
Secretary of State of Kentucky 2012- |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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