HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – Christian County Magistrate Russ Guffey secured the republican nomination for the Mayor of Hopkinsville, immediately sharing how he plans to reset in preparation for the general election, along with a big announcement that he has brewing.

Just under 200 votes separated him from Mayor James R. Knight, who ultimately conceded. Knight has served as mayor of Hopkinsville since December 2022 and will continue to serve until a new mayor is sworn in after the general election in November.

“This first step is over,” Guffey told Christian County Now after results came in on election night. In the moment he expressed his gratitude and excitement, adding that he has remained cautiously optimistic throughout the entire process but knew it was going to be a close race.

Election stats, general election in November

In the end a total of 3,139 votes were cast for mayor. Guffey received 53.20% of the votes, with Mayor Knight having 44.79%. The third republican candidate, former councilmember Natasha Francis had the remaining 2.01%.

“I want to be able to represent every single person in Hopkinsville…it comes from the heart” he told Christian County Now, emphasizing that he is personally and professionally invested in the city after spending nearly 50 years here.

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Guffey pointed out that in a primary, it does not take many votes to win or lose an election. He described the primary as a “balancing act” between sharing a campaign vision and not revealing too much before the general election. In the meantime, he is back to square one as he prepares to face Democrat candidate Markeeta Oldham Wilkerson and Independent candidate Desaepa Vansauwa in November.

Future announcement, Guffey thanks volunteers

“I have a huge, huge announcement that will be coming out in the distant future,” said Guffey. He teased that this will impact the entire community, and he is excited to share it with the public soon.

Guffey thanked volunteers and friends that assisted with his campaign by knocking on doors, wearing shirts and more over the past few months. He said he was very intentional in ensuring his campaign committee reflected the population of Hopkinsville, and included people of all ages, backgrounds and political affiliations, “Campaigns are not a solo venture…every single person had a hand in this victory.”

Although his current political experience is on a county level, he assures the public that he is very familiar with city operations and intends to be an effective leader for all residents, even those that did not vote for him. Pending the results of the general election, he shared that he plans to sit down with Mayor Knight and dive deeper into the nuances of the city.

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