Kentucky 3rd Congressional District (KY) — Elections 1876–2024

Kentucky 3rd Congressional District, Kentucky: Democratic loyalist district. In 2024, voted D+16%. Democratic peak: D+39 in 1912.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin: D+16MIT Election Lab
Political archetype: Democratic loyalistAkashic typology
Population: 636,2812024 5-year
Median household income: $69,8662024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic): 63.1%2024 5-year
Black: 20.8%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino: 8.6%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin: D+39 in 1912MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin: R+26 in 1896MIT Election Lab

MCGARVEY, MorganCongress 119 · Democratic

−1 liberal

+1 conservative

Predecessors: YARMUTH, John (2021–2023), YARMUTH, John (2019–2021), YARMUTH, John (2017–2019), YARMUTH, John (2015–2017)

Source · Voteview / Lewis, Poole, Rosenthal et al. (CC-BY).

2024 results by constituent county

1 counties · 1 D · 0 R

R+60

D+60

One cell per constituent county. Ordered by 2024 D-vs-R margin (bluest first). Hover for county-level numbers.

38 presidential elections

Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
Year	Won	Margin	Democratic	Republican	Total
2024	D	+16.5%	165,014	117,463	289,059
2020	D	+20.1%	185,563	122,414	313,774
2016	D	+13.3%	155,073	116,825	286,928
2012	D	+11.1%	151,290	120,608	276,618
2008	D	+12.0%	159,622	125,105	287,572
2004	D	+1.7%	138,270	133,726	274,307
2000	D	+1.6%	121,809	117,869	245,698
1996	D	+10.5%	117,182	93,335	227,456
1992	D	+11.7%	124,106	94,721	251,737
1988	R	−4.4%	103,960	113,529	218,287
1984	R	−15.7%	99,245	136,224	236,263
1980	R	−0.5%	102,260	103,406	215,571
1976	R	−2.9%	99,731	105,850	210,824
1972	R	−23.0%	71,625	115,743	191,581
1968	R	−2.6%	73,330	77,962	180,930
1964	D	+28.6%	118,658	65,781	185,128
1960	R	−0.6%	95,220	96,354	191,574
1956	R	−17.5%	67,838	96,912	165,702
1952	R	−9.6%	66,342	80,503	147,443
1948	D	+0.8%	57,496	56,593	116,712
1944	D	+13.7%	65,200	49,491	115,081
1940	D	+17.8%	76,961	53,674	131,005
1936	D	+23.0%	69,679	43,103	115,693
1932	D	+3.7%	58,834	54,555	114,654
1928	R	−20.5%	52,390	79,474	132,139
1924	R	−9.7%	40,962	50,192	95,550
1920	R	−9.7%	45,543	55,421	102,021
1916	D	+0.8%	23,435	23,066	47,386
1912	O	+39.3%	19,584	2,860	42,503
1908	R	−1.8%	21,279	22,086	44,449
1904	D	+2.4%	18,512	17,604	37,346
1900	R	−8.2%	17,151	20,239	37,815
1896	R	−26.2%	13,576	23,652	38,413
1892	D	+21.2%	16,999	10,933	28,670
1888	—	No data	—	—	—
1884	—	No data	—	—	—
1880	—	No data	—	—	—
1876	—	No data	—	—	—

Congressional elections · 16 Senate races

U.S. Senate

Source · MIT Election Lab (MEDSL), Senate. CC-BY 4.0.
Year	Won	D %	R %	Total
2022	R	38.2%	61.8%	1,477,830
2020	R	38.2%	57.8%	2,135,057
2016	R	42.7%	57.3%	1,903,465
2014	R	40.7%	56.2%	1,435,868
2010	R	44.2%	55.7%	1,356,096
2008	R	47.0%	53.0%	1,800,821
2004	R	49.3%	50.7%	1,724,362
2002	R	35.3%	64.7%	1,131,313
1998	R	49.2%	49.7%	1,145,414
1996	R	42.8%	55.5%	1,307,046
1992	D	62.9%	35.8%	1,330,858
1990	R	47.8%	52.2%	916,010
1986	D	74.4%	25.6%	677,280
1984	R	49.5%	49.9%	1,292,407
1980	D	65.1%	34.9%	1,106,920
1978	D	61.0%	36.9%	476,783

Demographics

Race, ethnicity, and ancestry

Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.

German

15.6%

Irish

12.0%

English

12.0%

American

5.7%

Italian

2.7%

Scottish

1.8%

French

1.6%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.

Age distribution by sex

Median age: 38.4 in this county, 39.1 nationally

Male

Age

Female

0.7%

85+

1.2%

2.0%

75–84

2.9%

4.8%

65–74

5.6%

6.0%

55–64

6.6%

5.8%

45–54

6.0%

6.5%

35–44

6.6%

7.3%

25–34

7.4%

4.2%

18–24

4.2%

8.3%

5–17

7.9%

3.1%

3.0%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

Median household income

2024 inflation-adjusted dollars

$69,866

Congressional District 3 ranks near the middle of US counties.

Congressional District 3$69,866

Kentucky$63,726

United States$80,734

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

Poverty rate

All persons below federal poverty line

14.3%

Children face moderate poverty.

Children under 1819.8%

Working age (18–64)12.9%

Seniors (65+)10.7%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

Language at home

Population aged 5 and older

87.1%

speak English only

Spanish6.7%

Other Indo-European2.6%

Other languages1.8%

Asian & Pacific Islander1.7%

Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.

Religious adherents

Adherents per capita by tradition

Baptist

16.6%

Catholic & Orthodox

14.5%

Other Christian

10.7%

Non-Christian

2.8%

Mainline Protestant

2.7%

Methodist

2.5%

Pentecostal & Holiness

1.3%

Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 48.9% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Kentucky's 3rd is the state's most reliably Democratic congressional seat, centered on Louisville and Jefferson County, where dense urban precincts and a substantial Black voting population have produced double-digit Democratic presidential margins in every cycle since the 1990s.

The Democratic margin in Kentucky 3rd Congressional District reached its widest at thirty-nine points in 1912. The margin in 2024 was sixteen points — still decisive.

Its loyalty is rooted in its place. Median household income of $69,866, a 63% non-Hispanic-white share, and a population of 636,281 together describe a district whose political habits are deeply settled.

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Cite this page

All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.

Congressional District 3, Kentucky. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cd/2103/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.

License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did Congressional District 3, Kentucky vote in 2024?

In 2024, Congressional District 3, Kentucky voted Democratic by 16.5 points (D+16), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 289,059 votes cast, 165,014 went Democratic and 117,463 went Republican.

What is Congressional District 3, Kentucky's political archetype?

Akashic classifies Congressional District 3, Kentucky as a "Democratic loyalist" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 18 times, Republican 15 times, and other 1 times.

When did Congressional District 3, Kentucky last vote Republican?

The most recent presidential election in which Congressional District 3, Kentucky voted Republican was 1988.

How many people live in Congressional District 3, Kentucky?

Congressional District 3, Kentucky has a population of 636,281 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.

What is the median household income in Congressional District 3, Kentucky?

Median household income in Congressional District 3, Kentucky is $69,866 — below the national median of $80,734. The Kentucky state median is $63,726.

What is the political history of Congressional District 3, Kentucky?

Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Congressional District 3, Kentucky from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 18 went Democratic and 15 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Democratic loyalist" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.

Kentucky 3rd Congressional District has voted Democratic in nine straight presidential cycles.

Key facts

U.S. Senate

Demographics

Compare two places, side by side

Frequently asked questions