Ronald Reagan carried Kentucky R+1.5.

Jimmy Carter (D) vs Ronald Reagan (R) in Kentucky, 1980. The state ran 8.3 points more Democratic than the nation (R+9.7 nationally). A US Senate contest shared the 1980 ballot here.

Nominees: Jimmy Carter (D) · Ronald Reagan (R)

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Kentucky result

1,294,627 votes counted

Carter (D)

616,417

47.6%

Reagan (R)

635,274

49.1%

All others

42,936

3.3%

Margin

R+1.5

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1980 presidential election

Kentucky, 1980

ReaganR+1.5

How it voted

Share of the 1980 vote

Ronald Reagan ✓Republican	49.1%	635,274
Jimmy CarterDemocratic	47.6%	616,417
John B. AndersonIndependent	3.3%	42,936

D+60

R+60

120 counties, each filled by 1980 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.

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Kentucky's presidential margins

1892–2024, the 1980 contest in context

Kentucky's presidential margins

Year	Margin (D minus R)
1892	+11.7%
1896	−0.1%
1900	+1.7%
1904	+2.7%
1908	+1.7%
1912	+23.2%
1916	+5.4%
1920	+0.4%
1924	−2.9%
1928	−18.9%
1932	+18.9%
1936	+18.6%
1940	+15.1%
1944	+9.2%
1948	+15.3%
1952	+0.1%
1956	−9.1%
1960	−7.2%
1964	+28.4%
1968	−6.1%
1972	−28.6%
1976	+7.2%
1980	−1.5%
1984	−20.7%
1988	−11.6%
1992	+3.2%
1996	+1.0%
2000	−15.1%
2004	−19.9%
2008	−16.2%
2012	−22.7%
2016	−29.8%
2020	−25.9%
2024	−30.5%

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County results — 1980

120 counties; every row links to the county's full page.

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County	Won	Margin	Democratic	Republican	Total
Adair County	R	−27.5%	2,285	4,051	6,418
Allen County	R	−22.3%	2,010	3,186	5,278
Anderson County	D	+10.8%	2,567	2,052	4,764
Ballard County	D	+36.4%	2,583	1,190	3,826
Barren County	R	−9.4%	5,285	6,405	11,933
Bath County	D	+19.2%	2,174	1,463	3,698
Bell County	D	+7.7%	6,362	5,433	12,088
Boone County	R	−20.4%	5,374	8,263	14,148
Bourbon County	D	+18.4%	3,641	2,475	6,346
Boyd County	D	+1.5%	10,702	10,367	21,695
Boyle County	D	+6.8%	4,429	3,848	8,574
Bracken County	D	+10.1%	1,420	1,154	2,644
Breathitt County	D	+43.1%	3,916	1,532	5,532
Breckinridge County	R	−6.8%	3,163	3,629	6,891
Bullitt County	R	−3.8%	5,884	6,364	12,576
Butler County	R	−41.7%	1,274	3,129	4,450
Caldwell County	D	+5.6%	2,924	2,609	5,645
Calloway County	D	+19.3%	6,809	4,498	11,964
Campbell County	R	−19.5%	11,059	16,743	29,208
Carlisle County	D	+22.3%	1,542	975	2,545
Carroll County	D	+31.6%	2,127	1,076	3,328
Carter County	R	−1.9%	3,782	3,934	7,839
Casey County	R	−52.2%	1,298	4,239	5,632
Christian County	R	−7.5%	7,048	8,209	15,512
Clark County	D	+7.9%	5,071	4,302	9,685
Clay County	R	−36.5%	2,121	4,594	6,778
Clinton County	R	−55.3%	1,000	3,539	4,590
Crittenden County	R	−18.9%	1,508	2,219	3,771
Cumberland County	R	−45.3%	821	2,216	3,081
Daviess County	D	+0.8%	14,902	14,643	30,717
Edmonson County	R	−39.2%	1,252	2,913	4,233
Elliott County	D	+49.8%	1,668	551	2,241
Estill County	R	−17.5%	1,965	2,818	4,861
Fayette County	R	−6.7%	30,511	35,349	71,817
Fleming County	R	−3.2%	2,051	2,189	4,315
Floyd County	D	+44.2%	10,975	4,179	15,385
Franklin County	D	+25.6%	11,193	6,455	18,530
Fulton County	D	+15.6%	2,016	1,462	3,547
Gallatin County	D	+17.8%	988	684	1,704
Garrard County	R	−18.1%	1,774	2,585	4,480
Grant County	D	+11.8%	2,272	1,779	4,183
Graves County	D	+3.2%	6,999	6,556	13,816
Grayson County	R	−28.4%	2,788	5,084	8,076
Green County	R	−22.2%	1,758	2,775	4,587
Greenup County	D	+1.9%	7,126	6,857	14,275
Hancock County	D	+5.4%	1,530	1,367	3,004
Hardin County	R	−7.7%	8,339	9,779	18,738
Harlan County	D	+23.1%	8,798	5,460	14,457
Harrison County	D	+20.1%	3,319	2,184	5,645
Hart County	R	−2.0%	3,005	3,129	6,204
Henderson County	D	+22.0%	8,082	5,074	13,659
Henry County	D	+26.5%	2,999	1,723	4,810
Hickman County	D	+11.7%	1,456	1,143	2,668
Hopkins County	D	+16.8%	8,810	6,238	15,355
Jackson County	R	−64.9%	702	3,379	4,123
Jefferson County	R	−0.5%	125,844	127,254	265,286
Jessamine County	R	−17.6%	3,310	4,809	8,530
Johnson County	R	−22.8%	3,142	5,039	8,329
Kenton County	R	−17.4%	17,907	25,965	46,232
Knott County	D	+53.8%	5,405	1,602	7,065
Knox County	R	−21.6%	3,543	5,539	9,240
Larue County	D	+4.3%	2,183	2,000	4,249
Laurel County	R	−37.7%	3,969	8,868	12,997
Lawrence County	R	−4.1%	2,362	2,564	4,980
Lee County	R	−23.2%	1,017	1,650	2,726
Leslie County	R	−44.9%	1,327	3,536	4,921
Letcher County	D	+10.9%	4,280	3,426	7,818
Lewis County	R	−28.7%	1,543	2,802	4,393
Lincoln County	R	−0.7%	2,991	3,034	6,105
Livingston County	D	+15.4%	2,287	1,670	4,008
Logan County	D	+11.5%	4,264	3,366	7,781
Lyon County	D	+20.9%	1,496	968	2,527
Madison County	R	−1.3%	8,208	8,437	17,671
Magoffin County	D	+13.6%	2,986	2,265	5,297
Marion County	D	+24.9%	3,577	2,126	5,816
Marshall County	D	+17.0%	6,231	4,403	10,779
Martin County	R	−27.7%	1,567	2,793	4,430
Mason County	D	+4.1%	3,181	2,926	6,287
McCracken County	D	+12.7%	13,365	10,281	24,325
McCreary County	R	−45.4%	1,377	3,786	5,312
McLean County	D	+17.5%	2,147	1,497	3,710
Meade County	D	+7.7%	3,205	2,740	6,059
Menifee County	D	+27.2%	966	547	1,543
Mercer County	D	+3.6%	3,528	3,275	6,970
Metcalfe County	R	−10.4%	1,628	2,013	3,707
Monroe County	R	−59.1%	1,156	4,592	5,813
Montgomery County	D	+8.1%	3,391	2,869	6,418
Morgan County	D	+29.7%	2,698	1,450	4,199
Muhlenberg County	D	+14.7%	6,616	4,893	11,706
Nelson County	D	+23.8%	5,514	3,349	9,114
Nicholas County	D	+18.5%	1,349	915	2,351
Ohio County	R	−20.0%	3,486	5,272	8,921
Oldham County	R	−22.1%	3,487	5,586	9,510
Owen County	D	+41.2%	2,323	944	3,344
Owsley County	R	−47.9%	437	1,250	1,699
Pendleton County	D	+6.1%	1,992	1,757	3,866
Perry County	D	+17.4%	6,031	4,226	10,367
Pike County	D	+16.8%	14,878	10,550	25,720
Powell County	D	+7.7%	2,006	1,716	3,767
Pulaski County	R	−32.1%	6,570	12,970	19,919
Robertson County	D	+14.6%	562	416	999
Rockcastle County	R	−44.4%	1,345	3,543	4,947
Rowan County	D	+3.6%	2,975	2,758	5,987
Russell County	R	−38.1%	1,693	3,804	5,540
Scott County	D	+9.9%	3,531	2,868	6,667
Shelby County	D	+12.4%	4,429	3,423	8,108
Simpson County	D	+14.4%	2,713	2,020	4,819
Spencer County	D	+12.8%	1,216	935	2,200
Taylor County	R	−10.9%	3,400	4,243	7,768
Todd County	D	+0.3%	1,956	1,945	3,981
Trigg County	D	+15.3%	2,619	1,913	4,605
Trimble County	D	+27.3%	1,478	824	2,392
Union County	D	+30.0%	3,479	1,847	5,437
Warren County	R	−11.2%	9,643	12,184	22,604
Washington County	D	+3.3%	2,147	2,008	4,249
Wayne County	R	−19.3%	2,673	3,972	6,716
Webster County	D	+28.3%	3,506	1,939	5,535
Whitley County	R	−28.1%	3,889	7,007	11,077
Wolfe County	D	+30.8%	1,814	951	2,805
Woodford County	D	+0.3%	3,122	3,105	6,515