Kentucky — Elections 1892–2024

presidential history

Presidential margin, 1892–2024

Democratic minus Republican, by election

Presidential margin over time
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%

DemocraticRepublican

34 presidential elections

Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
Year	Won	Democratic	Republican	Other	Margin	Total
2024	R	33.9%Harris704,043	64.5%Trump1,337,494	0.8%Kennedy16,769	−30.5%	2,074,530
2020	R	36.2%Biden772,474	62.1%Trump1,326,646	1.2%Jorgensen26,234	−25.9%	2,136,268
2016	R	32.7%Clinton628,854	62.5%Trump1,202,971	2.8%Johnson53,752	−29.8%	1,924,150
2012	R	37.8%Obama679,370	60.5%Romney1,087,190	0.9%Johnson17,063	−22.7%	1,798,048
2008	R	41.2%Obama751,985	57.4%McCain1,048,462	0.8%Nader15,378	−16.2%	1,826,508
2004	R	39.7%Kerry712,733	59.5%Bush1,069,439	0.5%Nader8,856	−19.9%	1,796,079
2000	R	41.4%Gore638,898	56.5%Bush872,492	1.5%Nader23,118	−15.1%	1,544,187
1996	D	45.8%Clinton636,614	44.9%Dole623,283	8.7%Perot120,396	+1.0%	1,388,708
1992	D	44.6%Clinton665,104	41.3%Bush617,178	13.7%Perot203,944	+3.2%	1,492,900
1988	R	43.9%Dukakis580,368	55.5%Bush734,281	0.3%Duke4,494	−11.6%	1,322,517
1984	R	39.4%Mondale539,589	60.0%Reagan822,782	0.2%Mason3,129	−20.7%	1,370,461
1980	R	47.6%Carter616,417	49.1%Reagan635,274	2.4%Anderson31,127	−1.5%	1,294,627
1976	D	52.8%Carter615,717	45.6%Ford531,852	0.7%Anderson8,308	+7.2%	1,167,142
1972	R	34.8%McGovern371,159	63.4%Nixon676,446	1.9%Schmitz19,894	−28.6%	1,067,499
1968	R	37.6%Humphrey397,541	43.8%Nixon462,411	18.6%Wallace195,941	−6.1%	1,055,893
1964	D	64.0%Johnson669,659	35.7%Goldwater372,977	0.3%Hass3,469	+28.4%	1,046,105
1960	R	46.4%Kennedy521,855	53.6%Nixon602,607	0.0%	−7.2%	1,124,462
1956	R	45.2%Stevenson476,453	54.3%Eisenhower572,192	0.5%Andrews5,160	−9.1%	1,053,805
1952	D	49.9%Stevenson495,729	49.8%Eisenhower495,029	0.2%Hallinan2,390	+0.1%	993,148
1948	D	56.7%Truman466,756	41.5%Dewey341,210	1.8%Thurmond14,692	+15.3%	822,658
1944	D	54.5%Roosevelt472,589	45.2%Dewey392,448	0.3%Thomas2,884	+9.2%	867,921
1940	D	57.4%Roosevelt557,322	42.3%Willkie410,384	0.3%Thomas2,457	+15.1%	970,163
1936	D	58.5%Roosevelt541,944	39.9%Landon369,702	1.6%Lemke14,573	+18.6%	926,219
1932	D	59.1%Roosevelt580,574	40.2%Hoover394,716	0.8%Thomas7,773	+18.9%	983,063
1928	R	40.5%Smith381,070	59.4%Hoover558,734	0.2%Thomas1,482	−18.9%	941,286
1924	R	46.0%Davis375,642	48.9%Coolidge399,656	5.1%La Follette41,492	−2.9%	816,790
1920	D	49.7%Cox456,497	49.3%Harding452,480	1.1%Debs9,659	+0.4%	918,636
1916	D	52.0%Wilson269,990	46.5%Hughes241,791	1.5%Benson7,770	+5.4%	519,551
1912	D	49.0%Wilson219,584	25.8%Taft115,516	25.3%Roosevelt113,230	+23.2%	448,330
1908	D	49.7%Bryan244,092	48.0%Taft235,711	2.2%Debs10,957	+1.7%	490,760
1904	D	49.8%Parker217,250	47.1%Roosevelt205,277	3.1%Debs13,328	+2.7%	435,855
1900	D	50.2%Bryan235,123	48.5%McKinley227,128	1.3%Woolley6,002	+1.7%	468,253
1896	R	48.9%Bryan217,894	48.9%McKinley218,171	2.2%Palmer9,863	−0.1%	445,928
1892	D	51.5%Cleveland175,465	39.7%Harrison135,467	8.8%Weaver29,939	+11.7%	340,871

2026 election

On the ballot

U.S. Senateopen seat

Andy BarrnomineeCharles Bookernominee

Open seat; incumbent Mitch McConnell (R) not seeking re-election, excluded. Barr won the GOP primary (60.5%) over Daniel Cameron (Nate Morris withdrew after Trump endorsed Barr). Booker won the Dem primary (47%) over Amy McGrath and Pamela Stevenson. No third-party general candidate confirmed as of 2026-06-25.

Full 2026 forecast →

Source · Akashic 2026 forecast.

Congressional elections · 158 House races · 16 Senate races

U.S. House

Source · MIT Election Lab (MEDSL), House. CC-BY 4.0. Seat totals count district winners; vote shares aggregate every district.
Seats won	D %	R %	Total
D 1 · R 5	26.9%	73.1%	1,905,534
D 1 · R 5	33.5%	65.1%	1,463,418
D 1 · R 5	34.8%	64.5%	2,115,895
D 1 · R 5	39.0%	59.6%	1,569,798

U.S. Senate

Source · MIT Election Lab (MEDSL), Senate. CC-BY 4.0.
Year	Won	Democratic	Republican	Total
2022	R	38.2%564,311	61.8%913,326	1,477,830
2020	R	38.2%816,257	57.8%1,233,315	2,135,057
2016	R	42.7%813,246	57.3%1,090,177	1,903,423
2014	R	40.7%584,698	56.2%806,787	1,435,789
2010	R	44.3%600,052	55.7%755,706	1,355,758
2008	R	47.0%847,005	53.0%953,816	1,800,821
2004	R	49.3%850,855	50.7%873,507	1,724,362
2002	R	35.3%399,634	64.7%731,679	1,131,313
1998	R	49.2%563,051	49.7%569,817	1,145,414
1996	R	42.8%560,012	55.5%724,794	1,307,029
1992	D	62.9%836,888	35.8%476,604	1,330,858
1990	R	47.8%437,976	52.2%478,034	916,010
1986	D	74.4%503,775	25.6%173,330	677,105
1984	R	49.5%639,721	49.9%644,990	1,292,407
1980	D	65.1%720,891	34.9%386,029	1,106,920
1978	D	61.0%290,730	36.9%175,766	476,740

voter registration

Registered voters

By party of registration, over time

3,555,291 registered voters · 2024

Democratic42.3%Republican46.9%Unaffiliated4.8%Other6.0%

Source: Kentucky State Board of Elections

Pike County voted Democratic by 29.6 points in 1996 and Republican by 65.4 in 2024 — a 95-point shift in a single generation.

The federal-state split: R+30.5 for president in 2024, yet Democrat Andy Beshear won the governorship in 2019 and again in 2023 · MIT Election Lab; Akashic officeholder roster
The presidential floor: R+15.1 (2000) → R+25.9 (2020) → R+30.5 (2024), after Bill Clinton carried the state in 1992 and 1996 · MIT Election Lab
The two blue islands: Fayette County (Lexington) D+18.1 and Jefferson County (Louisville) D+16.5 — together over a fifth of the statewide vote · MIT Election Lab 2024
The coalfield’s turn: Pike County D+29.6 (1996) → R+65.4 (2024), a 95-point shift; Floyd moved 104 points, Harlan 101; Martin County is now R+83.6, the reddest · MIT Election Lab
Poor and Protestant: Median household income $63,726 and the poverty rate 16.1% — each 46th of 50; 31.3% Evangelical adherents, 6th-highest · ACS 2024 5-year; 2020 U.S. Religion Census
Open Senate seat in 2026: McConnell, in office since 1984, is retiring; Rep. Andy Barr (R) vs Charles Booker (D); no governor’s race until 2027 · Akashic 2026 forecast

Political twins — states

The states whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.

% Latino2016–2024 trajectory≠ American ancestry

Alabama

83.6twin score

2012–2024 trajectory≠ % Black

Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.

Compare two places, side by side

Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →

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Kentucky. Akashic. https://akashic.app/state/KY/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.

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Largest cities in Kentucky

Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government (balance)

631.8K residents

Lexington-Fayette Urban County

Kentucky at the ballot boxAll elections →

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Places within Kentucky

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Frequently asked questions

How did Kentucky vote in 2024?

In 2024, Kentucky voted Republican by 30.5 points (R+30.5), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 2,074,530 votes cast, 704,043 went Democratic and 1,337,494 went Republican.

When did Kentucky last vote Democratic?

The most recent presidential election in which Kentucky voted Democratic was 1996.

How many people live in Kentucky?

Kentucky has a population of 4,534,824 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.

What is the median household income in Kentucky?

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

What is the political history of Kentucky?

Akashic tracks 34 presidential elections in Kentucky from 1892 to 2024. Of those, 17 went Democratic and 17 went Republican.

Kentucky, Kentucky

U.S. House

U.S. Senate

Compare two places, side by side

Places within Kentucky

Frequently asked questions