Kentucky presidential election results and history

Kentucky has voted in 51 presidential elections in this record and backed the national winner in 30 of the 51 with a recorded winner (59%).

Current members of Congress from Kentucky (8)

Mitch McConnell Senator · Republican
Rand Paul Senator · Republican
James Comer District 1 · Republican
Brett Guthrie District 2 · Republican
Morgan McGarvey District 3 · Democrat
Thomas Massie District 4 · Republican
Harold Rogers District 5 · Republican
Andy Barr District 6 · Republican

Latest (2024): Donald J. Trump30.5 pts
Electoral votes: 8
Democratic wins: 26
Republican wins: 17

Kentucky, Republican vs Democratic margin since 1856: Republican minus Democratic share, in points. Bars above the line lean Republican, below lean Democratic.

Counties in 2024

Full 2024 results

Every presidential election in Kentucky

Download CSV

Year	Carried by	Share	Runner-up	Margin	EV	Votes counted	National winner
2024	Donald J. Trump	64.5%	Kamala Harris	30.5	8	2,074,530	Donald J. Trump ✓
2020	Donald J. Trump	62.1%	Joseph R. Biden	25.9	8	2,136,768	Joseph R. Biden ✗
2016	Donald J. Trump	62.5%	Hillary Clinton	29.8	8	1,924,149	Donald J. Trump ✓
2012	Mitt Romney	60.5%	Barack Obama	22.7	8	1,797,212	Barack Obama ✗
2008	John McCain	57.4%	Barack Obama	16.2	8	1,826,508	Barack Obama ✗
2004	George W. Bush	59.5%	John Kerry	19.9	8	1,795,882	George W. Bush ✓
2000	George W. Bush	56.5%	Albert Gore, Jr.	15.1	8	1,544,187	George W. Bush ✓
1996	William J. Clinton	45.8%	Robert Dole	1.0	8	1,388,708	William J. Clinton ✓
1992	William J. Clinton	44.6%	George H. W. Bush	3.2	8	1,492,900	William J. Clinton ✓
1988	George H. W. Bush	55.5%	Michael Dukakis	11.6	9	1,322,517	George H. W. Bush ✓
1984	Ronald Reagan	60.0%	Walter Mondale	20.6	9	1,369,345	Ronald Reagan ✓
1980	Ronald Reagan	49.1%	Jimmy Carter	1.5	9	1,294,627	Ronald Reagan ✓
1976	Jimmy Carter	52.8%	Gerald R. Ford	7.2	9	1,167,142	Jimmy Carter ✓
1972	Richard M. Nixon	63.4%	George McGovern	28.6	9	1,067,499	Richard M. Nixon ✓
1968	Richard M. Nixon	43.8%	Hubert Humphrey	6.1	9	1,055,893	Richard M. Nixon ✓
1964	Lyndon B. Johnson	64.0%	Barry Goldwater	28.4	9	1,046,105	Lyndon B. Johnson ✓
1960	Richard M. Nixon	53.6%	John F. Kennedy	7.2	10	1,124,462	John F. Kennedy ✗
1956	Dwight D. Eisenhower	54.3%	Adlai Stevenson	9.1	10	1,053,805	Dwight D. Eisenhower ✓
1952	Adlai Stevenson	49.9%	Dwight D. Eisenhower	0.1	10	993,148	Dwight D. Eisenhower ✗
1948	Harry S Truman	56.7%	Thomas E. Dewey	15.3	11	822,658	Harry S Truman ✓
1944	Franklin D. Roosevelt	54.5%	Thomas E. Dewey	9.2	11	867,924	Franklin D. Roosevelt ✓
1940	Franklin D. Roosevelt	57.4%	Wendell L. Willkie	15.2	11	970,163	Franklin D. Roosevelt ✓
1936	Franklin D. Roosevelt	58.5%	Alfred M. Landon	18.6	11	926,214	Franklin D. Roosevelt ✓
1932	Franklin D. Roosevelt	59.1%	Herbert Hoover	18.9	11	983,059	Franklin D. Roosevelt ✓
1928	Herbert Hoover	59.3%	Alfred E. Smith	18.8	13	940,521	Herbert Hoover ✓
1924	Calvin Coolidge	48.9%	John W. Davis	2.9	13	816,070	Calvin Coolidge ✓
1920	James M. Cox	49.7%	Warren G. Harding	0.4	13	918,636	Warren G. Harding ✗
1916	Woodrow Wilson	51.9%	Charles E. Hughes	5.4	13	520,078	Woodrow Wilson ✓
1912	Woodrow Wilson	48.4%	William Howard Taft	22.9	13	453,707	Woodrow Wilson ✓
1908	William Jennings Bryan	49.7%	William Howard Taft	1.7	13	490,719	William Howard Taft ✗
1904	Alton B. Parker	49.8%	Theodore Roosevelt	2.7	13	435,946	Theodore Roosevelt ✗
1900	William Jennings Bryan	50.2%	William McKinley	1.7	13	467,580	William McKinley ✗
1896	William McKinley	48.9%	William Jennings Bryan	0.1	13	445,928	William McKinley ✓
1892	Grover Cleveland	51.5%	Benjamin Harrison	11.7	13	340,864	Grover Cleveland ✓
1888	Grover Cleveland	53.3%	Benjamin Harrison	8.3	13	344,868	Benjamin Harrison ✗
1884	Grover Cleveland	55.3%	James G. Blaine	12.3	13	276,503	Grover Cleveland ✓
1880	Winfield S. Hancock	55.9%	James A. Garfield	16.1	12	266,884	James A. Garfield ✗
1876	Samuel Tilden	61.5%	Rutherford B. Hayes	24.1	12	259,614	Rutherford B. Hayes ✗
1872	Horace Greeley	54.5%	Ulysses S. Grant	5.9	—	191,552	Ulysses S. Grant ✗
1868	Horatio Seymour	74.5%	Ulysses S. Grant	49.1	11	155,455	Ulysses S. Grant ✗
1864	George McClellan	69.8%	Abraham Lincoln	39.7	11	92,088	Abraham Lincoln ✗
1860	John Bell	45.2%	John C. Breckinridge	8.8	12	146,216	Abraham Lincoln ✗
1856	James Buchanan	52.5%	Millard Fillmore	5.1	12	142,058	James Buchanan ✓
1852	Winfield Scott	51.4%	Franklin Pierce	3.1	12	111,643	Franklin Pierce ✗
1848	Zachary Taylor	57.5%	Lewis Cass	14.9	12	116,865	Zachary Taylor ✓
1844	Henry Clay	54.1%	James K. Polk	8.2	12	113,237	James K. Polk ✗
1840	William Henry Harrison	64.2%	Martin Van Buren	28.4	15	91,104	William Henry Harrison ✓
1836	William Henry Harrison	52.6%	Martin Van Buren	5.2	15	70,090	Martin Van Buren ✗
1832	Henry Clay	54.5%	Andrew Jackson	9.0	15	79,741	Andrew Jackson ✗
1828	Andrew Jackson	55.5%	John Quincy Adams	11.1	14	70,776	Andrew Jackson ✓
1824	Henry Clay	72.8%	Andrew Jackson	45.5	14	23,338	John Quincy Adams ✗

Counties

Questions and answers

How has Kentucky voted in recent presidential elections?

2024: Donald J. Trump by 30.5 points; 2020: Donald J. Trump by 25.9 points; 2016: Donald J. Trump by 29.8 points; 2012: Mitt Romney by 22.7 points; 2008: John McCain by 16.2 points.

When did Kentucky last vote Democratic for president?

In 1996, for William J. Clinton.

When did Kentucky last vote Republican for president?

In 2024, for Donald J. Trump.

How often does Kentucky vote for the winning presidential candidate?

Kentucky backed the national winner in 30 of 51 elections in this record (59%).

Is Kentucky a swing state?

No. It has been safely one-sided: in 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024 its margins were Republican by 22.7 points, Republican by 29.8 points, Republican by 25.9 points and Republican by 30.5 points.

Official results As published by The American Presidency Project (UC Santa Barbara) and the state documents it links. How we use this data