2023 Kentucky gubernatorial election

The 2023 Kentucky gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2023, to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of Kentucky. Incumbent Democratic governor Andy Beshear won re-election to a second term, defeating Republican state Attorney General Daniel Cameron. This was the only statewide victory in 2023 for Democrats in Kentucky.

Source: Wikipedia

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2023 Kentucky gubernatorial election

The 2023 Kentucky gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2023, to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of Kentucky. Incumbent Democratic governor Andy Beshear won re-election to a second term, defeating Republican state Attorney General Daniel Cameron. This was the only statewide victory in 2023 for Democrats in Kentucky.

This race was one of two Democratic-held governorships up for election in 2023 in a state Donald Trump won in (/wiki/2020UnitedStatespresidentialelectioninKentucky). The other was held in Louisiana, where the incumbent Democratic governor was ineligible to seek re-election, and which Jeff Landry flipped for the Republicans.

This was the first gubernatorial election in the state's history in which both major party candidates had held the position of attorney general; Beshear held the position from 2016 to 2019, after which he was succeeded by Cameron.

Beshear's victory has been attributed to his broad popularity among Democrats and independents, as well as approximately half of Republicans in the state. Compared to 2019, Beshear most improved his performance in suburban precincts; he increased his margins by nearly 6 percentage points in suburban areas, compared to 4.5 percentage points in urban and rural precincts.

Background

2023 Kentucky gubernatorial election

A socially conservative southern state, Kentucky is considered safely Republican in federal elections, with Republicans holding both of its U.S. Senate seats and all but one of its U.S. House seats. In the 2020 presidential election, Republican Donald Trump carried Kentucky by 26 percentage points. However, the state was much more competitive as recently as the 1990s, when it voted for Bill Clinton twice, and Democrats remain competitive in many local and some state-level elections.

Beshear was first elected in (/wiki/2019Kentuckygubernatorialelection), narrowly defeating incumbent Republican Matt Bevin, who had become widely unpopular for signing a pension reform bill for teachers and opposing a subsequent teachers' strike. In that same year, Cameron was elected attorney general, becoming the first African-American to be elected to that position.

Cameron gained national recognition as attorney general, especially due to his involvement in the Breonna Taylor case in 2020. He spoke at the 2020 Republican National Convention on August 25, 2020. In September 2020, Cameron appeared on a shortlist of potential nominees to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court by President Trump.

On May 16, 2023, Cameron won the Republican nomination with 47.7% of the vote, a 26% margin over the second-place candidate, and Beshear won the Democratic nomination with 91.3% of the vote over two perennial candidates.

Democratic primary

Nominee

• Andy Beshear, incumbent governor • Running mate: Jacqueline Coleman, incumbent lieutenant governor

Eliminated in primary

• Peppy Martin, businesswoman, consultant, perennial candidate, and Republican nominee for governor in (/wiki/1999Kentuckygubernatorialelection) • Geoff Young, perennial candidate

Fundraising

Beshear was the only candidate who filed a financial disclosure.

<table><thead><tr><th>Campaign finance reports as of January 3, 2023</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Candidate</td><td>Raised</td><td>Cash on hand</td></tr><tr><td>Andy Beshear</td><td>$647,000</td><td>$7,400,000</td></tr></tbody></table>

Results

Results by county:   Beshear

<table><thead><tr><th>Party</th><th>Candidate</th><th>Votes</th><th>%</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td></td><td>Democratic</td><td>Andy Beshear (incumbent)</td><td>176,589</td><td>91.3</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Democratic</td><td>Geoff Young</td><td>9,865</td><td>5.1</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Democratic</td><td>Peppy Martin</td><td>6,913</td><td>3.6</td></tr><tr><td>Total votes</td><td>193,367</td><td>100.0</td></tr></tbody></table>

Republican primary

Nominee

• Daniel Cameron, Attorney General of Kentucky

Eliminated in primary

• Jacob Clark • David Cooper, member of the Kentucky Army National Guard • Kelly Craft, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations • Running mate: Max Wise, state senator • Eric Deters, suspended attorney • Running mate: Wesley Deters, former Park Hills city councilor (no relation to Eric Deters) • Bob DeVore, former McCreary County Board of Education member (2001–2007) and perennial candidate • Mike Harmon, Kentucky state auditor • Alan Keck, mayor of Somerset • Dennis Ormerod • Ryan Quarles, Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture • Johnny Rice, militia activist and former police officer • Robbie Smith, high school teacher

Withdrew

• Savannah Maddox, state representative

Declined

• Ralph Alvarado, state senator and nominee for lieutenant governor in (/wiki/2019Kentuckygubernatorialelection) (appointed commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health) • Allison Ball, Kentucky State Treasurer (ran for state auditor) • Matt Bevin, former governor • James Comer, U.S. representative for Kentucky's 1st congressional district and candidate for governor in (/wiki/2015Kentuckygubernatorialelection) (endorsed Craft) • Max Wise, state senator (ran for lieutenant governor with Craft)

Fundraising

Financial disclosures for major candidates are below:

<table><thead><tr><th>Campaign finance reports as of April 18, 2023</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Candidate</td><td>Raised</td><td>Spent</td><td>Cash on hand</td></tr><tr><td>Daniel Cameron</td><td>$1,370,904</td><td>$777,446</td><td>$593,458</td></tr><tr><td>Kelly Craft</td><td>$8,563,233</td><td>$8,156,315</td><td>$406,918</td></tr><tr><td>Eric Deters</td><td>$669,064</td><td>$659,746</td><td>$9,319</td></tr><tr><td>Mike Harmon</td><td>$84,547</td><td>$70,693</td><td>$13,854</td></tr><tr><td>Alan Keck</td><td>$311,717</td><td>$257,577</td><td>$54,139</td></tr><tr><td>Ryan Quarles</td><td>$1,202,650</td><td>$299,419</td><td>$903,231</td></tr></tbody></table>

Debates

<table><thead><tr><th>No.</th><th>Date</th><th>Host</th><th>Moderator</th><th>Link</th><th>Participants</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Key:  P  Participant   A  Absent   N  Non-invitee   I  Invitee  W  Withdrawn</td></tr><tr><td>Daniel Cameron</td><td>Kelly Craft</td><td>Eric Deters</td><td>Mike Harmon</td><td>Alan Keck</td><td>Ryan Quarles</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>March 7, 2023</td><td>Jefferson County Republican Party Spectrum News 1 Kentucky</td><td>Mario Anderson</td><td>Spectrum News 1</td><td>P</td><td>A</td><td>N</td><td>P</td><td>P</td><td>P</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>April 26, 2023</td><td>Kenton County Republican Party WCPO LINK nky</td><td>Evan Millward Shane Noem Mark Payne</td><td>YouTube</td><td>A</td><td>A</td><td>P</td><td>P</td><td>P</td><td>P</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>May 1, 2023</td><td>Kentucky Educational Television</td><td>Renee Shaw</td><td>YouTube</td><td>P</td><td>P</td><td>P</td><td>N</td><td>P</td><td>P</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>May 8, 2023</td><td>WKYT Transylvania University</td><td>Bill Bryant</td><td>WSAZ</td><td>A</td><td>A</td><td>P</td><td>P</td><td>N</td><td>P</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>May 9, 2023</td><td>WDKY</td><td>Marvin Bartlett Gilbert Corsey Ashley Kirklen</td><td>WDKY</td><td>P</td><td>A</td><td>P</td><td>N</td><td>N</td><td>P</td></tr></tbody></table>

Graphical summary

<table><thead><tr><th>Poll source</th><th>Date(s) administered</th><th>Sample size</th><th>Margin of error</th><th>Daniel Cameron</th><th>David Cooper</th><th>Kelly Craft</th><th>Eric Deters</th><th>Bob DeVore</th><th>Mike Harmon</th><th>Alan Keck</th><th>Savannah Maddox</th><th>Ryan Quarles</th><th>Robbie Smith</th><th>Other</th><th>Undecided</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Emerson College</td><td>May 10–12, 2023</td><td>500 (LV)</td><td>± 4.3%</td><td>33%</td><td>2%</td><td>18%</td><td>10%</td><td><1%</td><td>4%</td><td>3%</td><td>–</td><td>13%</td><td><1%</td><td><1%</td><td>13%</td></tr><tr><td>Emerson College</td><td>April 10–11, 2023</td><td>900 (LV)</td><td>± 3.2%</td><td>30%</td><td><1%</td><td>24%</td><td>6%</td><td><1%</td><td>2%</td><td><1%</td><td>–</td><td>15%</td><td><1%</td><td><1%</td><td>21%</td></tr><tr><td>Mason-Dixon</td><td>January 18–23, 2023</td><td>404 (LV)</td><td>± 5%</td><td>39%</td><td>1%</td><td>13%</td><td>2%</td><td>1%</td><td>5%</td><td>2%</td><td>–</td><td>8%</td><td>1%</td><td>–</td><td>28%</td></tr><tr><td>Meeting Street</td><td>January 9–11, 2023</td><td>500 (LV)</td><td>± 4.4%</td><td>39%</td><td>–</td><td>8%</td><td>2%</td><td>–</td><td>2%</td><td>1%</td><td>–</td><td>8%</td><td>–</td><td>2%</td><td>38%</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>December 20, 2022</td><td>Maddox withdraws from the race</td></tr><tr><td>co/efficient (R)</td><td>June 13–14, 2022</td><td>974 (LV)</td><td>± 3.5%</td><td>46%</td><td>–</td><td>3%</td><td>4%</td><td>–</td><td>5%</td><td>–</td><td>7%</td><td>9%</td><td>–</td><td>3%</td><td>22%</td></tr></tbody></table>

Results

Results by county:   Cameron   Quarles   Craft

<table><thead><tr><th>Party</th><th>Candidate</th><th>Votes</th><th>%</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td></td><td>Republican</td><td>Daniel Cameron</td><td>144,576</td><td>47.7</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Republican</td><td>Ryan Quarles</td><td>65,718</td><td>21.7</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Republican</td><td>Kelly Craft</td><td>52,170</td><td>17.2</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Republican</td><td>Eric Deters</td><td>17,464</td><td>5.8</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Republican</td><td>Mike Harmon</td><td>7,797</td><td>2.6</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Republican</td><td>Alan Keck</td><td>7,317</td><td>2.4</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Republican</td><td>David Cooper</td><td>2,282</td><td>0.8</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Republican</td><td>Jacob Clark</td><td>1,900</td><td>0.6</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Republican</td><td>Robbie Smith</td><td>1,388</td><td>0.5</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Republican</td><td>Bob DeVore</td><td>931</td><td>0.3</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Republican</td><td>Johnny Rice</td><td>726</td><td>0.2</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Republican</td><td>Dennis Ormerod</td><td>696</td><td>0.2</td></tr><tr><td>Total votes</td><td>302,965</td><td>100.0</td></tr></tbody></table>

General election

2023 Kentucky gubernatorial election

A viral ad featuring Hadley Duvall, who had been raped and impregnated by her stepfather at age 12, was widely credited by Republican leadership for contributing to Beshear's victory, as Kentucky was one of 12 states that had anti-abortion laws that allowed no exceptions for rape or incest, which was initially supported by Cameron.

Predictions

<table><thead><tr><th>Source</th><th>Ranking</th><th>As of</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>The Cook Political Report</td><td>Lean D</td><td>July 21, 2023</td></tr><tr><td>Inside Elections</td><td>Tilt D</td><td>September 1, 2023</td></tr><tr><td>Sabato's Crystal Ball</td><td>Lean D</td><td>October 16, 2023</td></tr><tr><td>Elections Daily</td><td>Lean D</td><td>November 7, 2023</td></tr></tbody></table>

Fundraising

<table><thead><tr><th>Campaign finance reports as of November 7, 2023</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Candidate</td><td>Raised</td><td>Spent</td><td>Cash on hand</td></tr><tr><td>Andy Beshear (D)</td><td>$18,968,345</td><td>$18,963,018</td><td>$5,327</td></tr><tr><td>Daniel Cameron (R)</td><td>$4,349,178</td><td>$4,316,097</td><td>$33,081</td></tr><tr><td>Source: Kentucky Registry of Election Finance</td></tr></tbody></table>

Polling

<table><thead><tr><th>Poll source</th><th>Date(s) administered</th><th>Sample size</th><th>Margin of error</th><th>Andy Beshear (D)</th><th>Daniel Cameron (R)</th><th>Other</th><th>Undecided</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Concord Public Opinion Partners</td><td>November 1–2, 2023</td><td>470 (LV)</td><td>± 4.5%</td><td>48%</td><td>40%</td><td>–</td><td>12%</td></tr><tr><td>Data for Progress (D)</td><td>November 1–2, 2023</td><td>660 (LV)</td><td>± 4.0%</td><td>50%</td><td>48%</td><td>–</td><td>2%</td></tr><tr><td>Emerson College</td><td>October 30 – November 2, 2023</td><td>1,000 (LV)</td><td>± 3.0%</td><td>47%</td><td>47%</td><td>2%</td><td>4%</td></tr><tr><td>co/efficient (R)</td><td>October 18–19, 2023</td><td>1,845 (LV)</td><td>± 3.2%</td><td>47%</td><td>45%</td><td>−</td><td>8%</td></tr><tr><td>Garin-Hart-Yang (D)</td><td>October 14–16, 2023</td><td>721 (LV)</td><td>± 3.6%</td><td>52%</td><td>44%</td><td>−</td><td>4%</td></tr><tr><td>Emerson College</td><td>October 1–3, 2023</td><td>450 (RV)</td><td>± 4.6%</td><td>49%</td><td>33%</td><td>5%</td><td>13%</td></tr><tr><td>WPA Intelligence (R)</td><td>September 25–28, 2023</td><td>500 (LV)</td><td>± 4.4%</td><td>48%</td><td>42%</td><td>–</td><td>10%</td></tr><tr><td>WPA Intelligence (R)</td><td>September 5–8, 2023</td><td>500 (LV)</td><td>± 4.4%</td><td>47%</td><td>40%</td><td>–</td><td>12%</td></tr><tr><td>Garin-Hart-Yang (D)</td><td>August 30 – September 1, 2023</td><td>716 (LV)</td><td>± 3.6%</td><td>51%</td><td>42%</td><td>–</td><td>7%</td></tr><tr><td>Public Policy Polling (D)</td><td>August 9–10, 2023</td><td>737 (V)</td><td>–</td><td>49%</td><td>41%</td><td>–</td><td>10%</td></tr><tr><td>Public Opinion Strategies (R)</td><td>July 19–20, 2023</td><td>500 (LV)</td><td>± 4.4%</td><td>49%</td><td>45%</td><td>–</td><td>5%</td></tr><tr><td>Garin-Hart-Yang (D)</td><td>Late July 2023</td><td>716 (LV)</td><td>± 3.6%</td><td>48%</td><td>45%</td><td>–</td><td>7%</td></tr><tr><td>Public Opinion Strategies (R)</td><td>June 22–29, 2023</td><td>800 (RV)</td><td>± 3.95%</td><td>52%</td><td>42%</td><td>–</td><td>0%</td></tr><tr><td>Cygnal (R)</td><td>May 22–23, 2023</td><td>600 (LV)</td><td>± 3.9%</td><td>47%</td><td>47%</td><td>–</td><td>6%</td></tr><tr><td>co/efficient (R)</td><td>May 18–19, 2023</td><td>987 (LV)</td><td>± 3.1%</td><td>45%</td><td>43%</td><td>–</td><td>12%</td></tr><tr><td>Mason-Dixon</td><td>January 18–23, 2023</td><td>625 (RV)</td><td>± 4.0%</td><td>49%</td><td>40%</td><td>–</td><td>11%</td></tr></tbody></table>

Results

Beshear won re-election by a 5% margin. Key to his victory was his performance in the state's two most populous counties, Jefferson and Fayette (home to the cities of Louisville and Lexington, respectively), each of which he carried with more than 70% of the vote. Beshear also over-performed in several Republican-leaning suburban counties in Northern Kentucky and the Bluegrass region, and in several historically Democratic rural counties in the Eastern Coalfield which have swung sharply towards the Republican Party in the 21st century. Beshear's gains in the Eastern Coalfield were attributed to his response to flooding in the region in 2022.

<table><thead><tr><th>Party</th><th>Candidate</th><th>Votes</th><th>%</th><th>±%</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td></td><td>Democratic</td><td></td><td>694,482</td><td>52.53%</td><td>+3.34%</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Republican</td><td></td><td>627,457</td><td>47.46%</td><td>−1.37%</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Write-in</td><td>83</td><td>0.01%</td><td>N/A</td></tr><tr><td>Total votes</td><td>1,322,022</td><td>100.00%</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Democratic hold</td></tr></tbody></table>

By county

<table><thead><tr><th>County</th><th>Andy Beshear</th><th>Daniel Cameron</th><th>Write-in</th><th>Margin</th><th>Total votes</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>%</td><td>#</td><td>%</td><td>#</td><td>%</td><td>#</td><td>%</td><td>#</td></tr><tr><td>Adair</td><td>31.94%</td><td>1,688</td><td>68.06%</td><td>3,597</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-36.12%</td><td>-1,909</td><td>5,285</td></tr><tr><td>Allen</td><td>29.60%</td><td>1,513</td><td>70.40%</td><td>3,599</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-40.81%</td><td>-2,086</td><td>5,112</td></tr><tr><td>Anderson</td><td>45.34%</td><td>4,212</td><td>54.66%</td><td>5,078</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-9.32%</td><td>-866</td><td>9,290</td></tr><tr><td>Ballard</td><td>36.28%</td><td>963</td><td>63.72%</td><td>1,691</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-27.43%</td><td>-728</td><td>2,654</td></tr><tr><td>Barren</td><td>41.78%</td><td>4,965</td><td>58.21%</td><td>6,918</td><td>0.01%</td><td>1</td><td>-16.43%</td><td>-1,953</td><td>11,884</td></tr><tr><td>Bath</td><td>55.81%</td><td>1,913</td><td>44.19%</td><td>1,515</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>11.61%</td><td>398</td><td>3,428</td></tr><tr><td>Bell</td><td>40.24%</td><td>2,281</td><td>59.74%</td><td>3,386</td><td>0.02%</td><td>1</td><td>-19.50%</td><td>-1,105</td><td>5,668</td></tr><tr><td>Boone</td><td>43.96%</td><td>17,575</td><td>56.03%</td><td>22,399</td><td>0.01%</td><td>4</td><td>-12.07%</td><td>-4,824</td><td>39,978</td></tr><tr><td>Bourbon</td><td>53.96%</td><td>3,265</td><td>46.04%</td><td>2,786</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>7.92%</td><td>479</td><td>6,051</td></tr><tr><td>Boyd</td><td>51.52%</td><td>6,068</td><td>48.48%</td><td>5,710</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>3.04%</td><td>358</td><td>11,778</td></tr><tr><td>Boyle</td><td>52.89%</td><td>5,040</td><td>47.11%</td><td>4,489</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>5.78%</td><td>551</td><td>9,529</td></tr><tr><td>Bracken</td><td>39.86%</td><td>939</td><td>60.14%</td><td>1,417</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-20.29%</td><td>-478</td><td>2,356</td></tr><tr><td>Breathitt</td><td>61.17%</td><td>1,763</td><td>38.83%</td><td>1,119</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>22.35%</td><td>644</td><td>2,882</td></tr><tr><td>Breckinridge</td><td>41.96%</td><td>2,608</td><td>58.04%</td><td>3,607</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-16.07%</td><td>-999</td><td>6,215</td></tr><tr><td>Bullitt</td><td>42.96%</td><td>10,723</td><td>57.04%</td><td>14,235</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-14.07%</td><td>-3,512</td><td>24,958</td></tr><tr><td>Butler</td><td>32.15%</td><td>1,173</td><td>67.85%</td><td>2,475</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-35.69%</td><td>-1,302</td><td>3,648</td></tr><tr><td>Caldwell</td><td>39.99%</td><td>1,519</td><td>60.01%</td><td>2,279</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-20.01%</td><td>-760</td><td>3,798</td></tr><tr><td>Calloway</td><td>46.26%</td><td>5,211</td><td>53.74%</td><td>6,054</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-7.48%</td><td>-843</td><td>11,265</td></tr><tr><td>Campbell</td><td>54.19%</td><td>16,885</td><td>45.80%</td><td>14,271</td><td>0.01%</td><td>4</td><td>8.39%</td><td>2,614</td><td>31,160</td></tr><tr><td>Carlisle</td><td>30.33%</td><td>545</td><td>69.67%</td><td>1,252</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-39.34%</td><td>-707</td><td>1,797</td></tr><tr><td>Carroll</td><td>47.95%</td><td>1,112</td><td>52.05%</td><td>1,207</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-4.10%</td><td>-95</td><td>2,319</td></tr><tr><td>Carter</td><td>47.27%</td><td>2,978</td><td>52.71%</td><td>3,321</td><td>0.02%</td><td>1</td><td>-5.44%</td><td>-343</td><td>6,300</td></tr><tr><td>Casey</td><td>26.08%</td><td>1,129</td><td>73.92%</td><td>3,200</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-47.84%</td><td>-2,071</td><td>4,329</td></tr><tr><td>Christian</td><td>42.68%</td><td>5,135</td><td>57.30%</td><td>6,893</td><td>0.02%</td><td>2</td><td>-14.61%</td><td>-1,758</td><td>12,030</td></tr><tr><td>Clark</td><td>51.63%</td><td>5,938</td><td>48.35%</td><td>5,561</td><td>0.03%</td><td>3</td><td>3.28%</td><td>377</td><td>11,502</td></tr><tr><td>Clay</td><td>35.63%</td><td>1,441</td><td>64.37%</td><td>2,603</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-28.73%</td><td>-1,162</td><td>4,044</td></tr><tr><td>Clinton</td><td>24.33%</td><td>607</td><td>75.67%</td><td>1,888</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-51.34%</td><td>-1,281</td><td>2,495</td></tr><tr><td>Crittenden</td><td>34.07%</td><td>858</td><td>65.93%</td><td>1,660</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-31.85%</td><td>-802</td><td>2,518</td></tr><tr><td>Cumberland</td><td>26.43%</td><td>503</td><td>73.57%</td><td>1,400</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-47.14%</td><td>-897</td><td>1,903</td></tr><tr><td>Daviess</td><td>51.11%</td><td>15,572</td><td>48.89%</td><td>14,895</td><td>0.01%</td><td>2</td><td>2.22%</td><td>677</td><td>30,469</td></tr><tr><td>Edmonson</td><td>37.38%</td><td>1,358</td><td>62.54%</td><td>2,272</td><td>0.08%</td><td>3</td><td>-25.16%</td><td>-914</td><td>3,633</td></tr><tr><td>Elliott</td><td>53.48%</td><td>875</td><td>46.52%</td><td>761</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>6.97%</td><td>114</td><td>1,636</td></tr><tr><td>Estill</td><td>42.17%</td><td>1,509</td><td>57.83%</td><td>2,069</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-15.65%</td><td>-560</td><td>3,578</td></tr><tr><td>Fayette</td><td>71.75%</td><td>74,298</td><td>28.24%</td><td>29,239</td><td>0.01%</td><td>8</td><td>43.52%</td><td>45,059</td><td>103,545</td></tr><tr><td>Fleming</td><td>42.13%</td><td>1,865</td><td>57.87%</td><td>2,562</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-15.74%</td><td>-697</td><td>4,427</td></tr><tr><td>Floyd</td><td>57.14%</td><td>5,136</td><td>42.85%</td><td>3,852</td><td>0.01%</td><td>1</td><td>14.28%</td><td>1,284</td><td>8,989</td></tr><tr><td>Franklin</td><td>68.52%</td><td>13,500</td><td>31.48%</td><td>6,201</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>37.05%</td><td>7,299</td><td>19,701</td></tr><tr><td>Fulton</td><td>44.89%</td><td>615</td><td>55.11%</td><td>755</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-10.22%</td><td>-140</td><td>1,370</td></tr><tr><td>Gallatin</td><td>40.71%</td><td>865</td><td>59.29%</td><td>1,260</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-18.59%</td><td>-395</td><td>2,125</td></tr><tr><td>Garrard</td><td>37.69%</td><td>2,141</td><td>62.31%</td><td>3,539</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-24.61%</td><td>-1,398</td><td>5,680</td></tr><tr><td>Grant</td><td>35.16%</td><td>2,220</td><td>64.82%</td><td>4,093</td><td>0.02%</td><td>1</td><td>-29.66%</td><td>-1,873</td><td>6,314</td></tr><tr><td>Graves</td><td>36.49%</td><td>3,885</td><td>63.51%</td><td>6,763</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-27.03%</td><td>-2,878</td><td>10,648</td></tr><tr><td>Grayson</td><td>36.07%</td><td>2,514</td><td>63.91%</td><td>4,454</td><td>0.01%</td><td>1</td><td>-27.84%</td><td>-1,940</td><td>6,969</td></tr><tr><td>Green</td><td>29.63%</td><td>1,082</td><td>70.35%</td><td>2,569</td><td>0.03%</td><td>1</td><td>-40.72%</td><td>-1,487</td><td>3,652</td></tr><tr><td>Greenup</td><td>45.74%</td><td>4,498</td><td>54.26%</td><td>5,336</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-8.52%</td><td>-838</td><td>9,834</td></tr><tr><td>Hancock</td><td>49.41%</td><td>1,464</td><td>50.59%</td><td>1,499</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-1.18%</td><td>-35</td><td>2,963</td></tr><tr><td>Hardin</td><td>49.70%</td><td>14,336</td><td>50.30%</td><td>14,511</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-0.61%</td><td>-175</td><td>28,847</td></tr><tr><td>Harlan</td><td>33.96%</td><td>1,904</td><td>66.04%</td><td>3,702</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-32.07%</td><td>-1,798</td><td>5,606</td></tr><tr><td>Harrison</td><td>49.09%</td><td>2,775</td><td>50.91%</td><td>2,878</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-1.82%</td><td>-103</td><td>5,653</td></tr><tr><td>Hart</td><td>38.62%</td><td>1,920</td><td>61.38%</td><td>3,051</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-22.75%</td><td>-1,131</td><td>4,971</td></tr><tr><td>Henderson</td><td>55.77%</td><td>7,048</td><td>44.22%</td><td>5,589</td><td>0.01%</td><td>1</td><td>11.54%</td><td>1,459</td><td>12,638</td></tr><tr><td>Henry</td><td>44.97%</td><td>2,325</td><td>55.01%</td><td>2,844</td><td>0.02%</td><td>1</td><td>-10.04%</td><td>-519</td><td>5,170</td></tr><tr><td>Hickman</td><td>33.03%</td><td>470</td><td>66.97%</td><td>953</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-33.94%</td><td>-483</td><td>1,423</td></tr><tr><td>Hopkins</td><td>45.50%</td><td>5,762</td><td>54.50%</td><td>6,901</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-8.99%</td><td>-1,139</td><td>12,663</td></tr><tr><td>Jackson</td><td>22.91%</td><td>743</td><td>77.06%</td><td>2,499</td><td>0.03%</td><td>1</td><td>-54.15%</td><td>-1,756</td><td>3,243</td></tr><tr><td>Jefferson</td><td>70.04%</td><td>179,854</td><td>29.95%</td><td>76,908</td><td>0.00%</td><td>11</td><td>40.09%</td><td>102,946</td><td>256,773</td></tr><tr><td>Jessamine</td><td>46.79%</td><td>8,007</td><td>53.20%</td><td>9,104</td><td>0.01%</td><td>1</td><td>-6.41%</td><td>-1,097</td><td>17,112</td></tr><tr><td>Johnson</td><td>37.08%</td><td>1,898</td><td>62.92%</td><td>3,220</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-25.83%</td><td>-1,322</td><td>5,118</td></tr><tr><td>Kenton</td><td>52.80%</td><td>26,066</td><td>47.20%</td><td>23,301</td><td>0.01%</td><td>4</td><td>5.60%</td><td>2,765</td><td>49,371</td></tr><tr><td>Knott</td><td>54.45%</td><td>1,847</td><td>45.55%</td><td>1,545</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>8.90%</td><td>302</td><td>3,392</td></tr><tr><td>Knox</td><td>34.54%</td><td>2,286</td><td>65.46%</td><td>4,333</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-30.93%</td><td>-2,047</td><td>6,619</td></tr><tr><td>Larue</td><td>38.57%</td><td>1,756</td><td>61.41%</td><td>2,796</td><td>0.02%</td><td>1</td><td>-22.84%</td><td>-1,040</td><td>4,553</td></tr><tr><td>Laurel</td><td>31.41%</td><td>4,974</td><td>68.59%</td><td>10,862</td><td>0.01%</td><td>1</td><td>-37.18%</td><td>-5,888</td><td>15,837</td></tr><tr><td>Lawrence</td><td>37.31%</td><td>1,361</td><td>62.69%</td><td>2,287</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-25.38%</td><td>-926</td><td>3,648</td></tr><tr><td>Lee</td><td>46.32%</td><td>705</td><td>53.68%</td><td>817</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-7.36%</td><td>-112</td><td>1,522</td></tr><tr><td>Leslie</td><td>30.36%</td><td>667</td><td>69.64%</td><td>1,530</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-39.28%</td><td>-863</td><td>2,197</td></tr><tr><td>Letcher</td><td>52.33%</td><td>2,205</td><td>47.67%</td><td>2,009</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>4.65%</td><td>196</td><td>4,214</td></tr><tr><td>Lewis</td><td>31.64%</td><td>911</td><td>68.36%</td><td>1,968</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-36.71%</td><td>-1,057</td><td>2,879</td></tr><tr><td>Lincoln</td><td>37.82%</td><td>2,586</td><td>62.18%</td><td>4,252</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-24.36%</td><td>-1,666</td><td>6,838</td></tr><tr><td>Livingston</td><td>36.62%</td><td>1,061</td><td>63.38%</td><td>1,836</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-26.75%</td><td>-775</td><td>2,897</td></tr><tr><td>Logan</td><td>37.35%</td><td>2,449</td><td>62.60%</td><td>4,105</td><td>0.05%</td><td>3</td><td>-25.26%</td><td>-1,656</td><td>6,557</td></tr><tr><td>Lyon</td><td>42.99%</td><td>1,221</td><td>57.01%</td><td>1,619</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-14.01%</td><td>-398</td><td>2,840</td></tr><tr><td>Madison</td><td>51.72%</td><td>14,012</td><td>48.28%</td><td>13,080</td><td>0.00%</td><td>1</td><td>3.44%</td><td>932</td><td>27,093</td></tr><tr><td>Magoffin</td><td>50.38%</td><td>1,577</td><td>49.62%</td><td>1,553</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>0.77%</td><td>24</td><td>3,130</td></tr><tr><td>Marion</td><td>52.14%</td><td>2,891</td><td>47.84%</td><td>2,653</td><td>0.02%</td><td>1</td><td>4.29%</td><td>238</td><td>5,545</td></tr><tr><td>Marshall</td><td>39.94%</td><td>4,610</td><td>60.05%</td><td>6,932</td><td>0.01%</td><td>1</td><td>-20.12%</td><td>-2,322</td><td>11,543</td></tr><tr><td>Martin</td><td>29.81%</td><td>513</td><td>70.19%</td><td>1,208</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-40.38%</td><td>-695</td><td>1,721</td></tr><tr><td>Mason</td><td>46.68%</td><td>2,247</td><td>53.30%</td><td>2,566</td><td>0.02%</td><td>1</td><td>-6.63%</td><td>-319</td><td>4,814</td></tr><tr><td>McCracken</td><td>47.06%</td><td>9,867</td><td>52.94%</td><td>11,099</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-5.88%</td><td>-1,232</td><td>20,966</td></tr><tr><td>McCreary</td><td>28.21%</td><td>853</td><td>71.76%</td><td>2,170</td><td>0.03%</td><td>1</td><td>-43.55%</td><td>-1,317</td><td>3,024</td></tr><tr><td>McLean</td><td>41.59%</td><td>1,238</td><td>58.41%</td><td>1,739</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-16.83%</td><td>-501</td><td>2,977</td></tr><tr><td>Meade</td><td>43.13%</td><td>3,599</td><td>56.83%</td><td>4,742</td><td>0.04%</td><td>3</td><td>-13.70%</td><td>-1,143</td><td>8,344</td></tr><tr><td>Menifee</td><td>45.88%</td><td>862</td><td>54.07%</td><td>1,016</td><td>0.05%</td><td>1</td><td>-8.20%</td><td>-154</td><td>1,879</td></tr><tr><td>Mercer</td><td>44.26%</td><td>3,399</td><td>55.72%</td><td>4,279</td><td>0.01%</td><td>1</td><td>-11.46%</td><td>-880</td><td>7,679</td></tr><tr><td>Metcalfe</td><td>40.99%</td><td>1,242</td><td>59.01%</td><td>1,788</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-18.02%</td><td>-546</td><td>3,030</td></tr><tr><td>Monroe</td><td>25.27%</td><td>1,023</td><td>74.73%</td><td>3,025</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-49.46%</td><td>-2,002</td><td>4,048</td></tr><tr><td>Montgomery</td><td>49.31%</td><td>3,962</td><td>50.69%</td><td>4,073</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-1.38%</td><td>-111</td><td>8,035</td></tr><tr><td>Morgan</td><td>47.18%</td><td>1,630</td><td>52.79%</td><td>1,824</td><td>0.03%</td><td>1</td><td>-5.62%</td><td>-194</td><td>3,455</td></tr><tr><td>Muhlenberg</td><td>46.45%</td><td>3,833</td><td>53.55%</td><td>4,419</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-7.10%</td><td>-586</td><td>8,252</td></tr><tr><td>Nelson</td><td>50.63%</td><td>7,562</td><td>49.37%</td><td>7,375</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>1.25%</td><td>187</td><td>14,937</td></tr><tr><td>Nicholas</td><td>56.01%</td><td>1,142</td><td>43.99%</td><td>897</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>12.02%</td><td>245</td><td>2,039</td></tr><tr><td>Ohio</td><td>39.24%</td><td>2,479</td><td>60.76%</td><td>3,839</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-21.53%</td><td>-1,360</td><td>6,318</td></tr><tr><td>Oldham</td><td>49.57%</td><td>12,952</td><td>50.43%</td><td>13,177</td><td>0.00%</td><td>1</td><td>-0.86%</td><td>-225</td><td>26,130</td></tr><tr><td>Owen</td><td>40.55%</td><td>1,494</td><td>59.45%</td><td>2,190</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-18.89%</td><td>-696</td><td>3,684</td></tr><tr><td>Owsley</td><td>40.84%</td><td>381</td><td>59.16%</td><td>552</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-18.33%</td><td>-171</td><td>933</td></tr><tr><td>Pendleton</td><td>38.20%</td><td>1,511</td><td>61.80%</td><td>2,444</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-23.59%</td><td>-933</td><td>3,955</td></tr><tr><td>Perry</td><td>55.79%</td><td>3,121</td><td>44.21%</td><td>2,473</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>11.58%</td><td>648</td><td>5,594</td></tr><tr><td>Pike</td><td>45.46%</td><td>5,797</td><td>54.54%</td><td>6,954</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-9.07%</td><td>-1,157</td><td>12,751</td></tr><tr><td>Powell</td><td>50.02%</td><td>1,518</td><td>49.98%</td><td>1,517</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>0.03%</td><td>1</td><td>3,035</td></tr><tr><td>Pulaski</td><td>32.15%</td><td>6,139</td><td>67.85%</td><td>12,957</td><td>0.01%</td><td>1</td><td>-35.70%</td><td>-6,818</td><td>19,097</td></tr><tr><td>Robertson</td><td>44.17%</td><td>307</td><td>55.83%</td><td>388</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-11.65%</td><td>-81</td><td>695</td></tr><tr><td>Rockcastle</td><td>29.11%</td><td>1,244</td><td>70.89%</td><td>3,029</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-41.77%</td><td>-1,785</td><td>4,273</td></tr><tr><td>Rowan</td><td>60.75%</td><td>3,907</td><td>39.25%</td><td>2,524</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>21.51%</td><td>1,383</td><td>6,431</td></tr><tr><td>Russell</td><td>30.03%</td><td>1,604</td><td>69.97%</td><td>3,737</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-39.94%</td><td>-2,133</td><td>5,341</td></tr><tr><td>Scott</td><td>54.58%</td><td>10,575</td><td>45.42%</td><td>8,801</td><td>0.01%</td><td>1</td><td>9.16%</td><td>1,774</td><td>19,377</td></tr><tr><td>Shelby</td><td>47.58%</td><td>7,946</td><td>52.40%</td><td>8,751</td><td>0.02%</td><td>4</td><td>-4.82%</td><td>-805</td><td>16,701</td></tr><tr><td>Simpson</td><td>41.21%</td><td>1,905</td><td>58.79%</td><td>2,718</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-17.59%</td><td>-813</td><td>4,623</td></tr><tr><td>Spencer</td><td>37.04%</td><td>2,752</td><td>62.96%</td><td>4,677</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-25.91%</td><td>-1,925</td><td>7,429</td></tr><tr><td>Taylor</td><td>40.80%</td><td>3,198</td><td>59.20%</td><td>4,641</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-18.41%</td><td>-1,443</td><td>7,839</td></tr><tr><td>Todd</td><td>34.07%</td><td>907</td><td>65.85%</td><td>1,753</td><td>0.08%</td><td>2</td><td>-31.78%</td><td>-846</td><td>2,662</td></tr><tr><td>Trigg</td><td>37.16%</td><td>1,532</td><td>62.84%</td><td>2,591</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-25.69%</td><td>-1,059</td><td>4,123</td></tr><tr><td>Trimble</td><td>44.09%</td><td>1,108</td><td>55.91%</td><td>1,405</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-11.82%</td><td>-297</td><td>2,513</td></tr><tr><td>Union</td><td>44.97%</td><td>1,722</td><td>55.03%</td><td>2,107</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-10.05%</td><td>-385</td><td>3,829</td></tr><tr><td>Warren</td><td>52.12%</td><td>18,165</td><td>47.87%</td><td>16,685</td><td>0.01%</td><td>5</td><td>4.25%</td><td>1,480</td><td>34,855</td></tr><tr><td>Washington</td><td>43.02%</td><td>1,772</td><td>56.96%</td><td>2,346</td><td>0.02%</td><td>1</td><td>-13.94%</td><td>-574</td><td>4,119</td></tr><tr><td>Wayne</td><td>37.81%</td><td>1,754</td><td>62.19%</td><td>2,885</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-24.38%</td><td>-1,131</td><td>4,639</td></tr><tr><td>Webster</td><td>41.32%</td><td>1,425</td><td>58.68%</td><td>2,024</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-17.37%</td><td>-599</td><td>3,449</td></tr><tr><td>Whitley</td><td>32.74%</td><td>2,697</td><td>67.26%</td><td>5,540</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>-34.51%</td><td>-2,843</td><td>8,237</td></tr><tr><td>Wolfe</td><td>57.26%</td><td>1,010</td><td>42.74%</td><td>754</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>14.51%</td><td>256</td><td>1,764</td></tr><tr><td>Woodford</td><td>59.25%</td><td>6,414</td><td>40.75%</td><td>4,411</td><td>0.00%</td><td>0</td><td>18.50%</td><td>2,003</td><td>10,825</td></tr></tbody></table>

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

• Bourbon (largest city: Paris) • Boyle (largest city: Danville) • Clark (largest city: Winchester) • Daviess (largest city: Owensboro) • Letcher (largest city: Jenkins) • Nelson (largest city: Bardstown) • Perry (largest city: Hazard) • Powell (largest city: Stanton)

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

• Carter (largest city: Grayson) • Hancock (largest city: Hawesville)

By congressional district

Despite winning the election, Beshear won only two of the state's six congressional districts, including one represented by a Republican.

<table><thead><tr><th>District</th><th>Beshear</th><th>Cameron</th><th>Representative</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1st</td><td>44%</td><td>56%</td><td>James Comer</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>46%</td><td>54%</td><td>Brett Guthrie</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>72%</td><td>28%</td><td>Morgan McGarvey</td></tr><tr><td>4th</td><td>48%</td><td>52%</td><td>Thomas Massie</td></tr><tr><td>5th</td><td>42%</td><td>58%</td><td>Hal Rogers</td></tr><tr><td>6th</td><td>60%</td><td>40%</td><td>Andy Barr</td></tr></tbody></table>