Kentucky — 1976 presidential election
Recent presidential results
Akashicstate1976 presidential electionKentucky · PresidentCarterD+7.2
How it voted
Share of the 1976 vote
| Jimmy Carter ✓Democratic | 52.8% | 615,717 |
|---|---|---|
| Gerald FordRepublican | 45.6% | 531,852 |
| OtherAll other candidates | 1.7% | 19,573 |
1976presidential margin
D+60R+60
120 counties, each filled by 1976 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
Gold marks a county an independent or third-party candidate carried.
Kentucky cast 9 electoral votes this cycle.
County-level results (120 counties) — table
| County | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| Adair County, KY | Republican | R+14.8 |
| Allen County, KY | Republican | R+5.8 |
| Anderson County, KY | Democratic | D+17.1 |
| Ballard County, KY | Democratic | D+58.1 |
| Barren County, KY | Democratic | D+21.3 |
| Bath County, KY | Democratic | D+38.3 |
| Bell County, KY | Democratic | D+2.4 |
| Boone County, KY | Other / independent | Tied |
| Bourbon County, KY | Democratic | D+21.1 |
| Boyd County, KY | Democratic | D+10.0 |
| Boyle County, KY | Democratic | D+7.6 |
| Bracken County, KY | Democratic | D+28.0 |
| Breathitt County, KY | Democratic | D+55.3 |
| Breckinridge County, KY | Democratic | D+10.6 |
| Bullitt County, KY | Democratic | D+20.9 |
| Butler County, KY | Republican | R+19.5 |
| Caldwell County, KY | Democratic | D+24.7 |
| Calloway County, KY | Democratic | D+43.2 |
| Campbell County, KY | Republican | R+11.7 |
| Carlisle County, KY | Democratic | D+63.1 |
| Carroll County, KY | Democratic | D+46.3 |
| Carter County, KY | Democratic | D+10.2 |
| Casey County, KY | Republican | R+35.3 |
| Christian County, KY | Democratic | D+22.3 |
| Clark County, KY | Democratic | D+18.8 |
| Clay County, KY | Republican | R+37.1 |
| Clinton County, KY | Republican | R+40.3 |
| Crittenden County, KY | Democratic | D+3.6 |
| Cumberland County, KY | Republican | R+31.7 |
| Daviess County, KY | Democratic | D+4.7 |
| Edmonson County, KY | Republican | R+16.4 |
| Elliott County, KY | Democratic | D+62.3 |
| Estill County, KY | Republican | R+5.0 |
| Fayette County, KY | Republican | R+11.0 |
| Fleming County, KY | Democratic | D+16.8 |
| Floyd County, KY | Democratic | D+52.8 |
| Franklin County, KY | Democratic | D+30.0 |
| Fulton County, KY | Democratic | D+37.8 |
| Gallatin County, KY | Democratic | D+44.9 |
| Garrard County, KY | Republican | R+4.0 |
| Grant County, KY | Democratic | D+30.9 |
| Graves County, KY | Democratic | D+46.6 |
| Grayson County, KY | Republican | R+8.7 |
| Green County, KY | Republican | R+6.9 |
| Greenup County, KY | Democratic | D+15.1 |
| Hancock County, KY | Democratic | D+15.9 |
| Hardin County, KY | Democratic | D+6.7 |
| Harlan County, KY | Democratic | D+22.3 |
| Harrison County, KY | Democratic | D+30.1 |
| Hart County, KY | Democratic | D+22.4 |
| Henderson County, KY | Democratic | D+31.9 |
| Henry County, KY | Democratic | D+42.5 |
| Hickman County, KY | Democratic | D+53.4 |
| Hopkins County, KY | Democratic | D+20.3 |
| Jackson County, KY | Republican | R+60.2 |
| Jefferson County, KY | Republican | R+2.9 |
| Jessamine County, KY | Republican | R+4.8 |
| Johnson County, KY | Republican | R+14.0 |
| Kenton County, KY | Republican | R+7.8 |
| Knott County, KY | Democratic | D+65.8 |
| Knox County, KY | Republican | R+14.9 |
| Larue County, KY | Democratic | D+21.8 |
| Laurel County, KY | Republican | R+23.6 |
| Lawrence County, KY | Democratic | D+13.2 |
| Lee County, KY | Republican | R+14.0 |
| Leslie County, KY | Republican | R+43.5 |
| Letcher County, KY | Democratic | D+18.9 |
| Lewis County, KY | Republican | R+10.5 |
| Lincoln County, KY | Democratic | D+8.5 |
| Livingston County, KY | Democratic | D+47.4 |
| Logan County, KY | Democratic | D+32.8 |
| Lyon County, KY | Democratic | D+46.0 |
| Madison County, KY | Democratic | D+5.1 |
| Magoffin County, KY | Democratic | D+15.4 |
| Marion County, KY | Democratic | D+33.8 |
| Marshall County, KY | Democratic | D+45.0 |
| Martin County, KY | Republican | R+25.0 |
| Mason County, KY | Democratic | D+14.5 |
| McCracken County, KY | Democratic | D+35.1 |
| McCreary County, KY | Republican | R+28.1 |
| McLean County, KY | Democratic | D+31.6 |
| Meade County, KY | Democratic | D+26.2 |
| Menifee County, KY | Democratic | D+54.4 |
| Mercer County, KY | Democratic | D+16.0 |
| Metcalfe County, KY | Democratic | D+16.0 |
| Monroe County, KY | Republican | R+40.5 |
| Montgomery County, KY | Democratic | D+21.2 |
| Morgan County, KY | Democratic | D+49.4 |
| Muhlenberg County, KY | Democratic | D+24.2 |
| Nelson County, KY | Democratic | D+22.0 |
| Nicholas County, KY | Democratic | D+35.5 |
| Ohio County, KY | Republican | R+3.5 |
| Oldham County, KY | Republican | R+13.2 |
| Owen County, KY | Democratic | D+54.3 |
| Owsley County, KY | Republican | R+54.7 |
| Pendleton County, KY | Democratic | D+26.8 |
| Perry County, KY | Democratic | D+11.9 |
| Pike County, KY | Democratic | D+21.7 |
| Powell County, KY | Democratic | D+23.5 |
| Pulaski County, KY | Republican | R+23.0 |
| Robertson County, KY | Democratic | D+32.7 |
| Rockcastle County, KY | Republican | R+29.3 |
| Rowan County, KY | Democratic | D+22.1 |
| Russell County, KY | Republican | R+22.8 |
| Scott County, KY | Democratic | D+12.6 |
| Shelby County, KY | Democratic | D+13.5 |
| Simpson County, KY | Democratic | D+30.3 |
| Spencer County, KY | Democratic | D+23.6 |
| Taylor County, KY | Democratic | D+1.7 |
| Todd County, KY | Democratic | D+37.3 |
| Trigg County, KY | Democratic | D+46.4 |
| Trimble County, KY | Democratic | D+49.7 |
| Union County, KY | Democratic | D+34.3 |
| Warren County, KY | Democratic | D+1.1 |
| Washington County, KY | Democratic | D+14.4 |
| Wayne County, KY | Republican | R+12.1 |
| Webster County, KY | Democratic | D+42.7 |
| Whitley County, KY | Republican | R+18.2 |
| Wolfe County, KY | Democratic | D+45.5 |
| Woodford County, KY | Democratic | D+0.8 |
Kentucky results by county
120 counties. Third-party and independent votes are reported by the county source as one combined figure; every named candidate is listed in the complete result below.
| Led by | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adair County | Ford, Gerald+835 | 2,36642.0% | 3,20156.8% | 671.2% | 5,634 |
| Allen County | Ford, Gerald+277 | 2,23146.7% | 2,50852.5% | 390.8% | 4,778 |
| Anderson County | Carter, Jimmy+706 | 2,38857.8% | 1,68240.7% | 621.5% | 4,132 |
| Ballard County | Carter, Jimmy+2,145 | 2,79475.7% | 64917.6% | 2506.8% | 3,693 |
| Barren County | Carter, Jimmy+2,081 | 5,87860.2% | 3,79738.9% | 961.0% | 9,771 |
| Bath County | Carter, Jimmy+1,175 | 2,11368.8% | 93830.5% | 200.7% | 3,071 |
| Bell County | Carter, Jimmy+249 | 5,28450.4% | 5,03548.0% | 1641.6% | 10,483 |
| Boone County | Carter, Jimmy+0 | 5,60249.2% | 5,60249.2% | 1811.6% | 11,385 |
| Bourbon County | Carter, Jimmy+1,244 | 3,50459.3% | 2,26038.3% | 1402.4% | 5,904 |
| Boyd County | Carter, Jimmy+2,044 | 11,15054.5% | 9,10644.5% | 2031.0% | 20,459 |
| Boyle County | Carter, Jimmy+584 | 4,09553.2% | 3,51145.6% | 971.3% | 7,703 |
| Bracken County | Carter, Jimmy+698 | 1,57763.2% | 87935.2% | 391.6% | 2,495 |
| Breathitt County | Carter, Jimmy+2,530 | 3,54477.4% | 1,01422.2% | 180.4% | 4,576 |
| Breckinridge County | Carter, Jimmy+649 | 3,34754.8% | 2,69844.1% | 661.1% | 6,111 |
| Bullitt County | Carter, Jimmy+1,984 | 5,62359.3% | 3,63938.4% | 2152.3% | 9,477 |
| Butler County | Ford, Gerald+775 | 1,58839.9% | 2,36359.4% | 300.8% | 3,981 |
| Caldwell County | Carter, Jimmy+1,208 | 3,01661.6% | 1,80836.9% | 751.5% | 4,899 |
| Calloway County | Carter, Jimmy+4,970 | 8,14170.7% | 3,17127.6% | 1951.7% | 11,507 |
| Campbell County | Ford, Gerald+3,375 | 12,42343.1% | 15,79854.8% | 6002.1% | 28,821 |
| Carlisle County | Carter, Jimmy+1,550 | 1,98580.8% | 43517.7% | 361.5% | 2,456 |
| Carroll County | Carter, Jimmy+1,436 | 2,25172.6% | 81526.3% | 331.1% | 3,099 |
| Carter County | Carter, Jimmy+730 | 3,91554.9% | 3,18544.7% | 330.5% | 7,133 |
| Casey County | Ford, Gerald+1,777 | 1,60231.8% | 3,37967.2% | 511.0% | 5,032 |
| Christian County | Carter, Jimmy+2,881 | 7,84560.7% | 4,96438.4% | 1050.8% | 12,914 |
| Clark County | Carter, Jimmy+1,461 | 4,57558.9% | 3,11440.1% | 791.0% | 7,768 |
| Clay County | Ford, Gerald+1,978 | 1,67431.4% | 3,65268.4% | 100.2% | 5,336 |
| Clinton County | Ford, Gerald+1,367 | 98729.1% | 2,35469.5% | 481.4% | 3,389 |
| Crittenden County | Carter, Jimmy+119 | 1,71551.2% | 1,59647.6% | 411.2% | 3,352 |
| Cumberland County | Ford, Gerald+800 | 85333.8% | 1,65365.4% | 210.8% | 2,527 |
| Daviess County | Carter, Jimmy+1,288 | 14,11451.4% | 12,82646.7% | 5141.9% | 27,454 |
| Edmonson County | Ford, Gerald+558 | 1,41841.6% | 1,97657.9% | 170.5% | 3,411 |
| Elliott County | Carter, Jimmy+1,532 | 1,98780.7% | 45518.5% | 190.8% | 2,461 |
| Estill County | Ford, Gerald+216 | 2,03447.1% | 2,25052.2% | 300.7% | 4,314 |
| Fayette County | Ford, Gerald+7,158 | 28,01243.1% | 35,17054.1% | 1,8072.8% | 64,989 |
| Fleming County | Carter, Jimmy+670 | 2,31758.2% | 1,64741.4% | 190.5% | 3,983 |
| Floyd County | Carter, Jimmy+7,043 | 10,15176.1% | 3,10823.3% | 740.6% | 13,333 |
| Franklin County | Carter, Jimmy+4,939 | 10,47563.7% | 5,53633.7% | 4302.6% | 16,441 |
| Fulton County | Carter, Jimmy+1,310 | 2,37068.3% | 1,06030.5% | 401.2% | 3,470 |
| Gallatin County | Carter, Jimmy+728 | 1,16471.7% | 43626.9% | 231.4% | 1,623 |
| Garrard County | Ford, Gerald+158 | 1,88747.3% | 2,04551.3% | 561.4% | 3,988 |
| Grant County | Carter, Jimmy+1,124 | 2,33664.3% | 1,21233.4% | 862.4% | 3,634 |
| Graves County | Carter, Jimmy+5,787 | 8,98272.3% | 3,19525.7% | 2432.0% | 12,420 |
| Grayson County | Ford, Gerald+594 | 3,06445.1% | 3,65853.9% | 681.0% | 6,790 |
| Green County | Ford, Gerald+312 | 2,08546.1% | 2,39753.0% | 370.8% | 4,519 |
| Greenup County | Carter, Jimmy+1,818 | 6,88057.3% | 5,06242.1% | 710.6% | 12,013 |
| Hancock County | Carter, Jimmy+438 | 1,56256.9% | 1,12440.9% | 612.2% | 2,747 |
| Hardin County | Carter, Jimmy+1,012 | 7,97752.5% | 6,96545.9% | 2431.6% | 15,185 |
| Harlan County | Carter, Jimmy+2,676 | 7,30060.8% | 4,62438.5% | 820.7% | 12,006 |
| Harrison County | Carter, Jimmy+1,671 | 3,58264.5% | 1,91134.4% | 581.0% | 5,551 |
| Hart County | Carter, Jimmy+1,176 | 3,18960.8% | 2,01338.4% | 420.8% | 5,244 |
| Henderson County | Carter, Jimmy+3,863 | 7,91665.3% | 4,05333.4% | 1491.2% | 12,118 |
| Henry County | Carter, Jimmy+1,793 | 2,98570.7% | 1,19228.2% | 431.0% | 4,220 |
| Hickman County | Carter, Jimmy+1,450 | 2,03574.9% | 58521.5% | 963.5% | 2,716 |
| Hopkins County | Carter, Jimmy+2,634 | 7,74959.7% | 5,11539.4% | 1261.0% | 12,990 |
| Jackson County | Ford, Gerald+2,086 | 68019.6% | 2,76679.8% | 200.6% | 3,466 |
| Jefferson County | Ford, Gerald+7,531 | 122,73147.3% | 130,26250.2% | 6,4522.5% | 259,445 |
| Jessamine County | Ford, Gerald+286 | 2,79546.6% | 3,08151.3% | 1282.1% | 6,004 |
| Johnson County | Ford, Gerald+1,208 | 3,68342.7% | 4,89156.6% | 610.7% | 8,635 |
| Kenton County | Ford, Gerald+3,254 | 18,83345.2% | 22,08753.0% | 7601.8% | 41,680 |
| Knott County | Carter, Jimmy+3,800 | 4,76282.4% | 96216.6% | 551.0% | 5,779 |
| Knox County | Ford, Gerald+1,289 | 3,64242.1% | 4,93156.9% | 881.0% | 8,661 |
| Larue County | Carter, Jimmy+798 | 2,20760.4% | 1,40938.5% | 391.1% | 3,655 |
| Laurel County | Ford, Gerald+2,373 | 3,81337.9% | 6,18661.4% | 740.7% | 10,073 |
| Lawrence County | Carter, Jimmy+564 | 2,40256.1% | 1,83842.9% | 431.0% | 4,283 |
| Lee County | Ford, Gerald+358 | 1,09142.6% | 1,44956.5% | 230.9% | 2,563 |
| Leslie County | Ford, Gerald+2,292 | 1,47828.0% | 3,77071.5% | 230.4% | 5,271 |
| Letcher County | Carter, Jimmy+1,468 | 4,59059.2% | 3,12240.3% | 360.5% | 7,748 |
| Lewis County | Ford, Gerald+454 | 1,92944.5% | 2,38355.0% | 200.5% | 4,332 |
| Lincoln County | Carter, Jimmy+504 | 3,19854.0% | 2,69445.5% | 330.6% | 5,925 |
| Livingston County | Carter, Jimmy+1,619 | 2,49773.1% | 87825.7% | 401.2% | 3,415 |
| Logan County | Carter, Jimmy+2,420 | 4,85065.6% | 2,43032.9% | 1091.5% | 7,389 |
| Lyon County | Carter, Jimmy+1,021 | 1,60672.3% | 58526.3% | 301.4% | 2,221 |
| Madison County | Carter, Jimmy+718 | 7,29951.7% | 6,58146.6% | 2341.7% | 14,114 |
| Magoffin County | Carter, Jimmy+658 | 2,45157.5% | 1,79342.1% | 190.4% | 4,263 |
| Marion County | Carter, Jimmy+1,797 | 3,52066.1% | 1,72332.4% | 791.5% | 5,322 |
| Marshall County | Carter, Jimmy+4,328 | 6,90671.8% | 2,57826.8% | 1301.4% | 9,614 |
| Martin County | Ford, Gerald+853 | 1,26737.1% | 2,12062.1% | 260.8% | 3,413 |
| Mason County | Carter, Jimmy+868 | 3,39756.6% | 2,52942.1% | 781.3% | 6,004 |
| McCracken County | Carter, Jimmy+7,959 | 14,95665.9% | 6,99730.8% | 7343.2% | 22,687 |
| McCreary County | Ford, Gerald+1,445 | 1,82735.5% | 3,27263.6% | 430.8% | 5,142 |
| McLean County | Carter, Jimmy+1,134 | 2,34665.3% | 1,21233.7% | 351.0% | 3,593 |
| Meade County | Carter, Jimmy+1,275 | 3,03062.2% | 1,75536.1% | 831.7% | 4,868 |
| Menifee County | Carter, Jimmy+737 | 1,04176.8% | 30422.4% | 110.8% | 1,356 |
| Mercer County | Carter, Jimmy+960 | 3,41156.9% | 2,45140.9% | 1292.2% | 5,991 |
| Metcalfe County | Carter, Jimmy+521 | 1,87757.5% | 1,35641.5% | 331.0% | 3,266 |
| Monroe County | Ford, Gerald+1,940 | 1,41229.4% | 3,35269.9% | 310.6% | 4,795 |
| Montgomery County | Carter, Jimmy+1,109 | 3,14160.0% | 2,03238.8% | 611.2% | 5,234 |
| Morgan County | Carter, Jimmy+1,924 | 2,89774.3% | 97325.0% | 270.7% | 3,897 |
| Muhlenberg County | Carter, Jimmy+2,766 | 7,05861.6% | 4,29237.5% | 990.9% | 11,449 |
| Nelson County | Carter, Jimmy+1,650 | 4,45459.4% | 2,80437.4% | 2463.3% | 7,504 |
| Nicholas County | Carter, Jimmy+844 | 1,58266.5% | 73831.0% | 582.4% | 2,378 |
| Ohio County | Ford, Gerald+256 | 3,50847.8% | 3,76451.3% | 650.9% | 7,337 |
| Oldham County | Ford, Gerald+876 | 2,81942.5% | 3,69555.7% | 1171.8% | 6,631 |
| Owen County | Carter, Jimmy+1,656 | 2,33276.4% | 67622.2% | 431.4% | 3,051 |
| Owsley County | Ford, Gerald+748 | 30522.3% | 1,05377.0% | 90.7% | 1,367 |
| Pendleton County | Carter, Jimmy+917 | 2,14762.6% | 1,23035.9% | 501.5% | 3,427 |
| Perry County | Carter, Jimmy+1,199 | 5,63355.7% | 4,43443.8% | 490.5% | 10,116 |
| Pike County | Carter, Jimmy+5,142 | 14,32060.4% | 9,17838.7% | 1930.8% | 23,691 |
| Powell County | Carter, Jimmy+711 | 1,85961.4% | 1,14837.9% | 220.7% | 3,029 |
| Pulaski County | Ford, Gerald+3,474 | 5,75238.1% | 9,22661.2% | 1050.7% | 15,083 |
| Robertson County | Carter, Jimmy+271 | 54665.9% | 27533.2% | 70.8% | 828 |
| Rockcastle County | Ford, Gerald+1,175 | 1,40835.1% | 2,58364.4% | 220.5% | 4,013 |
| Rowan County | Carter, Jimmy+1,297 | 3,54160.3% | 2,24438.2% | 831.4% | 5,868 |
| Russell County | Ford, Gerald+1,079 | 1,80338.1% | 2,88260.9% | 471.0% | 4,732 |
| Scott County | Carter, Jimmy+710 | 3,11855.3% | 2,40842.7% | 1122.0% | 5,638 |
| Shelby County | Carter, Jimmy+925 | 3,84156.1% | 2,91642.6% | 901.3% | 6,847 |
| Simpson County | Carter, Jimmy+1,301 | 2,78264.7% | 1,48134.4% | 360.8% | 4,299 |
| Spencer County | Carter, Jimmy+467 | 1,20961.0% | 74237.4% | 321.6% | 1,983 |
| Taylor County | Carter, Jimmy+119 | 3,45650.3% | 3,33748.6% | 731.1% | 6,866 |
| Todd County | Carter, Jimmy+1,341 | 2,43667.7% | 1,09530.4% | 661.8% | 3,597 |
| Trigg County | Carter, Jimmy+1,736 | 2,72772.8% | 99126.5% | 270.7% | 3,745 |
| Trimble County | Carter, Jimmy+1,051 | 1,56874.2% | 51724.5% | 281.3% | 2,113 |
| Union County | Carter, Jimmy+1,824 | 3,54066.6% | 1,71632.3% | 561.1% | 5,312 |
| Warren County | Carter, Jimmy+218 | 9,65750.1% | 9,43948.9% | 1951.0% | 19,291 |
| Washington County | Carter, Jimmy+611 | 2,37656.1% | 1,76541.7% | 942.2% | 4,235 |
| Wayne County | Ford, Gerald+706 | 2,53743.6% | 3,24355.8% | 370.6% | 5,817 |
| Webster County | Carter, Jimmy+2,121 | 3,52370.9% | 1,40228.2% | 450.9% | 4,970 |
| Whitley County | Ford, Gerald+1,888 | 4,21240.5% | 6,10058.7% | 800.8% | 10,392 |
| Wolfe County | Carter, Jimmy+1,118 | 1,77772.3% | 65926.8% | 220.9% | 2,458 |
| Woodford County | Carter, Jimmy+43 | 2,68949.2% | 2,64648.4% | 1302.4% | 5,465 |
complete certified result
Kentucky candidate results
Top three shown first · expand for every reported candidate and write-in category
Source: MIT Election Data + Science Lab — U.S. President 1976–2024 state candidate returns
Nominees: Jimmy Carter (D) · Gerald Ford (R)
Kentucky's presidential margins
1892–2024, the 1976 contest in context
| 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% |
Same ballot, 1976KY
Source. MIT Election Data + Science Lab — 1976 presidential returns · official county-level results. Real returns — nothing estimated.