Kentucky — 1980 presidential election
Recent presidential results
Akashicstate1980 presidential electionKentucky · PresidentReaganR+1.5
How it voted
Share of the 1980 vote
| Ronald Reagan ✓Republican | 49.1% | 635,274 |
|---|---|---|
| Jimmy CarterDemocratic | 47.6% | 616,417 |
| OtherAll other candidates | 3.3% | 42,936 |
1980presidential margin
D+60R+60
120 counties, each filled by 1980 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
Kentucky cast 9 electoral votes this cycle.
County-level results (120 counties) — table
| County | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| Adair County, KY | Republican | R+27.5 |
| Allen County, KY | Republican | R+22.3 |
| Anderson County, KY | Democratic | D+10.8 |
| Ballard County, KY | Democratic | D+36.4 |
| Barren County, KY | Republican | R+9.4 |
| Bath County, KY | Democratic | D+19.2 |
| Bell County, KY | Democratic | D+7.7 |
| Boone County, KY | Republican | R+20.4 |
| Bourbon County, KY | Democratic | D+18.4 |
| Boyd County, KY | Democratic | D+1.5 |
| Boyle County, KY | Democratic | D+6.8 |
| Bracken County, KY | Democratic | D+10.1 |
| Breathitt County, KY | Democratic | D+43.1 |
| Breckinridge County, KY | Republican | R+6.8 |
| Bullitt County, KY | Republican | R+3.8 |
| Butler County, KY | Republican | R+41.7 |
| Caldwell County, KY | Democratic | D+5.6 |
| Calloway County, KY | Democratic | D+19.3 |
| Campbell County, KY | Republican | R+19.5 |
| Carlisle County, KY | Democratic | D+22.3 |
| Carroll County, KY | Democratic | D+31.6 |
| Carter County, KY | Republican | R+1.9 |
| Casey County, KY | Republican | R+52.2 |
| Christian County, KY | Republican | R+7.5 |
| Clark County, KY | Democratic | D+7.9 |
| Clay County, KY | Republican | R+36.5 |
| Clinton County, KY | Republican | R+55.3 |
| Crittenden County, KY | Republican | R+18.9 |
| Cumberland County, KY | Republican | R+45.3 |
| Daviess County, KY | Democratic | D+0.8 |
| Edmonson County, KY | Republican | R+39.2 |
| Elliott County, KY | Democratic | D+49.8 |
| Estill County, KY | Republican | R+17.5 |
| Fayette County, KY | Republican | R+6.7 |
| Fleming County, KY | Republican | R+3.2 |
| Floyd County, KY | Democratic | D+44.2 |
| Franklin County, KY | Democratic | D+25.6 |
| Fulton County, KY | Democratic | D+15.6 |
| Gallatin County, KY | Democratic | D+17.8 |
| Garrard County, KY | Republican | R+18.1 |
| Grant County, KY | Democratic | D+11.8 |
| Graves County, KY | Democratic | D+3.2 |
| Grayson County, KY | Republican | R+28.4 |
| Green County, KY | Republican | R+22.2 |
| Greenup County, KY | Democratic | D+1.9 |
| Hancock County, KY | Democratic | D+5.4 |
| Hardin County, KY | Republican | R+7.7 |
| Harlan County, KY | Democratic | D+23.1 |
| Harrison County, KY | Democratic | D+20.1 |
| Hart County, KY | Republican | R+2.0 |
| Henderson County, KY | Democratic | D+22.0 |
| Henry County, KY | Democratic | D+26.5 |
| Hickman County, KY | Democratic | D+11.7 |
| Hopkins County, KY | Democratic | D+16.8 |
| Jackson County, KY | Republican | R+64.9 |
| Jefferson County, KY | Republican | R+0.5 |
| Jessamine County, KY | Republican | R+17.6 |
| Johnson County, KY | Republican | R+22.8 |
| Kenton County, KY | Republican | R+17.4 |
| Knott County, KY | Democratic | D+53.8 |
| Knox County, KY | Republican | R+21.6 |
| Larue County, KY | Democratic | D+4.3 |
| Laurel County, KY | Republican | R+37.7 |
| Lawrence County, KY | Republican | R+4.1 |
| Lee County, KY | Republican | R+23.2 |
| Leslie County, KY | Republican | R+44.9 |
| Letcher County, KY | Democratic | D+10.9 |
| Lewis County, KY | Republican | R+28.7 |
| Lincoln County, KY | Republican | R+0.7 |
| Livingston County, KY | Democratic | D+15.4 |
| Logan County, KY | Democratic | D+11.5 |
| Lyon County, KY | Democratic | D+20.9 |
| Madison County, KY | Republican | R+1.3 |
| Magoffin County, KY | Democratic | D+13.6 |
| Marion County, KY | Democratic | D+24.9 |
| Marshall County, KY | Democratic | D+17.0 |
| Martin County, KY | Republican | R+27.7 |
| Mason County, KY | Democratic | D+4.1 |
| McCracken County, KY | Democratic | D+12.7 |
| McCreary County, KY | Republican | R+45.4 |
| McLean County, KY | Democratic | D+17.5 |
| Meade County, KY | Democratic | D+7.7 |
| Menifee County, KY | Democratic | D+27.2 |
| Mercer County, KY | Democratic | D+3.6 |
| Metcalfe County, KY | Republican | R+10.4 |
| Monroe County, KY | Republican | R+59.1 |
| Montgomery County, KY | Democratic | D+8.1 |
| Morgan County, KY | Democratic | D+29.7 |
| Muhlenberg County, KY | Democratic | D+14.7 |
| Nelson County, KY | Democratic | D+23.8 |
| Nicholas County, KY | Democratic | D+18.5 |
| Ohio County, KY | Republican | R+20.0 |
| Oldham County, KY | Republican | R+22.1 |
| Owen County, KY | Democratic | D+41.2 |
| Owsley County, KY | Republican | R+47.9 |
| Pendleton County, KY | Democratic | D+6.1 |
| Perry County, KY | Democratic | D+17.4 |
| Pike County, KY | Democratic | D+16.8 |
| Powell County, KY | Democratic | D+7.7 |
| Pulaski County, KY | Republican | R+32.1 |
| Robertson County, KY | Democratic | D+14.6 |
| Rockcastle County, KY | Republican | R+44.4 |
| Rowan County, KY | Democratic | D+3.6 |
| Russell County, KY | Republican | R+38.1 |
| Scott County, KY | Democratic | D+9.9 |
| Shelby County, KY | Democratic | D+12.4 |
| Simpson County, KY | Democratic | D+14.4 |
| Spencer County, KY | Democratic | D+12.8 |
| Taylor County, KY | Republican | R+10.9 |
| Todd County, KY | Democratic | D+0.3 |
| Trigg County, KY | Democratic | D+15.3 |
| Trimble County, KY | Democratic | D+27.3 |
| Union County, KY | Democratic | D+30.0 |
| Warren County, KY | Republican | R+11.2 |
| Washington County, KY | Democratic | D+3.3 |
| Wayne County, KY | Republican | R+19.3 |
| Webster County, KY | Democratic | D+28.3 |
| Whitley County, KY | Republican | R+28.1 |
| Wolfe County, KY | Democratic | D+30.8 |
| Woodford County, KY | Democratic | D+0.3 |
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 | Ronald Reagan+1,766 | 4,05163.1% | 2,28535.6% | 821.3% | 6,418 |
| Allen County | Ronald Reagan+1,176 | 3,18660.4% | 2,01038.1% | 821.6% | 5,278 |
| Anderson County | Jimmy Carter+515 | 2,05243.1% | 2,56753.9% | 1453.0% | 4,764 |
| Ballard County | Jimmy Carter+1,393 | 1,19031.1% | 2,58367.5% | 531.4% | 3,826 |
| Barren County | Ronald Reagan+1,120 | 6,40553.7% | 5,28544.3% | 2432.0% | 11,933 |
| Bath County | Jimmy Carter+711 | 1,46339.6% | 2,17458.8% | 611.6% | 3,698 |
| Bell County | Jimmy Carter+929 | 5,43344.9% | 6,36252.6% | 2932.4% | 12,088 |
| Boone County | Ronald Reagan+2,889 | 8,26358.4% | 5,37438.0% | 5113.6% | 14,148 |
| Bourbon County | Jimmy Carter+1,166 | 2,47539.0% | 3,64157.4% | 2303.6% | 6,346 |
| Boyd County | Jimmy Carter+335 | 10,36747.8% | 10,70249.3% | 6262.9% | 21,695 |
| Boyle County | Jimmy Carter+581 | 3,84844.9% | 4,42951.7% | 2973.5% | 8,574 |
| Bracken County | Jimmy Carter+266 | 1,15443.6% | 1,42053.7% | 702.6% | 2,644 |
| Breathitt County | Jimmy Carter+2,384 | 1,53227.7% | 3,91670.8% | 841.5% | 5,532 |
| Breckinridge County | Ronald Reagan+466 | 3,62952.7% | 3,16345.9% | 991.4% | 6,891 |
| Bullitt County | Ronald Reagan+480 | 6,36450.6% | 5,88446.8% | 3282.6% | 12,576 |
| Butler County | Ronald Reagan+1,855 | 3,12970.3% | 1,27428.6% | 471.1% | 4,450 |
| Caldwell County | Jimmy Carter+315 | 2,60946.2% | 2,92451.8% | 1122.0% | 5,645 |
| Calloway County | Jimmy Carter+2,311 | 4,49837.6% | 6,80956.9% | 6575.5% | 11,964 |
| Campbell County | Ronald Reagan+5,684 | 16,74357.3% | 11,05937.9% | 1,4064.8% | 29,208 |
| Carlisle County | Jimmy Carter+567 | 97538.3% | 1,54260.6% | 281.1% | 2,545 |
| Carroll County | Jimmy Carter+1,051 | 1,07632.3% | 2,12763.9% | 1253.8% | 3,328 |
| Carter County | Ronald Reagan+152 | 3,93450.2% | 3,78248.2% | 1231.6% | 7,839 |
| Casey County | Ronald Reagan+2,941 | 4,23975.3% | 1,29823.0% | 951.7% | 5,632 |
| Christian County | Ronald Reagan+1,161 | 8,20952.9% | 7,04845.4% | 2551.6% | 15,512 |
| Clark County | Jimmy Carter+769 | 4,30244.4% | 5,07152.4% | 3123.2% | 9,685 |
| Clay County | Ronald Reagan+2,473 | 4,59467.8% | 2,12131.3% | 630.9% | 6,778 |
| Clinton County | Ronald Reagan+2,539 | 3,53977.1% | 1,00021.8% | 511.1% | 4,590 |
| Crittenden County | Ronald Reagan+711 | 2,21958.8% | 1,50840.0% | 441.2% | 3,771 |
| Cumberland County | Ronald Reagan+1,395 | 2,21671.9% | 82126.6% | 441.4% | 3,081 |
| Daviess County | Jimmy Carter+259 | 14,64347.7% | 14,90248.5% | 1,1723.8% | 30,717 |
| Edmonson County | Ronald Reagan+1,661 | 2,91368.8% | 1,25229.6% | 681.6% | 4,233 |
| Elliott County | Jimmy Carter+1,117 | 55124.6% | 1,66874.4% | 221.0% | 2,241 |
| Estill County | Ronald Reagan+853 | 2,81858.0% | 1,96540.4% | 781.6% | 4,861 |
| Fayette County | Ronald Reagan+4,838 | 35,34949.2% | 30,51142.5% | 5,9578.3% | 71,817 |
| Fleming County | Ronald Reagan+138 | 2,18950.7% | 2,05147.5% | 751.7% | 4,315 |
| Floyd County | Jimmy Carter+6,796 | 4,17927.2% | 10,97571.3% | 2311.5% | 15,385 |
| Franklin County | Jimmy Carter+4,738 | 6,45534.8% | 11,19360.4% | 8824.8% | 18,530 |
| Fulton County | Jimmy Carter+554 | 1,46241.2% | 2,01656.8% | 691.9% | 3,547 |
| Gallatin County | Jimmy Carter+304 | 68440.1% | 98858.0% | 321.9% | 1,704 |
| Garrard County | Ronald Reagan+811 | 2,58557.7% | 1,77439.6% | 1212.7% | 4,480 |
| Grant County | Jimmy Carter+493 | 1,77942.5% | 2,27254.3% | 1323.2% | 4,183 |
| Graves County | Jimmy Carter+443 | 6,55647.5% | 6,99950.7% | 2611.9% | 13,816 |
| Grayson County | Ronald Reagan+2,296 | 5,08463.0% | 2,78834.5% | 2042.5% | 8,076 |
| Green County | Ronald Reagan+1,017 | 2,77560.5% | 1,75838.3% | 541.2% | 4,587 |
| Greenup County | Jimmy Carter+269 | 6,85748.0% | 7,12649.9% | 2922.0% | 14,275 |
| Hancock County | Jimmy Carter+163 | 1,36745.5% | 1,53050.9% | 1073.6% | 3,004 |
| Hardin County | Ronald Reagan+1,440 | 9,77952.2% | 8,33944.5% | 6203.3% | 18,738 |
| Harlan County | Jimmy Carter+3,338 | 5,46037.8% | 8,79860.9% | 1991.4% | 14,457 |
| Harrison County | Jimmy Carter+1,135 | 2,18438.7% | 3,31958.8% | 1422.5% | 5,645 |
| Hart County | Ronald Reagan+124 | 3,12950.4% | 3,00548.4% | 701.1% | 6,204 |
| Henderson County | Jimmy Carter+3,008 | 5,07437.1% | 8,08259.2% | 5033.7% | 13,659 |
| Henry County | Jimmy Carter+1,276 | 1,72335.8% | 2,99962.3% | 881.8% | 4,810 |
| Hickman County | Jimmy Carter+313 | 1,14342.8% | 1,45654.6% | 692.6% | 2,668 |
| Hopkins County | Jimmy Carter+2,572 | 6,23840.6% | 8,81057.4% | 3072.0% | 15,355 |
| Jackson County | Ronald Reagan+2,677 | 3,37982.0% | 70217.0% | 421.0% | 4,123 |
| Jefferson County | Ronald Reagan+1,410 | 127,25448.0% | 125,84447.4% | 12,1884.6% | 265,286 |
| Jessamine County | Ronald Reagan+1,499 | 4,80956.4% | 3,31038.8% | 4114.8% | 8,530 |
| Johnson County | Ronald Reagan+1,897 | 5,03960.5% | 3,14237.7% | 1481.8% | 8,329 |
| Kenton County | Ronald Reagan+8,058 | 25,96556.2% | 17,90738.7% | 2,3605.1% | 46,232 |
| Knott County | Jimmy Carter+3,803 | 1,60222.7% | 5,40576.5% | 580.8% | 7,065 |
| Knox County | Ronald Reagan+1,996 | 5,53959.9% | 3,54338.3% | 1581.7% | 9,240 |
| Larue County | Jimmy Carter+183 | 2,00047.1% | 2,18351.4% | 661.6% | 4,249 |
| Laurel County | Ronald Reagan+4,899 | 8,86868.2% | 3,96930.5% | 1601.2% | 12,997 |
| Lawrence County | Ronald Reagan+202 | 2,56451.5% | 2,36247.4% | 541.1% | 4,980 |
| Lee County | Ronald Reagan+633 | 1,65060.5% | 1,01737.3% | 592.2% | 2,726 |
| Leslie County | Ronald Reagan+2,209 | 3,53671.9% | 1,32727.0% | 581.2% | 4,921 |
| Letcher County | Jimmy Carter+854 | 3,42643.8% | 4,28054.7% | 1121.4% | 7,818 |
| Lewis County | Ronald Reagan+1,259 | 2,80263.8% | 1,54335.1% | 481.1% | 4,393 |
| Lincoln County | Ronald Reagan+43 | 3,03449.7% | 2,99149.0% | 801.3% | 6,105 |
| Livingston County | Jimmy Carter+617 | 1,67041.7% | 2,28757.1% | 511.3% | 4,008 |
| Logan County | Jimmy Carter+898 | 3,36643.3% | 4,26454.8% | 1511.9% | 7,781 |
| Lyon County | Jimmy Carter+528 | 96838.3% | 1,49659.2% | 632.5% | 2,527 |
| Madison County | Ronald Reagan+229 | 8,43747.7% | 8,20846.4% | 1,0265.8% | 17,671 |
| Magoffin County | Jimmy Carter+721 | 2,26542.8% | 2,98656.4% | 460.9% | 5,297 |
| Marion County | Jimmy Carter+1,451 | 2,12636.6% | 3,57761.5% | 1131.9% | 5,816 |
| Marshall County | Jimmy Carter+1,828 | 4,40340.8% | 6,23157.8% | 1451.3% | 10,779 |
| Martin County | Ronald Reagan+1,226 | 2,79363.0% | 1,56735.4% | 701.6% | 4,430 |
| Mason County | Jimmy Carter+255 | 2,92646.5% | 3,18150.6% | 1802.9% | 6,287 |
| McCracken County | Jimmy Carter+3,084 | 10,28142.3% | 13,36554.9% | 6792.8% | 24,325 |
| McCreary County | Ronald Reagan+2,409 | 3,78671.3% | 1,37725.9% | 1492.8% | 5,312 |
| McLean County | Jimmy Carter+650 | 1,49740.4% | 2,14757.9% | 661.8% | 3,710 |
| Meade County | Jimmy Carter+465 | 2,74045.2% | 3,20552.9% | 1141.9% | 6,059 |
| Menifee County | Jimmy Carter+419 | 54735.5% | 96662.6% | 301.9% | 1,543 |
| Mercer County | Jimmy Carter+253 | 3,27547.0% | 3,52850.6% | 1672.4% | 6,970 |
| Metcalfe County | Ronald Reagan+385 | 2,01354.3% | 1,62843.9% | 661.8% | 3,707 |
| Monroe County | Ronald Reagan+3,436 | 4,59279.0% | 1,15619.9% | 651.1% | 5,813 |
| Montgomery County | Jimmy Carter+522 | 2,86944.7% | 3,39152.8% | 1582.5% | 6,418 |
| Morgan County | Jimmy Carter+1,248 | 1,45034.5% | 2,69864.3% | 511.2% | 4,199 |
| Muhlenberg County | Jimmy Carter+1,723 | 4,89341.8% | 6,61656.5% | 1971.7% | 11,706 |
| Nelson County | Jimmy Carter+2,165 | 3,34936.7% | 5,51460.5% | 2512.8% | 9,114 |
| Nicholas County | Jimmy Carter+434 | 91538.9% | 1,34957.4% | 873.7% | 2,351 |
| Ohio County | Ronald Reagan+1,786 | 5,27259.1% | 3,48639.1% | 1631.8% | 8,921 |
| Oldham County | Ronald Reagan+2,099 | 5,58658.7% | 3,48736.7% | 4374.6% | 9,510 |
| Owen County | Jimmy Carter+1,379 | 94428.2% | 2,32369.5% | 772.3% | 3,344 |
| Owsley County | Ronald Reagan+813 | 1,25073.6% | 43725.7% | 120.7% | 1,699 |
| Pendleton County | Jimmy Carter+235 | 1,75745.4% | 1,99251.5% | 1173.0% | 3,866 |
| Perry County | Jimmy Carter+1,805 | 4,22640.8% | 6,03158.2% | 1101.1% | 10,367 |
| Pike County | Jimmy Carter+4,328 | 10,55041.0% | 14,87857.8% | 2921.1% | 25,720 |
| Powell County | Jimmy Carter+290 | 1,71645.6% | 2,00653.3% | 451.2% | 3,767 |
| Pulaski County | Ronald Reagan+6,400 | 12,97065.1% | 6,57033.0% | 3791.9% | 19,919 |
| Robertson County | Jimmy Carter+146 | 41641.6% | 56256.3% | 212.1% | 999 |
| Rockcastle County | Ronald Reagan+2,198 | 3,54371.6% | 1,34527.2% | 591.2% | 4,947 |
| Rowan County | Jimmy Carter+217 | 2,75846.1% | 2,97549.7% | 2544.2% | 5,987 |
| Russell County | Ronald Reagan+2,111 | 3,80468.7% | 1,69330.6% | 430.8% | 5,540 |
| Scott County | Jimmy Carter+663 | 2,86843.0% | 3,53153.0% | 2684.0% | 6,667 |
| Shelby County | Jimmy Carter+1,006 | 3,42342.2% | 4,42954.6% | 2563.2% | 8,108 |
| Simpson County | Jimmy Carter+693 | 2,02041.9% | 2,71356.3% | 861.8% | 4,819 |
| Spencer County | Jimmy Carter+281 | 93542.5% | 1,21655.3% | 492.2% | 2,200 |
| Taylor County | Ronald Reagan+843 | 4,24354.6% | 3,40043.8% | 1251.6% | 7,768 |
| Todd County | Jimmy Carter+11 | 1,94548.9% | 1,95649.1% | 802.0% | 3,981 |
| Trigg County | Jimmy Carter+706 | 1,91341.5% | 2,61956.9% | 731.6% | 4,605 |
| Trimble County | Jimmy Carter+654 | 82434.4% | 1,47861.8% | 903.8% | 2,392 |
| Union County | Jimmy Carter+1,632 | 1,84734.0% | 3,47964.0% | 1112.0% | 5,437 |
| Warren County | Ronald Reagan+2,541 | 12,18453.9% | 9,64342.7% | 7773.4% | 22,604 |
| Washington County | Jimmy Carter+139 | 2,00847.3% | 2,14750.5% | 942.2% | 4,249 |
| Wayne County | Ronald Reagan+1,299 | 3,97259.1% | 2,67339.8% | 711.1% | 6,716 |
| Webster County | Jimmy Carter+1,567 | 1,93935.0% | 3,50663.3% | 901.6% | 5,535 |
| Whitley County | Ronald Reagan+3,118 | 7,00763.3% | 3,88935.1% | 1811.6% | 11,077 |
| Wolfe County | Jimmy Carter+863 | 95133.9% | 1,81464.7% | 401.4% | 2,805 |
| Woodford County | Jimmy Carter+17 | 3,10547.7% | 3,12247.9% | 2884.4% | 6,515 |
Nominees: Jimmy Carter (D) · Ronald Reagan (R)
Kentucky's presidential margins
1892–2024, the 1980 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, 1980KY
Source. MIT Election Data + Science Lab — 1980 presidential returns · official county-level results. Real returns — nothing estimated.