Kentucky — 2008 presidential election
Recent presidential results
Akashicstate2008 presidential electionKentucky · PresidentMcCainR+16.2
How it voted
Share of the 2008 vote
| John McCain ✓Republican | 57.4% | 1,048,462 |
|---|---|---|
| Barack ObamaDemocratic | 41.2% | 751,985 |
| OtherAll other candidates | 1.4% | 26,061 |
2008presidential margin
D+60R+60
120 counties, each filled by 2008 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
Kentucky cast 8 electoral votes this cycle.
County-level results (120 counties) — table
| County | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| Adair County, KY | Republican | R+52.7 |
| Allen County, KY | Republican | R+43.8 |
| Anderson County, KY | Republican | R+32.4 |
| Ballard County, KY | Republican | R+27.3 |
| Barren County, KY | Republican | R+33.9 |
| Bath County, KY | Republican | R+0.5 |
| Bell County, KY | Republican | R+40.6 |
| Boone County, KY | Republican | R+34.5 |
| Bourbon County, KY | Republican | R+17.2 |
| Boyd County, KY | Republican | R+12.3 |
| Boyle County, KY | Republican | R+23.2 |
| Bracken County, KY | Republican | R+24.3 |
| Breathitt County, KY | Republican | R+9.3 |
| Breckinridge County, KY | Republican | R+25.5 |
| Bullitt County, KY | Republican | R+32.3 |
| Butler County, KY | Republican | R+40.3 |
| Caldwell County, KY | Republican | R+26.7 |
| Calloway County, KY | Republican | R+18.3 |
| Campbell County, KY | Republican | R+20.9 |
| Carlisle County, KY | Republican | R+31.3 |
| Carroll County, KY | Republican | R+8.2 |
| Carter County, KY | Republican | R+9.5 |
| Casey County, KY | Republican | R+58.1 |
| Christian County, KY | Republican | R+21.2 |
| Clark County, KY | Republican | R+25.1 |
| Clay County, KY | Republican | R+56.5 |
| Clinton County, KY | Republican | R+62.4 |
| Crittenden County, KY | Republican | R+34.4 |
| Cumberland County, KY | Republican | R+48.6 |
| Daviess County, KY | Republican | R+10.1 |
| Edmonson County, KY | Republican | R+36.2 |
| Elliott County, KY | Democratic | D+25.2 |
| Estill County, KY | Republican | R+40.1 |
| Fayette County, KY | Democratic | D+4.8 |
| Fleming County, KY | Republican | R+19.8 |
| Floyd County, KY | Republican | R+1.3 |
| Franklin County, KY | Republican | R+0.6 |
| Fulton County, KY | Republican | R+10.3 |
| Gallatin County, KY | Republican | R+17.6 |
| Garrard County, KY | Republican | R+43.1 |
| Grant County, KY | Republican | R+27.4 |
| Graves County, KY | Republican | R+26.1 |
| Grayson County, KY | Republican | R+34.8 |
| Green County, KY | Republican | R+50.8 |
| Greenup County, KY | Republican | R+14.1 |
| Hancock County, KY | Democratic | D+5.0 |
| Hardin County, KY | Republican | R+20.6 |
| Harlan County, KY | Republican | R+46.2 |
| Harrison County, KY | Republican | R+21.1 |
| Hart County, KY | Republican | R+30.9 |
| Henderson County, KY | Democratic | D+2.6 |
| Henry County, KY | Republican | R+19.6 |
| Hickman County, KY | Republican | R+26.4 |
| Hopkins County, KY | Republican | R+24.9 |
| Jackson County, KY | Republican | R+70.1 |
| Jefferson County, KY | Democratic | D+12.0 |
| Jessamine County, KY | Republican | R+37.0 |
| Johnson County, KY | Republican | R+41.6 |
| Kenton County, KY | Republican | R+20.9 |
| Knott County, KY | Republican | R+7.9 |
| Knox County, KY | Republican | R+44.6 |
| Larue County, KY | Republican | R+36.3 |
| Laurel County, KY | Republican | R+58.0 |
| Lawrence County, KY | Republican | R+26.0 |
| Lee County, KY | Republican | R+44.2 |
| Leslie County, KY | Republican | R+63.9 |
| Letcher County, KY | Republican | R+33.3 |
| Lewis County, KY | Republican | R+35.5 |
| Lincoln County, KY | Republican | R+38.5 |
| Livingston County, KY | Republican | R+27.6 |
| Logan County, KY | Republican | R+28.6 |
| Lyon County, KY | Republican | R+16.7 |
| Madison County, KY | Republican | R+22.4 |
| Magoffin County, KY | Republican | R+7.1 |
| Marion County, KY | Republican | R+3.2 |
| Marshall County, KY | Republican | R+24.7 |
| Martin County, KY | Republican | R+54.6 |
| Mason County, KY | Republican | R+17.0 |
| McCracken County, KY | Republican | R+25.2 |
| McCreary County, KY | Republican | R+52.2 |
| McLean County, KY | Republican | R+9.6 |
| Meade County, KY | Republican | R+21.0 |
| Menifee County, KY | Democratic | D+4.9 |
| Mercer County, KY | Republican | R+36.0 |
| Metcalfe County, KY | Republican | R+33.0 |
| Monroe County, KY | Republican | R+52.9 |
| Montgomery County, KY | Republican | R+16.6 |
| Morgan County, KY | Republican | R+11.8 |
| Muhlenberg County, KY | Republican | R+1.8 |
| Nelson County, KY | Republican | R+13.7 |
| Nicholas County, KY | Republican | R+12.2 |
| Ohio County, KY | Republican | R+16.4 |
| Oldham County, KY | Republican | R+30.7 |
| Owen County, KY | Republican | R+26.8 |
| Owsley County, KY | Republican | R+53.3 |
| Pendleton County, KY | Republican | R+28.4 |
| Perry County, KY | Republican | R+32.0 |
| Pike County, KY | Republican | R+13.8 |
| Powell County, KY | Republican | R+15.5 |
| Pulaski County, KY | Republican | R+55.4 |
| Robertson County, KY | Republican | R+8.1 |
| Rockcastle County, KY | Republican | R+53.3 |
| Rowan County, KY | Democratic | D+2.0 |
| Russell County, KY | Republican | R+56.3 |
| Scott County, KY | Republican | R+20.6 |
| Shelby County, KY | Republican | R+24.7 |
| Simpson County, KY | Republican | R+22.7 |
| Spencer County, KY | Republican | R+35.5 |
| Taylor County, KY | Republican | R+40.5 |
| Todd County, KY | Republican | R+36.3 |
| Trigg County, KY | Republican | R+29.8 |
| Trimble County, KY | Republican | R+19.8 |
| Union County, KY | Republican | R+5.2 |
| Warren County, KY | Republican | R+18.9 |
| Washington County, KY | Republican | R+26.8 |
| Wayne County, KY | Republican | R+37.1 |
| Webster County, KY | Republican | R+11.7 |
| Whitley County, KY | Republican | R+47.7 |
| Wolfe County, KY | Democratic | D+2.9 |
| Woodford County, KY | Republican | R+17.1 |
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 | Mccain, John+3,844 | 5,51275.5% | 1,66822.9% | 1181.6% | 7,298 |
| Allen County | Mccain, John+3,234 | 5,25871.2% | 2,02427.4% | 1081.5% | 7,390 |
| Anderson County | Mccain, John+3,423 | 6,88565.2% | 3,46232.8% | 2051.9% | 10,552 |
| Ballard County | Mccain, John+1,110 | 2,53762.5% | 1,42735.1% | 962.4% | 4,060 |
| Barren County | Mccain, John+5,699 | 11,13366.2% | 5,43432.3% | 2401.4% | 16,807 |
| Bath County | Mccain, John+24 | 2,23449.2% | 2,21048.6% | 992.2% | 4,543 |
| Bell County | Mccain, John+3,899 | 6,68169.6% | 2,78229.0% | 1351.4% | 9,598 |
| Boone County | Mccain, John+17,520 | 33,81266.6% | 16,29232.1% | 6701.3% | 50,774 |
| Bourbon County | Mccain, John+1,435 | 4,82057.9% | 3,38540.6% | 1251.5% | 8,330 |
| Boyd County | Mccain, John+2,544 | 11,43055.3% | 8,88643.0% | 3541.7% | 20,670 |
| Boyle County | Mccain, John+2,932 | 7,70160.9% | 4,76937.7% | 1651.3% | 12,635 |
| Bracken County | Mccain, John+825 | 2,06660.8% | 1,24136.5% | 922.7% | 3,399 |
| Breathitt County | Mccain, John+466 | 2,67153.1% | 2,20543.8% | 1543.1% | 5,030 |
| Breckinridge County | Mccain, John+2,171 | 5,28162.0% | 3,11036.5% | 1311.5% | 8,522 |
| Bullitt County | Mccain, John+9,925 | 20,10265.4% | 10,17733.1% | 4471.5% | 30,726 |
| Butler County | Mccain, John+2,141 | 3,69669.6% | 1,55529.3% | 561.1% | 5,307 |
| Caldwell County | Mccain, John+1,654 | 3,86662.4% | 2,21235.7% | 1212.0% | 6,199 |
| Calloway County | Mccain, John+2,826 | 8,99158.4% | 6,16540.0% | 2481.6% | 15,404 |
| Campbell County | Mccain, John+8,424 | 24,04659.7% | 15,62238.8% | 6291.6% | 40,297 |
| Carlisle County | Mccain, John+820 | 1,69964.9% | 87933.6% | 391.5% | 2,617 |
| Carroll County | Mccain, John+316 | 2,03253.0% | 1,71644.7% | 872.3% | 3,835 |
| Carter County | Mccain, John+936 | 5,25253.5% | 4,31644.0% | 2452.5% | 9,813 |
| Casey County | Mccain, John+3,460 | 4,67978.5% | 1,21920.5% | 591.0% | 5,957 |
| Christian County | Mccain, John+4,819 | 13,69960.1% | 8,88039.0% | 1990.9% | 22,778 |
| Clark County | Mccain, John+3,915 | 9,66461.8% | 5,74936.8% | 2151.4% | 15,628 |
| Clay County | Mccain, John+4,158 | 5,71077.5% | 1,55221.1% | 1021.4% | 7,364 |
| Clinton County | Mccain, John+2,605 | 3,36680.7% | 76118.2% | 451.1% | 4,172 |
| Crittenden County | Mccain, John+1,350 | 2,60466.3% | 1,25431.9% | 721.8% | 3,930 |
| Cumberland County | Mccain, John+1,359 | 2,05673.5% | 69724.9% | 441.6% | 2,797 |
| Daviess County | Mccain, John+4,410 | 23,69254.3% | 19,28244.2% | 6481.5% | 43,622 |
| Edmonson County | Mccain, John+1,910 | 3,56267.6% | 1,65231.3% | 561.1% | 5,270 |
| Elliott County | Obama, Barack H.+633 | 90235.9% | 1,53561.0% | 783.1% | 2,515 |
| Estill County | Mccain, John+2,130 | 3,68569.3% | 1,55529.3% | 741.4% | 5,314 |
| Fayette County | Obama, Barack H.+6,158 | 59,88446.9% | 66,04251.7% | 1,7131.3% | 127,639 |
| Fleming County | Mccain, John+1,153 | 3,43258.8% | 2,27939.1% | 1212.1% | 5,832 |
| Floyd County | Mccain, John+211 | 7,74149.4% | 7,53048.1% | 3882.5% | 15,659 |
| Franklin County | Mccain, John+144 | 11,91149.5% | 11,76748.9% | 4011.7% | 24,079 |
| Fulton County | Mccain, John+292 | 1,53054.2% | 1,23843.8% | 572.0% | 2,825 |
| Gallatin County | Mccain, John+562 | 1,84057.6% | 1,27840.0% | 752.3% | 3,193 |
| Garrard County | Mccain, John+3,106 | 5,11871.0% | 2,01227.9% | 801.1% | 7,210 |
| Grant County | Mccain, John+2,398 | 5,51062.9% | 3,11235.5% | 1321.5% | 8,754 |
| Graves County | Mccain, John+4,213 | 10,05662.2% | 5,84336.2% | 2561.6% | 16,155 |
| Grayson County | Mccain, John+3,451 | 6,60566.7% | 3,15431.8% | 1441.5% | 9,903 |
| Green County | Mccain, John+2,581 | 3,78574.5% | 1,20423.7% | 901.8% | 5,079 |
| Greenup County | Mccain, John+2,228 | 8,84956.0% | 6,62141.9% | 3282.1% | 15,798 |
| Hancock County | Obama, Barack H.+207 | 1,92846.5% | 2,13551.5% | 812.0% | 4,144 |
| Hardin County | Mccain, John+8,246 | 23,89659.8% | 15,65039.1% | 4441.1% | 39,990 |
| Harlan County | Mccain, John+4,579 | 7,16572.3% | 2,58626.1% | 1631.6% | 9,914 |
| Harrison County | Mccain, John+1,604 | 4,52059.6% | 2,91638.4% | 1542.0% | 7,590 |
| Hart County | Mccain, John+2,107 | 4,39764.5% | 2,29033.6% | 1311.9% | 6,818 |
| Henderson County | Obama, Barack H.+526 | 9,52347.9% | 10,04950.6% | 2891.5% | 19,861 |
| Henry County | Mccain, John+1,356 | 4,08159.0% | 2,72539.4% | 1131.6% | 6,919 |
| Hickman County | Mccain, John+594 | 1,40662.5% | 81236.1% | 321.4% | 2,250 |
| Hopkins County | Mccain, John+4,812 | 11,91661.6% | 7,10436.7% | 3281.7% | 19,348 |
| Jackson County | Mccain, John+3,664 | 4,40784.4% | 74314.2% | 741.4% | 5,224 |
| Jefferson County | Obama, Barack H.+42,478 | 153,95743.5% | 196,43555.5% | 3,5001.0% | 353,892 |
| Jessamine County | Mccain, John+7,475 | 13,71167.8% | 6,23630.8% | 2671.3% | 20,214 |
| Johnson County | Mccain, John+3,541 | 5,94869.8% | 2,40728.3% | 1621.9% | 8,517 |
| Kenton County | Mccain, John+14,234 | 40,71459.7% | 26,48038.8% | 1,0191.5% | 68,213 |
| Knott County | Mccain, John+458 | 3,07052.7% | 2,61244.9% | 1382.4% | 5,820 |
| Knox County | Mccain, John+5,076 | 8,15071.6% | 3,07427.0% | 1651.4% | 11,389 |
| Larue County | Mccain, John+2,240 | 4,15367.2% | 1,91331.0% | 1121.8% | 6,178 |
| Laurel County | Mccain, John+13,042 | 17,66078.5% | 4,61820.5% | 2221.0% | 22,500 |
| Lawrence County | Mccain, John+1,467 | 3,50362.0% | 2,03636.0% | 1101.9% | 5,649 |
| Lee County | Mccain, John+1,226 | 1,97871.3% | 75227.1% | 431.6% | 2,773 |
| Leslie County | Mccain, John+2,808 | 3,57481.3% | 76617.4% | 571.3% | 4,397 |
| Letcher County | Mccain, John+2,744 | 5,36765.2% | 2,62331.9% | 2453.0% | 8,235 |
| Lewis County | Mccain, John+1,703 | 3,21367.1% | 1,51031.5% | 681.4% | 4,791 |
| Lincoln County | Mccain, John+3,521 | 6,27368.5% | 2,75230.1% | 1261.4% | 9,151 |
| Livingston County | Mccain, John+1,268 | 2,89062.9% | 1,62235.3% | 811.8% | 4,593 |
| Logan County | Mccain, John+3,114 | 6,92563.6% | 3,81135.0% | 1541.4% | 10,890 |
| Lyon County | Mccain, John+643 | 2,22057.6% | 1,57740.9% | 581.5% | 3,855 |
| Madison County | Mccain, John+7,302 | 19,69460.5% | 12,39238.1% | 4511.4% | 32,537 |
| Magoffin County | Mccain, John+329 | 2,43452.3% | 2,10545.3% | 1122.4% | 4,651 |
| Marion County | Mccain, John+246 | 3,84250.5% | 3,59647.2% | 1772.3% | 7,615 |
| Marshall County | Mccain, John+3,829 | 9,51261.4% | 5,68336.7% | 2921.9% | 15,487 |
| Martin County | Mccain, John+2,016 | 2,82476.5% | 80821.9% | 601.6% | 3,692 |
| Mason County | Mccain, John+1,211 | 4,10257.6% | 2,89140.6% | 1281.8% | 7,121 |
| McCracken County | Mccain, John+7,758 | 19,04361.9% | 11,28536.7% | 4261.4% | 30,754 |
| McCreary County | Mccain, John+2,820 | 4,07875.4% | 1,25823.3% | 711.3% | 5,407 |
| McLean County | Mccain, John+423 | 2,38654.0% | 1,96344.4% | 731.7% | 4,422 |
| Meade County | Mccain, John+2,348 | 6,69159.7% | 4,34338.8% | 1721.5% | 11,206 |
| Menifee County | Obama, Barack H.+121 | 1,15546.4% | 1,27651.3% | 582.3% | 2,489 |
| Mercer County | Mccain, John+3,622 | 6,78167.4% | 3,15931.4% | 1201.2% | 10,060 |
| Metcalfe County | Mccain, John+1,384 | 2,73465.1% | 1,35032.2% | 1152.7% | 4,199 |
| Monroe County | Mccain, John+2,470 | 3,53775.8% | 1,06722.9% | 611.3% | 4,665 |
| Montgomery County | Mccain, John+1,713 | 5,94757.6% | 4,23441.0% | 1501.5% | 10,331 |
| Morgan County | Mccain, John+517 | 2,39654.7% | 1,87942.9% | 1042.4% | 4,379 |
| Muhlenberg County | Mccain, John+226 | 6,44750.0% | 6,22148.3% | 2211.7% | 12,889 |
| Nelson County | Mccain, John+2,485 | 10,13955.9% | 7,65442.2% | 3531.9% | 18,146 |
| Nicholas County | Mccain, John+362 | 1,63455.0% | 1,27242.8% | 642.2% | 2,970 |
| Ohio County | Mccain, John+1,628 | 5,68757.2% | 4,05940.8% | 1921.9% | 9,938 |
| Oldham County | Mccain, John+8,997 | 18,99764.8% | 10,00034.1% | 3191.1% | 29,316 |
| Owen County | Mccain, John+1,275 | 2,96962.5% | 1,69435.7% | 881.9% | 4,751 |
| Owsley County | Mccain, John+898 | 1,27975.9% | 38122.6% | 261.5% | 1,686 |
| Pendleton County | Mccain, John+1,649 | 3,67663.4% | 2,02734.9% | 991.7% | 5,802 |
| Perry County | Mccain, John+3,318 | 6,76265.2% | 3,44433.2% | 1691.6% | 10,375 |
| Pike County | Mccain, John+3,130 | 12,65555.9% | 9,52542.1% | 4632.0% | 22,643 |
| Powell County | Mccain, John+772 | 2,83757.1% | 2,06541.5% | 701.4% | 4,972 |
| Pulaski County | Mccain, John+14,272 | 19,86277.1% | 5,59021.7% | 3141.2% | 25,766 |
| Robertson County | Mccain, John+82 | 53352.5% | 45144.4% | 313.1% | 1,015 |
| Rockcastle County | Mccain, John+3,347 | 4,75775.8% | 1,41022.5% | 1071.7% | 6,274 |
| Rowan County | Obama, Barack H.+167 | 3,90747.9% | 4,07450.0% | 1732.1% | 8,154 |
| Russell County | Mccain, John+4,210 | 5,77977.3% | 1,56921.0% | 1271.7% | 7,475 |
| Scott County | Mccain, John+4,070 | 11,78259.7% | 7,71239.1% | 2361.2% | 19,730 |
| Shelby County | Mccain, John+4,580 | 11,45161.8% | 6,87137.1% | 2181.2% | 18,540 |
| Simpson County | Mccain, John+1,662 | 4,43760.7% | 2,77538.0% | 971.3% | 7,309 |
| Spencer County | Mccain, John+2,859 | 5,37866.8% | 2,51931.3% | 1521.9% | 8,049 |
| Taylor County | Mccain, John+4,403 | 7,56869.7% | 3,16529.1% | 1271.2% | 10,860 |
| Todd County | Mccain, John+1,793 | 3,33667.5% | 1,54331.2% | 621.3% | 4,941 |
| Trigg County | Mccain, John+1,943 | 4,18964.2% | 2,24634.4% | 921.4% | 6,527 |
| Trimble County | Mccain, John+755 | 2,23958.7% | 1,48438.9% | 892.3% | 3,812 |
| Union County | Mccain, John+316 | 3,12051.7% | 2,80446.5% | 1101.8% | 6,034 |
| Warren County | Mccain, John+8,324 | 25,99358.9% | 17,66940.0% | 4831.1% | 44,145 |
| Washington County | Mccain, John+1,415 | 3,30562.7% | 1,89035.8% | 801.5% | 5,275 |
| Wayne County | Mccain, John+2,667 | 4,86867.6% | 2,20130.6% | 1271.8% | 7,196 |
| Webster County | Mccain, John+647 | 3,03754.8% | 2,39043.1% | 1132.0% | 5,540 |
| Whitley County | Mccain, John+6,531 | 10,01573.1% | 3,48425.4% | 2051.5% | 13,704 |
| Wolfe County | Obama, Barack H.+85 | 1,40847.4% | 1,49350.3% | 672.3% | 2,968 |
| Woodford County | Mccain, John+2,103 | 7,13058.0% | 5,02740.9% | 1401.1% | 12,297 |
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: Barack Obama (D) · John McCain (R)
Kentucky's presidential margins
1892–2024, the 2008 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, 2008KY
Source. MIT Election Data + Science Lab — 2008 presidential returns · official county-level results. Real returns — nothing estimated.