PolitiFinder

1979 Kentucky Gubernatorial Election

Kentucky · 2 candidates · See every 1979 Governor race

Who won the 1979 Kentucky Gubernatorial Election?

John Y. Brown Jr. won the 1979 Kentucky Gubernatorial Election. John Y. Brown Jr. received 558,008 popular votes (59.41%). The main challenger was Louie Nunn (40.59%).

See the full head-to-head between Jr. and Nunn

Jr. +18.8 pts · won by 176,730 votes
John Y. Brown Jr.DemocraticWINNER59.41%
558,008 votes
Louie NunnRepublican40.59%
381,278 votes
Popular-vote totals for governor elections are compiled from official state results (via Wikipedia); Louisiana shows the decisive round of its jungle primary.

Data last verified July 28, 2026.