Governor elections in Kentucky
● In officeAndy BeshearDemocratic
Elections won
R 10 · D 44 · Other 559 gubernatorial elections since 1800
Last decided by
5.1 pts2023, Andy Beshear over Daniel Cameron
Closest ever
0.10 pts1915, Augustus Owsley Stanley over Edwin P. Morrow
Longest streak
10 in a rowDemocratic, 1859–1891
Next election
2027Tuesday, November 2, 2027
Kentucky's governor is Democrat Andy Beshear; Beshear won the most recent race by 5.1 points in 2023. Beshear has held the office since 2019. The 2023 race put Beshear ahead of Daniel Cameron, 5.1 points clear. Across 59 elections since 1800, Republicans have won 10 and Democrats 44, with 5 going to other parties. Of those, the closest was 1915, decided by 0.10 points; the widest 1868, by 63.3 points.
Andy Beshear D 694,482 · Daniel Cameron R 627,457
Andy Beshear D 709,890 · Matt Bevin R 704,754
Matt Bevin R 511,374 · Jack Conway D 426,620
Steve Beshear D 619,552 · Ernie Fletcher R 435,773
Ernie Fletcher R 596,284 · Ben Chandler D 487,159
Paul Patton D 500,605 · Larry Forgy R 479,227
Brereton Jones D 540,468 · Larry J. Hopkins R 294,452
Wallace Wilkinson D 504,674 · John Harper R 273,141
Martha Layne Collins D 561,674 · Jim Bunning R 454,650
John Y. Brown Jr. D 558,008 · Louie Nunn R 381,278
Julian Carroll D 470,159 · Bob Gable R 277,998
Wendell H. Ford D 470,420 · Thomas Emberton R 412,653
Louie Nunn R 453,323 · Henry Ward D 425,674
Ned Breathitt D 449,551 · Louie Nunn R 436,496
Bert Combs D 516,549 · John M. Robsion Jr. R 336,456
Happy Chandler D 451,647 · Edwin R. Denney R 322,671
Lawrence Wetherby D 346,345 · Eugene Siler R 288,014
Earle Clements D 387,795 · Eldon S. Dummit R 287,756
Simeon Willis R 279,144 · J. Lyter Donaldson D 270,525
Keen Johnson D 460,834 · King Swope R 354,704
Happy Chandler D 556,262 · King Swope R 461,104
Ruby Laffoon D 438,513 · William B. Harrison R 366,982
Flem D. Sampson R 399,698 · J. C. W. Beckham D 367,576
William J. Fields D 356,045 · Charles I. Dawson R 306,277
Edwin P. Morrow R 254,472 · James D. Black D 214,134
Augustus Owsley Stanley D 219,991 · Edwin P. Morrow R 219,520
James B. McCreary D 226,549 · Edward C. O'Rear R 195,672
Augustus E. Willson R 214,478 · Samuel Wilber Hager D 196,428
J. C. W. Beckham D 229,014 · Morris B. Belknap R 202,862
J. C. W. Beckham D 233,052 · John W. Yerkes R 229,363
William S. Taylor R 193,714 · William Goebel D 191,331
William O'Connell Bradley R 172,436 · Parker Watkins Hardin D 163,524
Simon Bolivar Buckner D 143,270 · William O'Connell Bradley R 126,473
J. Proctor Knott D 133,615 · Thomas Z. Morrow R 89,181
James B. McCreary D 126,976 · John Marshall Harlan R 90,795
Preston Leslie D 126,445 · John Marshall Harlan R 89,298
John W. Stevenson D 114,412 · R. Tarvin Baker R 25,734
Thomas E. Bramlette D 67,577 · Charles A Wickliffe C 17,458
Beriah Magoffin D 76,187 · Joshua Fry Bell O 67,283
Charles S. Morehead K 69,816 · Beverly L. Clarke D 65,413
Lazarus W. Powell D 54,821 · Archibald Dixon W 54,023
John J. Crittenden W 66,466 · Lazarus W. Powell D 58,045
William Owsley W 59,680 · William O. Butler D 55,056
Robert P Letcher W 55,370 · Richard French D 39,659
James Clark W 38,587 · Matthews Flournoy D 30,491
John Breathitt D 40,715 · Richard A. Buckner R 39,473
Thomas Metcalfe R 38,930 · William T. Barry D 38,231
John Adair D 20,493 · William Logan D 19,947
Isaac Shelby D 30,490 · Gabriel Slaughter D 12,566
James Garrard D 8,390 · Christopher Greenup D 6,745