Politics
Further information: Political party strength in Kentucky| Year | Republican | Democrat |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 60.49% 1,087,190 | 37.80% 679,370 |
| 2008 | 57.37% 1,048,462 | 41.15% 751,985 |
| 2004 | 59.55% 1,069,439 | 39.69% 712,733 |
| 2000 | 56.50% 872,492 | 41.37% 638,898 |
| 1996 | 44.88% 623,283 | 45.84% 636,614 |
| 1992 | 41.34% 617,178 | 44.55% 665,104 |
| 1988 | 55.52% 734,281 | 43.88% 580,368 |
| 1984 | 60.04% 822,782 | 39.37% 539,589 |
| 1980 | 49.07% 635,274 | 47.61% 616,417 |
| 1976 | 45.57% 531,852 | 52.75% 615,717 |
| 1972 | 63.37% 676,446 | 34.77% 371,159 |
| 1968 | 43.79% 462,411 | 37.65% 397,541 |
| 1964 | 35.65% 372,977 | 64.01% 669,659 |
| 1960 | 53.59% 602,607 | 46.41% 521,855 |
Where politics are concerned, Kentucky historically has been very hard-fought and leaned slightly toward the Democratic Party, although it was never included among the "Solid South". In 2006, 57.05% of the state's voters were officially registered as Democrats, 36.55% registered Republican, and 6.39% registered with some other political party. Despite this, the state often supports Republican candidates for federal offices.
From 1964 through 2004, Kentucky voted for the eventual winner of the election for President of the United States. In the 2008 election, however, the state lost its bellwether status when John McCain, who won Kentucky, lost the national popular and electoral vote to Barack Obama (McCain carried Kentucky 57 to 41%).
The Commonwealth supported the previous three Democratic candidates elected to the White House, all elected from Southern states: Lyndon B. Johnson (Texas) in 1964, Jimmy Carter (Georgia) in 1976, and Bill Clinton (Arkansas) in 1992 and 1996. In presidential elections, the state has become a Republican stronghold, supporting that party's presidential candidates by double-digit margins in 2000, 2004 and 2008. At the state level and in most local areas, the Democratic Party is the dominant party.
| Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of June 26, 2010 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Number of Voters | Percentage | |||
| Democratic | 1,619,391 | 57% | |||
| Republican | 1,052,902 | 37% | |||
| Other | 189,499 | 7% | |||
| Total | 2,861,792 | 100% | |||
Read more about this topic: Geography Of Kentucky, Law and Government
Famous quotes containing the word politics:
“The politics of the exile are fever,
revenge, daydream,
theater of the aging convalescent.
You wait in the wings and rehearse.
You wait and wait.”
—Marge Piercy (b. 1936)
“From the beginning, the placement of [Clarence] Thomas on the high court was seen as a political end justifying almost any means. The full story of his confirmation raises questions not only about who lied and why, but, more important, about what happens when politics becomes total war and the truth—and those who tell it—are merely unfortunate sacrifices on the way to winning.”
—Jane Mayer, U.S. journalist, and Jill Abramson b. 1954, U.S. journalist. Strange Justice, p. 8, Houghton Mifflin (1994)
“Finance is a gun. Politics is knowing when to pull the trigger.”
—Mario Puzo, U.S. author, screenwriter, and Francis Ford Coppola, U.S. director, screenwriter. Michael Corleone (Al Pacino)