1920 United States presidential election in Kentucky
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Elections in Kentucky |
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The 1920 United States presidential election in Kentucky took place on November 2, 1920, as part of the 1920 United States presidential election. Voters chose thirteen representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
Ever since
In 1919, however, Kentucky saw a significant change as the Republicans won not merely the governorship via Edwin P. Morrow but also control of the state legislature.[5] However, there was a thought at the time that the triumph was partly a reflection of Morrow's own personal popularity.[6]
The state legislature would ratify the Nineteenth Amendment on January 6, 1920, by more than three-to-one in both houses,[7] and Kentucky would – alongside North Carolina which was abolishing its poll tax – observe the largest mobilization of new voters in the entire Union,[8] and possibly the largest mobilization of female voters anywhere.[9]
Despite the extreme hostility to outgoing President Wilson, Democratic nominee and Ohio Governor James M. Cox – who originated in Butler County, Ohio just across the state line – was supported powerfully by Fayette County political boss Billy Kair, and alongside the mobilization of female voters noted above, this caused Kentucky to lead the nation in turnout.[10] With this high turnout and Kair's powerful support of Governor Cox, the Democrats were able to carry Kentucky by 0.44 percent or 4,017 votes, in spite of Cox losing Tennessee and all the other Border States to Ohio Senator and Republican nominee Warren G. Harding,[10] who nationally won the largest popular-vote margin on record. Alongside North Carolina, Kentucky was the state which most resisted the Republican landslide, with Cox falling by only 3 percent from Woodrow Wilson’s 1916 vote share.[11]
Results
Presidential Candidate | Running Mate | Party | Electoral Vote (EV) | Popular Vote (PV) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
James M. Cox of Ohio | Franklin D. Roosevelt | Democratic | 13[12] | 456,497 | 49.69% |
Warren G. Harding | Calvin Coolidge | Republican | 0 | 452,480 | 49.26% |
Eugene V. Debs | Seymour Stedman | Socialist | 0 | 6,409 | 0.70% |
Aaron S. Watkins | D. Leigh Colvin | Prohibition | 0 | 3,250 | 0.35% |
Results by county
1920 United States presidential election in Kentucky by county[13] | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
County | James Middleton Cox Democratic |
Warren Gamaliel Harding Republican |
Eugene Victor Debs Socialist |
Aaron Sherman Watkins Prohibition |
Margin | Total votes cast | |||||
# | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
Adair | 2,725 | 43.50% | 3,526 | 56.28% | 5 | 0.08% | 9 | 0.14% | -801 | -12.79% | 6,265 |
Allen | 2,255 | 39.08% | 3,476 | 60.24% | 6 | 0.10% | 33 | 0.57% | -1,221 | -21.16% | 5,770 |
Anderson | 2,499 | 57.71% | 1,819 | 42.01% | 0 | 0.00% | 12 | 0.28% | 680 | 15.70% | 4,330 |
Ballard | 3,987 | 76.48% | 1,107 | 21.24% | 105 | 2.01% | 14 | 0.27% | 2,880 | 55.25% | 5,213 |
Barren | 5,499 | 57.70% | 3,972 | 41.67% | 27 | 0.28% | 33 | 0.35% | 1,527 | 16.02% | 9,531 |
Bath | 2,440 | 54.72% | 1,997 | 44.79% | 6 | 0.13% | 16 | 0.36% | 443 | 9.93% | 4,459 |
Bell | 2,277 | 25.26% | 6,691 | 74.23% | 24 | 0.27% | 22 | 0.24% | -4,414 | -48.97% | 9,014 |
Boone | 3,472 | 77.50% | 973 | 21.72% | 11 | 0.25% | 24 | 0.54% | 2,499 | 55.78% | 4,480 |
Bourbon | 5,452 | 57.24% | 4,029 | 42.30% | 11 | 0.12% | 32 | 0.34% | 1,423 | 14.94% | 9,524 |
Boyd | 5,103 | 44.13% | 6,334 | 54.78% | 53 | 0.46% | 73 | 0.63% | -1,231 | -10.65% | 11,563 |
Boyle | 4,099 | 55.83% | 3,205 | 43.65% | 10 | 0.14% | 28 | 0.38% | 894 | 12.18% | 7,342 |
Bracken | 2,621 | 58.66% | 1,791 | 40.09% | 45 | 1.01% | 11 | 0.25% | 830 | 18.58% | 4,468 |
Breathitt | 2,737 | 52.31% | 2,464 | 47.09% | 9 | 0.17% | 22 | 0.42% | 273 | 5.22% | 5,232 |
Breckinridge | 3,702 | 45.71% | 4,368 | 53.93% | 10 | 0.12% | 19 | 0.23% | -666 | -8.22% | 8,099 |
Bullitt | 2,548 | 64.44% | 1,393 | 35.23% | 8 | 0.20% | 5 | 0.13% | 1,155 | 29.21% | 3,954 |
Butler | 1,356 | 24.81% | 4,097 | 74.95% | 4 | 0.07% | 9 | 0.16% | -2,741 | -50.15% | 5,466 |
Caldwell | 2,746 | 47.41% | 2,958 | 51.07% | 69 | 1.19% | 19 | 0.33% | -212 | -3.66% | 5,792 |
Calloway | 4,574 | 72.79% | 1,520 | 24.19% | 154 | 2.45% | 36 | 0.57% | 3,054 | 48.60% | 6,284 |
Campbell | 10,597 | 44.20% | 12,210 | 50.93% | 1,046 | 4.36% | 123 | 0.51% | -1,613 | -6.73% | 23,976 |
Carlisle | 2,688 | 78.09% | 688 | 19.99% | 38 | 1.10% | 28 | 0.81% | 2,000 | 58.11% | 3,442 |
Carroll | 3,209 | 77.49% | 906 | 21.88% | 4 | 0.10% | 22 | 0.53% | 2,303 | 55.61% | 4,141 |
Carter | 2,757 | 37.19% | 4,595 | 61.98% | 28 | 0.38% | 34 | 0.46% | -1,838 | -24.79% | 7,414 |
Casey | 1,951 | 35.26% | 3,543 | 64.03% | 9 | 0.16% | 30 | 0.54% | -1,592 | -28.77% | 5,533 |
Christian | 7,209 | 44.90% | 8,743 | 54.45% | 66 | 0.41% | 39 | 0.24% | -1,534 | -9.55% | 16,057 |
Clark | 4,846 | 60.67% | 3,105 | 38.88% | 13 | 0.16% | 23 | 0.29% | 1,741 | 21.80% | 7,987 |
Clay | 960 | 19.17% | 4,015 | 80.17% | 22 | 0.44% | 11 | 0.22% | -3,055 | -61.00% | 5,008 |
Clinton | 431 | 15.40% | 2,356 | 84.20% | 6 | 0.21% | 5 | 0.18% | -1,925 | -68.80% | 2,798 |
Crittenden | 2,138 | 40.26% | 3,149 | 59.29% | 9 | 0.17% | 15 | 0.28% | -1,011 | -19.04% | 5,311 |
Cumberland | 931 | 28.01% | 2,380 | 71.60% | 4 | 0.12% | 9 | 0.27% | -1,449 | -43.59% | 3,324 |
Daviess | 9,669 | 55.70% | 7,584 | 43.69% | 48 | 0.28% | 58 | 0.33% | 2,085 | 12.01% | 17,359 |
Edmonson | 1,171 | 33.13% | 2,348 | 66.42% | 4 | 0.11% | 12 | 0.34% | -1,177 | -33.30% | 3,535 |
Elliott | 1,764 | 66.89% | 860 | 32.61% | 0 | 0.00% | 13 | 0.49% | 904 | 34.28% | 2,637 |
Estill | 1,823 | 41.55% | 2,552 | 58.17% | 3 | 0.07% | 9 | 0.21% | -729 | -16.62% | 4,387 |
Fayette | 12,926 | 53.55% | 11,032 | 45.70% | 58 | 0.24% | 123 | 0.51% | 1,894 | 7.85% | 24,139 |
Fleming | 3,488 | 53.88% | 2,960 | 45.72% | 5 | 0.08% | 21 | 0.32% | 528 | 8.16% | 6,474 |
Floyd | 3,597 | 55.61% | 2,825 | 43.68% | 31 | 0.48% | 15 | 0.23% | 772 | 11.94% | 6,468 |
Franklin | 5,878 | 68.28% | 2,710 | 31.48% | 13 | 0.15% | 8 | 0.09% | 3,168 | 36.80% | 8,609 |
Fulton | 3,843 | 73.35% | 1,365 | 26.05% | 17 | 0.32% | 14 | 0.27% | 2,478 | 47.30% | 5,239 |
Gallatin | 1,782 | 76.58% | 536 | 23.03% | 4 | 0.17% | 5 | 0.21% | 1,246 | 53.55% | 2,327 |
Garrard | 2,434 | 44.51% | 2,994 | 54.74% | 6 | 0.11% | 35 | 0.64% | -560 | -10.24% | 5,469 |
Grant | 2,686 | 61.93% | 1,613 | 37.19% | 4 | 0.09% | 34 | 0.78% | 1,073 | 24.74% | 4,337 |
Graves | 9,018 | 72.14% | 3,241 | 25.93% | 216 | 1.73% | 25 | 0.20% | 5,777 | 46.22% | 12,500 |
Grayson | 2,830 | 40.15% | 4,174 | 59.21% | 10 | 0.14% | 35 | 0.50% | -1,344 | -19.07% | 7,049 |
Green | 1,723 | 42.54% | 2,310 | 57.04% | 8 | 0.20% | 9 | 0.22% | -587 | -14.49% | 4,050 |
Greenup | 2,754 | 46.18% | 3,111 | 52.17% | 67 | 1.12% | 31 | 0.52% | -357 | -5.99% | 5,963 |
Hancock | 1,384 | 48.07% | 1,446 | 50.23% | 35 | 1.22% | 14 | 0.49% | -62 | -2.15% | 2,879 |
Hardin | 5,382 | 61.28% | 3,334 | 37.96% | 30 | 0.34% | 36 | 0.41% | 2,048 | 23.32% | 8,782 |
Harlan | 1,805 | 19.30% | 7,493 | 80.13% | 31 | 0.33% | 22 | 0.24% | -5,688 | -60.83% | 9,351 |
Harrison | 4,804 | 66.36% | 2,378 | 32.85% | 10 | 0.14% | 47 | 0.65% | 2,426 | 33.51% | 7,239 |
Hart | 2,972 | 47.08% | 3,264 | 51.70% | 59 | 0.93% | 18 | 0.29% | -292 | -4.63% | 6,313 |
Henderson | 7,272 | 62.06% | 4,161 | 35.51% | 206 | 1.76% | 79 | 0.67% | 3,111 | 26.55% | 11,718 |
Henry | 4,640 | 67.28% | 2,208 | 32.01% | 10 | 0.14% | 39 | 0.57% | 2,432 | 35.26% | 6,897 |
Hickman | 3,045 | 77.40% | 866 | 22.01% | 17 | 0.43% | 6 | 0.15% | 2,179 | 55.39% | 3,934 |
Hopkins | 7,829 | 52.77% | 6,732 | 45.38% | 160 | 1.08% | 115 | 0.78% | 1,097 | 7.39% | 14,836 |
Jackson | 260 | 7.55% | 3,174 | 92.16% | 4 | 0.12% | 6 | 0.17% | -2,914 | -84.61% | 3,444 |
Jefferson | 56,046 | 44.64% | 68,202 | 54.32% | 1,119 | 0.89% | 182 | 0.14% | -12,156 | -9.68% | 125,549 |
Jessamine | 3,206 | 56.35% | 2,349 | 41.29% | 5 | 0.09% | 129 | 2.27% | 857 | 15.06% | 5,689 |
Johnson | 1,714 | 27.93% | 4,373 | 71.26% | 25 | 0.41% | 25 | 0.41% | -2,659 | -43.33% | 6,137 |
Kenton | 16,300 | 56.74% | 11,411 | 39.72% | 878 | 3.06% | 141 | 0.49% | 4,889 | 17.02% | 28,730 |
Knott | 2,295 | 73.84% | 802 | 25.80% | 2 | 0.06% | 9 | 0.29% | 1,493 | 48.04% | 3,108 |
Knox | 1,534 | 22.50% | 5,228 | 76.68% | 36 | 0.53% | 20 | 0.29% | -3,694 | -54.18% | 6,818 |
Larue
|
2,361 | 56.07% | 1,838 | 43.65% | 4 | 0.09% | 8 | 0.19% | 523 | 12.42% | 4,211 |
Laurel | 1,621 | 27.43% | 4,252 | 71.96% | 16 | 0.27% | 20 | 0.34% | -2,631 | -44.53% | 5,909 |
Lawrence | 2,558 | 47.08% | 2,849 | 52.44% | 7 | 0.13% | 19 | 0.35% | -291 | -5.36% | 5,433 |
Lee | 1,246 | 39.99% | 1,856 | 59.56% | 7 | 0.22% | 7 | 0.22% | -610 | -19.58% | 3,116 |
Leslie | 142 | 5.19% | 2,576 | 94.22% | 13 | 0.48% | 3 | 0.11% | -2,434 | -89.03% | 2,734 |
Letcher | 1,960 | 31.11% | 4,317 | 68.51% | 10 | 0.16% | 14 | 0.22% | -2,357 | -37.41% | 6,301 |
Lewis | 1,550 | 26.60% | 4,186 | 71.84% | 50 | 0.86% | 41 | 0.70% | -2,636 | -45.24% | 5,827 |
Lincoln | 3,787 | 50.05% | 3,710 | 49.04% | 26 | 0.34% | 43 | 0.57% | 77 | 1.02% | 7,566 |
Livingston | 1,933 | 51.08% | 1,790 | 47.30% | 56 | 1.48% | 5 | 0.13% | 143 | 3.78% | 3,784 |
Logan | 6,111 | 60.36% | 3,948 | 38.99% | 35 | 0.35% | 31 | 0.31% | 2,163 | 21.36% | 10,125 |
Lyon | 1,968 | 59.96% | 1,275 | 38.85% | 23 | 0.70% | 16 | 0.49% | 693 | 21.12% | 3,282 |
Madison | 5,647 | 48.10% | 6,012 | 51.21% | 32 | 0.27% | 48 | 0.41% | -365 | -3.11% | 11,739 |
Magoffin | 1,352 | 36.39% | 2,347 | 63.18% | 7 | 0.19% | 9 | 0.24% | -995 | -26.78% | 3,715 |
Marion | 3,807 | 60.83% | 2,431 | 38.85% | 4 | 0.06% | 16 | 0.26% | 1,376 | 21.99% | 6,258 |
Marshall | 3,569 | 64.99% | 1,883 | 34.29% | 15 | 0.27% | 25 | 0.46% | 1,686 | 30.70% | 5,492 |
Martin | 330 | 15.89% | 1,726 | 83.10% | 8 | 0.39% | 13 | 0.63% | -1,396 | -67.21% | 2,077 |
Mason | 4,691 | 55.34% | 3,743 | 44.16% | 9 | 0.11% | 33 | 0.39% | 948 | 11.18% | 8,476 |
McCracken | 8,496 | 57.10% | 6,085 | 40.89% | 256 | 1.72% | 43 | 0.29% | 2,411 | 16.20% | 14,880 |
McCreary | 525 | 15.27% | 2,889 | 84.01% | 15 | 0.44% | 10 | 0.29% | -2,364 | -68.74% | 3,439 |
McLean | 2,754 | 52.75% | 2,408 | 46.12% | 50 | 0.96% | 9 | 0.17% | 346 | 6.63% | 5,221 |
Meade | 2,195 | 59.44% | 1,468 | 39.75% | 22 | 0.60% | 8 | 0.22% | 727 | 19.69% | 3,693 |
Menifee | 1,149 | 65.81% | 581 | 33.28% | 7 | 0.40% | 9 | 0.52% | 568 | 32.53% | 1,746 |
Mercer | 3,623 | 56.24% | 2,786 | 43.25% | 6 | 0.09% | 27 | 0.42% | 837 | 12.99% | 6,442 |
Metcalfe | 1,442 | 44.25% | 1,809 | 55.51% | 0 | 0.00% | 8 | 0.25% | -367 | -11.26% | 3,259 |
Monroe | 1,108 | 24.36% | 3,426 | 75.31% | 3 | 0.07% | 12 | 0.26% | -2,318 | -50.96% | 4,549 |
Montgomery | 3,069 | 58.35% | 2,163 | 41.12% | 9 | 0.17% | 19 | 0.36% | 906 | 17.22% | 5,260 |
Morgan | 3,347 | 64.79% | 1,802 | 34.88% | 4 | 0.08% | 13 | 0.25% | 1,545 | 29.91% | 5,166 |
Muhlenberg | 4,824 | 41.04% | 6,667 | 56.73% | 224 | 1.91% | 38 | 0.32% | -1,843 | -15.68% | 11,753 |
Nelson | 5,061 | 63.00% | 2,945 | 36.66% | 8 | 0.10% | 19 | 0.24% | 2,116 | 26.34% | 8,033 |
Nicholas | 2,953 | 65.71% | 1,496 | 33.29% | 11 | 0.24% | 34 | 0.76% | 1,457 | 32.42% | 4,494 |
Ohio | 4,011 | 41.91% | 5,371 | 56.12% | 144 | 1.50% | 45 | 0.47% | -1,360 | -14.21% | 9,571 |
Oldham | 2,655 | 72.07% | 1,014 | 27.52% | 5 | 0.14% | 10 | 0.27% | 1,641 | 44.54% | 3,684 |
Owen | 4,623 | 81.26% | 1,049 | 18.44% | 7 | 0.12% | 10 | 0.18% | 3,574 | 62.82% | 5,689 |
Owsley | 257 | 11.79% | 1,914 | 87.80% | 6 | 0.28% | 3 | 0.14% | -1,657 | -76.01% | 2,180 |
Pendleton | 2,598 | 54.67% | 2,105 | 44.30% | 10 | 0.21% | 39 | 0.82% | 493 | 10.37% | 4,752 |
Perry | 2,203 | 33.52% | 4,345 | 66.10% | 12 | 0.18% | 13 | 0.20% | -2,142 | -32.59% | 6,573 |
Pike | 5,619 | 41.25% | 7,911 | 58.08% | 32 | 0.23% | 60 | 0.44% | -2,292 | -16.83% | 13,622 |
Powell | 1,038 | 55.10% | 835 | 44.32% | 1 | 0.05% | 10 | 0.53% | 203 | 10.77% | 1,884 |
Pulaski | 3,749 | 33.90% | 7,262 | 65.67% | 18 | 0.16% | 30 | 0.27% | -3,513 | -31.77% | 11,059 |
Robertson | 940 | 59.87% | 623 | 39.68% | 0 | 0.00% | 7 | 0.45% | 317 | 20.19% | 1,570 |
Rockcastle | 1,438 | 28.66% | 3,561 | 70.96% | 7 | 0.14% | 12 | 0.24% | -2,123 | -42.31% | 5,018 |
Rowan | 1,264 | 44.40% | 1,564 | 54.94% | 13 | 0.46% | 6 | 0.21% | -300 | -10.54% | 2,847 |
Russell | 1,157 | 30.85% | 2,587 | 68.97% | 3 | 0.08% | 4 | 0.11% | -1,430 | -38.12% | 3,751 |
Scott | 4,993 | 65.02% | 2,661 | 34.65% | 10 | 0.13% | 15 | 0.20% | 2,332 | 30.37% | 7,679 |
Shelby | 5,446 | 61.34% | 3,402 | 38.32% | 12 | 0.14% | 19 | 0.21% | 2,044 | 23.02% | 8,879 |
Simpson | 3,206 | 65.34% | 1,680 | 34.24% | 5 | 0.10% | 16 | 0.33% | 1,526 | 31.10% | 4,907 |
Spencer | 2,135 | 65.63% | 1,102 | 33.88% | 5 | 0.15% | 11 | 0.34% | 1,033 | 31.76% | 3,253 |
Taylor | 2,380 | 48.59% | 2,493 | 50.90% | 6 | 0.12% | 19 | 0.39% | -113 | -2.31% | 4,898 |
Todd | 3,292 | 54.78% | 2,663 | 44.31% | 29 | 0.48% | 26 | 0.43% | 629 | 10.47% | 6,010 |
Trigg | 3,056 | 55.08% | 2,420 | 43.62% | 56 | 1.01% | 16 | 0.29% | 636 | 11.46% | 5,548 |
Trimble | 2,057 | 84.51% | 361 | 14.83% | 5 | 0.21% | 11 | 0.45% | 1,696 | 69.68% | 2,434 |
Union | 4,919 | 70.81% | 1,943 | 27.97% | 64 | 0.92% | 21 | 0.30% | 2,976 | 42.84% | 6,947 |
Warren | 7,010 | 55.64% | 5,474 | 43.45% | 34 | 0.27% | 81 | 0.64% | 1,536 | 12.19% | 12,599 |
Washington | 2,600 | 47.26% | 2,892 | 52.56% | 3 | 0.05% | 7 | 0.13% | -292 | -5.31% | 5,502 |
Wayne | 1,827 | 37.68% | 2,992 | 61.70% | 15 | 0.31% | 15 | 0.31% | -1,165 | -24.03% | 4,849 |
Webster | 4,831 | 57.41% | 3,554 | 42.23% | 12 | 0.14% | 18 | 0.21% | 1,277 | 15.18% | 8,415 |
Whitley | 1,556 | 17.64% | 7,235 | 82.04% | 20 | 0.23% | 8 | 0.09% | -5,679 | -64.40% | 8,819 |
Wolfe | 1,476 | 60.69% | 939 | 38.61% | 2 | 0.08% | 15 | 0.62% | 537 | 22.08% | 2,432 |
Woodford | 3,299 | 59.53% | 2,218 | 40.02% | 13 | 0.23% | 12 | 0.22% | 1,081 | 19.51% | 5,542 |
Totals | 456,497 | 49.69% | 452,480 | 49.26% | 6,409 | 0.70% | 3,250 | 0.35% | 4,017 | 0.44% | 918,636 |
References
- ^ Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
- ISBN 978-0-691-16324-6
- ^ "Presidential General Election Results Comparison – Kentucky". Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas.
- ISBN 9780813176307
- ISBN 081312977X
- ^ Harrison; A New History of Kentucky, p. 352
- ISBN 9780813121451
- ISBN 9780807857762
- ISBN 9781107140257
- ^ ISBN 9780813121505
- ISBN 0786422173
- ^ Dave Leip. "1920 Presidential General Election Results – Kentucky". Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas.
- ^ Kentucky Secretary of State; General Election Held November 2nd, 1920 Presidential Electors (Ledger)