Williams Records 4th Worst GOP Gubernatorial Tally in Kentucky in 140 Years

David Williams now holds two of the 10 worst showings by a Republican gubernatorial, U.S. Senate, or presidential nominee in Kentucky since 1871

There was little surprise Tuesday when Kentucky gubernatorial candidate David Williams turned in one of the most dismal performances for the Republican Party in state history.

According to unofficial results published at the Kentucky State Board of Elections, with 100 percent of the precincts reporting Williams received only 35.4 percent of the vote in his loss to one-term Democratic incumbent Steve Beshear.

That marks the fourth worst showing for a Republican gubernatorial candidate across 37 election cycles dating back 140 years to the 1870s – the first full decade in which a Republican nominee appeared on the ballot in all such contests in the Bluegrass State.

The lowest tally notched by a Republican gubernatorial nominee in Kentucky since 1870 was turned in by Peppy Martin in 1999 when she recorded just 22.2 percent of the vote in her failed bid to defeat Democratic incumbent Paul Patton.

Williams also barely eclipsed Republican John Harper’s 34.9 percent showing in 1987 against Wallace Wilkinson and GOPer Larry Hopkins’ 35.3 percent performance in 1991 in a loss to Brereton Jones.

The 35.4 percent recorded by Williams Tuesday is well below the 43.7 percent of the vote Republican nominees have averaged in Kentucky during this 140-year span.

Interestingly, as Republicans have made greater and greater inroads in the south in recent decades, the Kentucky GOP has turned in several of its worst ever showings in gubernatorial races.

Five of the eight elections in which a Kentucky GOP gubernatorial candidate has failed to win 40 percent of the vote since 1871 have occurred during the last nine cycles: in 1975 (Robert Gable, 37.2 percent), 1987 (John Harper, 34.9 percent), 1991 (Larry Hopkins, 35.3 percent), 1999 (Peppy Martin, 22.2 percent), and 2011 (David Williams, 35.4 percent).

David Williams now holds the distinction of owning two of the 10 worst performances for a Republican on the Kentucky ballot out of the 112 elections for governor, U.S. Senate, or president since the 1870s.

In 1992, Williams received just 35.8 percent of the vote in a U.S. Senate race against Democratic incumbent Wendell Ford, which is the 3rd lowest mark ever notched by a GOP U.S. Senate nominee in state history.

The strong performance by independent candidate Gatewood Galbraith on Tuesday (winning 9 percent of the vote) undoubtedly depressed the vote tally a few points for both Williams and Governor Beshear.

Top 10 Worst Performances by a Republican Presidential, Gubernatorial, or U.S. Senate Candidate in Kentucky Since the 1870s

Rank	Year	Office	GOP Candidate	Percent
1	1999	Governor	Peppy Martin	22.2
2	1912	President	William Howard Taft	25.5
3	1986	U.S. Senate	Jackson Andrews	25.6
4	1980	U.S. Senate	Mary Foust	34.9
5	1987	Governor	John Harper	34.9
6	1991	Governor	Larry Hopkins	35.3
7	2011	Governor	David Williams	35.4
8	1964	President	Barry Goldwater	35.6
9	1992	U.S. Senate	David Williams	35.8
10	1879	Governor	Walter Evans	36.2

Table compiled by Smart Politics.

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