1896 United States presidential election in Kentucky

none June 2025 September 2023 1896 United States presidential election 1896 United States presidential election in Kentucky presidential no 1892 United States presidential election in Kentucky 1892 1900 United States presidential election in Kentucky 1900 November 3, 1896 x200px William McKinley by Courtney Art Studio, 1896 Alt Trim Edit 3x4.jpg William McKinley Republican Party (United States) Ohio Garret Hobart 12 218,171 48.93% Bryan, Hon. Wm. J 3x4.jpg William Jennings Bryan Democratic Party (United States) Nebraska Arthur Sewall 1 217,890 48.86% 380px 380px County results McKinley #f2b3be 40–50% #e27f90 50–60% #cc2f4a 60–70% #d40000 70–80% #aa0000 80–90% #800000 90–100% Bryan #b9d7ff 40–50% #86b6f2 50–60% #4389e3 60–70% #1666cb 70–80% President Grover Cleveland Democratic Party (United States) William McKinley Republican Party (United States) The 1896 United States presidential election in Kentucky took place on November 3, 1896. All contemporary 45 states were part of the 1896 United States presidential election. Voters chose 13 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president. Kentucky was won by the Republican nominees, former Ohio Governor William McKinley and his running mate Garret Hobart of New Jersey. They defeated the Democratic and Populist nominees, former Nebraska Representative William Jennings Bryan and his running mate Arthur Sewall of Maine. McKinley won the state by a very narrow margin of 0.07%. As a result of his win, McKinley became the first Republican presidential candidate to ever win Kentucky. He would also be the only Republican presidential candidate to win the state until Calvin Coolidge in 1924. Ever since the Civil War, Kentucky had been shaped politically by divisions created by that war between secessionist, Democratic counties and Unionist, Republican ones,Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016 although the state as a whole leaned Democratic throughout this era and the GOP would never carry the state during the Third Party System.Phillips, Kevin P.; The Emerging Republican Majority, p. 350 978-0-691-16324-6 However, the Democratic Party in the state was heavily divided over free silver and the role of corporations in the middle 1890s, and it lost the governorship for the first time in forty years in 1895 due to Populist defections.Brown, Thomas J.; ‘’The Roots of Bluegrass Insurgency: An Analysis of the Populist Movement in Kentucky; The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, Vol. 78, No. 3 (Summer 1980), pp. 219-242 For the 1896 election, the Democratic Party would aim to fuse with the Populists, and adopted the Populist free silver platform under former Nebraska Representative William Jennings Bryan. In contrast to the majority of antebellum slave states, and despite the majority of the state's economy being an agricultural one revolving around tobacco, Kentucky was sufficiently close to the industrial Northeast that it had a significant urban working class in its Ohio River cities that opposed free silverShannon, Jasper Berry and McQuown, Ruth; Presidential Politics in Kentucky, 1824-1948: A Compilation of Election Statistics and an Analysis of Political Behavior (1950), p. 96 because it would cause inflation.Weir, Robert E.; Workers in America: A Historical Encyclopedia, p. 320 1598847198 Similar views were held by workers in Kentucky's developing coal mining industry. Polls late in October nonetheless showed Bryan carrying the state by a margin only slightly reduced from what discredited incumbent President Grover Cleveland had achieved in 1892.‘McKinley Over 100,000 Ahead: Count in the Postal Card Canvas of the Middle West’; Evening Star (Washington D.C.), October 22, 1896, p. 11 A week later, however, polls had McKinley and Hobart carrying Kentucky by seventeen thousand votes.‘McKinley’s Kentucky Plurality’; St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 28, 1896, p. 2 As it turned out, the state was exceedingly close, with McKinley becoming the first Republican presidential candidate to carry Kentucky, by a mere 281 votes, or 0.06301%. Owing to the direct election of presidential electors and the extreme closeness of the result, one Bryan elector and twelve McKinley electors were chosen. McKinley's victory is, by percentage margin, the seventh-closest popular results for presidential electors on record.The closer ones, beginning with the closest, are Florida in 2000, Maryland in 1832, Maryland in 1904, California in 1912, California in 1892 and Hawaii in 1960. McKinley would later lose Kentucky to Bryan four years later and Bryan would later win the state again in 1908 against William Howard Taft. Results + General Election ResultsComonwealth of Kentucky Official Returns of Election Held November 3, 1896 https://www.newspapers.com/image/29920995/ 8 October 2026 The Courier-Journal 21 December 1896 Louisville 6-7Party Pledged to Elector Votes Republican William McKinley S. H. Kash218,171 Democratic William Jennings Bryan W. B. Smith217,890 Republican William McKinley H. G. Trimble215,458 Republican William McKinley O. S. Deming215,431 Republican William McKinley J. Frank Taylor215,426 Republican William McKinley Charles F. Stiglitz215,423 Republican William McKinley George H. Towery215,418There is some disagreement on Towery's total. Early newspaper reports gave it as 215,438 while the full report in the 12/21/1896 Courier-Journal gives it as 215,408. However, the district totals listed in Courier-Journal add up to 215,418 and the county results match up to the district results. Republican William McKinley John H. Bosley215,415 Republican William McKinley N. D. Miles215,409 Republican William McKinley W. S. Mason215,408 Republican William McKinley David B. Wallace215,407 Republican William McKinley J. B. Wilhoit215,404 Republican William McKinley J. S. R. Wedding215,402Since Wedding and Howes tied, the 12 uncontested electors chose Wedding over Howes by a vote of 10-2 to be the 13th elector.Twelve Votes Cast For McKinley and One For Bryan https://www.newspapers.com/image/32513937/ 8 October 2026 The Courier-Journal 12 January 1897 Louisville 5 Republican William McKinley H. S. Howes215,402 Democratic William Jennings Bryan James P. Tarvin215,091 Democratic William Jennings Bryan J. C. Flournoy215,073 Democratic William Jennings Bryan Henry F. Turner215,053 Democratic William Jennings Bryan W. R. Browder215,048 Democratic William Jennings Bryan Wallace McKay215,045 Democratic William Jennings Bryan Gus Brown215,043 Democratic William Jennings Bryan Robert J. Breckinridge215,032 Democratic William Jennings Bryan Harvey Myers215,022 Democratic William Jennings Bryan W. G. Ramsey215,021 Democratic William Jennings Bryan Thomas J. Wells215,013 Democratic William Jennings Bryan Robert B. Franklin214,995 Democratic William Jennings Bryan Henry Beauchamp214,943 National Sound Money John M. Palmer J. Q. Ward5,108The stated total for Ward is 5,114 but this appears to be a mistake. The sum of the district totals is 5,108 and the county data matches the district totals exactly. National Sound Money John M. Palmer R. N. Wathen5,019 National Sound Money John M. Palmer R. T. Tyler5,009 National Sound Money John M. Palmer George Givens5,006 National Sound Money John M. Palmer Thomas W. Bullitt5,004 National Sound Money John M. Palmer J. C. Sims5,004 National Sound Money John M. Palmer J. C. Speight5,003 National Sound Money John M. Palmer C. M. Alberti5,001 National Sound Money John M. Palmer W. B. Snyder5,000 National Sound Money John M. Palmer John F. Wight4,999 National Sound Money John M. Palmer E. B. Wilhoit4,999 National Sound Money John M. Palmer W. W. McGuire4,998 National Sound Money John M. Palmer H. C. Baker4,991 Prohibition Joshua Levering T. B. Demaree4,781 Prohibition Joshua Levering R. S. Eastin4,530 Prohibition Joshua Levering Josiah Harris4,530 Prohibition Joshua Levering J. N. Likens4,526 Prohibition Joshua Levering J. R. Pile4,526 Prohibition Joshua Levering Crit G. Hughes4,525 Prohibition Joshua Levering Simon H. Demaree4,524 Prohibition Joshua Levering George F. Clark4,523 Prohibition Joshua Levering R. L. Garrison4,523 Prohibition Joshua Levering Bradford McGregor4,523 Prohibition Joshua Levering R. B. Neal4,521 Prohibition Joshua Levering O. T. Wallace4,521 Prohibition Joshua Levering R. S. Friend4,520Votes cast"highest" Based on highest elector on each ticket 445,928 Results by county CountyPlumb George E. The Daily News Almanac and Political Register for 1897 1897 Chicago Daily News Company Chicago 342-343 https://archive.org/details/chicagodailynews1897unse/page/342/mode/2up 8 October 2026The World Almanac and Encyclopedia 1897 1897 The Press Publishing Co. New York 438-439 https://archive.org/details/worldalmanacency1897newy/page/438/mode/2up 8 October 2026 William McKinleyRepublican William Jennings BryanDemocratic John M. PalmerSound Money Joshua LeveringProhibition Margin Total votes cast"highest" # % # % # % # % # % Adair 1,612 53.40% 1,345 44.55% 40 1.32% 22 0.73% 267 8.84% 3,019 Allen 1,595 51.45% 1,460 47.10% 13 0.42% 32 1.03% 135 4.35% 3,100 Anderson 1,151 46.06% 1,286 51.46% 45 1.80% 17 0.68% -135 -5.40% 2,499 Ballard 495 22.41% 1,670 75.60% 9 0.41% 35 1.58% -1,175 -53.19% 2,209 Barren 2,092 40.25% 3,006 57.84% 43 0.83% 56 1.08% -914 -17.59% 5,197 Bath 1,579 45.98% 1,791 52.15% 23 0.67% 41 1.19% -212 -6.17% 3,434 Bell 1,900 74.54% 615 24.13% 21 0.82% 13 0.51% 1,285 50.41% 2,549 Boone 781 24.83% 2,317 73.65% 13 0.41% 35 1.11% -1,536 -48.82% 3,146 Bourbon 2,578 52.76% 2,210 45.23% 58 1.19% 40 0.82% 368 7.53% 4,886 Boyd 2,087 61.26% 1,241 36.43% 35 1.03% 44 1.29% 846 24.83% 3,407 Boyle 1,687 56.25% 1,206 40.21% 71 2.37% 35 1.17% 481 16.04% 2,999 Bracken 1,226 40.21% 1,762 57.79% 14 0.46% 47 1.54% -536 -17.58% 3,049 Breathitt 776 38.92% 1,204 60.38% 5 0.25% 9 0.45% -428 -21.46% 1,994 Breckinridge 2,274 49.76% 2,202 48.18% 43 0.94% 51 1.12% 72 1.58% 4,570 Bullitt 799 39.01% 1,168 57.03% 55 2.69% 26 1.27% -369 -18.02% 2,048 Butler 1,907 61.50% 1,139 36.73% 16 0.52% 39 1.26% 768 24.77% 3,101 Caldwell 1,544 49.66% 1,530 49.21% 24 0.77% 11 0.35% 14 0.45% 3,109 Calloway 561 17.38% 2,572 79.70% 9 0.28% 85 2.63% -2,011 -62.32% 3,227 Campbell 5,821 56.72% 4,304 41.94% 36 0.35% 102 0.99% 1,517 14.78% 10,263 Carlisle 390 18.68% 1,624 77.78% 16 0.77% 58 2.78% -1,234 -59.10% 2,088 Carroll 685 27.19% 1,778 70.58% 26 1.03% 30 1.19% -1,093 -43.39% 2,519 Carter 2,440 58.46% 1,665 39.89% 39 0.93% 30 0.72% 775 18.57% 4,174 Casey 1,643 59.46% 1,061 38.40% 26 0.94% 33 1.19% 582 21.06% 2,763 Christian 4,525 57.87% 3,145 40.22% 66 0.84% 83 1.06% 1,380 17.65% 7,819 Clark 2,032 48.17% 2,055 48.72% 98 2.32% 33 0.78% -23 -0.55% 4,218 Clay 1,725 69.98% 707 28.68% 7 0.28% 26 1.05% 1,018 41.30% 2,465 Clinton 1,004 72.44% 360 25.97% 11 0.79% 11 0.79% 644 46.46% 1,386 Crittenden 1,574 49.59% 1,576 49.65% 9 0.28% 15 0.47% -2 -0.06% 3,174 Cumberland 1,154 64.25% 621 34.58% 12 0.67% 9 0.50% 533 29.68% 1,796 Daviess 3,105 37.28% 4,952 59.46% 122 1.46% 149 1.79% -1,847 -22.18% 8,328 Edmonson 952 51.88% 863 47.03% 8 0.44% 12 0.65% 89 4.85% 1,835 Elliott 577 30.56% 1,294 68.54% 3 0.16% 14 0.74% -717 -37.98% 1,888 Estill 1,153 55.04% 929 44.34% 9 0.43% 4 0.19% 224 10.69% 2,095 Fayette 5,143 55.54% 3,938 42.53% 89 0.96% 90 0.97% 1,205 13.01% 9,260 Fleming 1,935 47.97% 2,013 49.90% 51 1.26% 35 0.87% -78 -1.93% 4,034 Floyd 1,057 42.50% 1,410 56.69% 5 0.20% 15 0.60% -353 -14.19% 2,487 Franklin 2,175 45.77% 2,465 51.87% 84 1.77% 28 0.59% -290 -6.10% 4,752 Fulton 603 28.70% 1,414 67.30% 47 2.24% 37 1.76% -811 -38.60% 2,101 Gallatin 396 29.44% 933 69.37% 8 0.59% 8 0.59% -537 -39.93% 1,345 Garrard 1,595 55.61% 1,171 40.83% 45 1.57% 57 1.99% 424 14.78% 2,868 Grant 1,417 42.41% 1,852 55.43% 35 1.05% 37 1.11% -435 -13.02% 3,341 Graves 1,628 25.15% 4,699 72.58% 53 0.82% 94 1.45% -3,071 -47.44% 6,474 Grayson 1,874 47.73% 2,002 50.99% 31 0.79% 19 0.48% -128 -3.26% 3,926 Green 1,389 54.36% 1,142 44.70% 17 0.67% 7 0.27% 247 9.67% 2,555 Greenup 1,802 55.65% 1,369 42.28% 15 0.46% 52 1.61% 433 13.37% 3,238 Hancock 1,026 48.08% 1,080 50.61% 13 0.61% 15 0.70% -54 -2.53% 2,134 Hardin 1,885 38.68% 2,848 58.44% 58 1.19% 82 1.68% -963 -19.76% 4,873 Harlan 1,189 83.15% 216 15.10% 11 0.77% 14 0.98% 973 68.04% 1,430 Harrison 1,705 37.66% 2,690 59.42% 61 1.35% 71 1.57% -985 -21.76% 4,527 Hart 1,999 49.59% 1,951 48.40% 62 1.54% 19 0.47% 48 1.19% 4,031 Henderson 2,750 40.05% 4,000 58.25% 69 1.00% 44 0.64% -1,250 -18.20% 6,867 Henry 1,711 43.24% 2,115 53.45% 92 2.32% 39 0.99% -404 -10.21% 3,957 Hickman 727 26.53% 1,928 70.36% 26 0.95% 59 2.15% -1,201 -43.83% 2,740 Hopkins 2,490 41.14% 3,470 57.34% 54 0.89% 38 0.63% -980 -16.19% 6,052 Jackson 1,517 87.79% 189 10.94% 15 0.87% 7 0.41% 1,328 76.85% 1,728 Jefferson 29,107 61.57% 16,707 35.34% 1,078 2.28% 380 0.80% 12,400 26.23% 47,272 Jessamine 1,343 46.53% 1,428 49.48% 48 1.66% 67 2.32% -85 -2.95% 2,886 Johnson 1,794 64.07% 975 34.82% 12 0.43% 19 0.68% 819 29.25% 2,800 Kenton 6,165 46.28% 7,008 52.60% 41 0.31% 108 0.81% -843 -6.33% 13,322 Knott 404 33.50% 795 65.92% 3 0.25% 4 0.33% -391 -32.42% 1,206 Knox 2,237 71.93% 833 26.78% 15 0.48% 25 0.80% 1,404 45.14% 3,110 Larue 955 41.49% 1,324 57.52% 10 0.43% 13 0.56% -369 -16.03% 2,302 Laurel 1,921 64.48% 969 32.53% 41 1.38% 48 1.61% 952 31.96% 2,979 Lawrence 1,966 51.39% 1,820 47.57% 22 0.58% 18 0.47% 146 3.82% 3,826 Lee 881 59.09% 587 39.37% 12 0.80% 11 0.74% 294 19.72% 1,491 Leslie 913 91.39% 81 8.11% 3 0.30% 2 0.20% 832 83.28% 999 Letcher 813 66.58% 388 31.78% 11 0.90% 9 0.74% 425 34.81% 1,221 Lewis 2,348 61.29% 1,433 37.41% 20 0.52% 30 0.78% 915 23.88% 3,831 Lincoln 1,833 50.27% 1,628 44.65% 61 1.67% 124 3.40% 205 5.62% 3,646 Livingston 872 38.41% 1,346 59.30% 48 2.11% 4 0.18% -474 -20.88% 2,270 Logan 2,484 42.09% 3,266 55.34% 91 1.54% 61 1.03% -782 -13.25% 5,902 Lyon 763 42.84% 969 54.41% 24 1.35% 25 1.40% -206 -11.57% 1,781 Madison 3,100 51.69% 2,756 45.96% 74 1.23% 67 1.12% 344 5.74% 5,997 Magoffin 1,148 57.46% 833 41.69% 4 0.20% 13 0.65% 315 15.77% 1,998 Marion 1,575 45.03% 1,873 53.54% 42 1.20% 8 0.23% -298 -8.52% 3,498 Marshall 568 22.21% 1,926 75.32% 16 0.63% 47 1.84% -1,358 -53.11% 2,557 Martin 730 75.73% 227 23.55% 4 0.41% 3 0.31% 503 52.18% 964 Mason 2,575 48.16% 2,698 50.46% 32 0.60% 42 0.79% -123 -2.30% 5,347 McCracken 2,284 42.62% 2,955 55.14% 31 0.58% 89 1.66% -671 -12.52% 5,359 McLean 935 38.97% 1,389 57.90% 25 1.04% 50 2.08% -454 -18.92% 2,399 Meade 781 33.35% 1,519 64.86% 30 1.28% 12 0.51% -738 -31.51% 2,342 Menifee 359 35.58% 636 63.03% 4 0.40% 10 0.99% -277 -27.45% 1,009 Mercer 1,765 48.33% 1,745 47.78% 91 2.49% 51 1.40% 20 0.55% 3,652 Metcalfe 1,153 54.21% 908 42.69% 33 1.55% 33 1.55% 245 11.52% 2,127 Monroe 1,613 66.16% 794 32.57% 18 0.74% 13 0.53% 819 33.59% 2,438 Montgomery 1,484 47.32% 1,624 51.79% 35 1.12% 24 0.77% -140 -4.46% 3,136 Morgan 910 35.27% 1,642 63.64% 11 0.43% 17 0.66% -732 -28.37% 2,580 Muhlenberg 2,217 55.20% 1,700 42.33% 49 1.22% 50 1.25% 517 12.87% 4,016 Nelson 1,446 38.66% 2,223 59.44% 46 1.23% 25 0.67% -777 -20.78% 3,740 Nicholas 1,159 37.28% 1,878 60.41% 19 0.61% 53 1.70% -719 -23.13% 3,109 Ohio 2,653 48.16% 2,679 48.63% 58 1.05% 119 2.16% -26 -0.47% 5,509 Oldham 691 40.48% 946 55.42% 46 2.69% 24 1.41% -255 -14.94% 1,707 Owen 1,086 23.94% 3,373 74.34% 38 0.84% 40 0.88% -2,287 -50.41% 4,537 Owsley 983 82.12% 197 16.46% 12 1.00% 5 0.42% 786 65.66% 1,197 Pendleton 1,585 44.11% 1,939 53.97% 26 0.72% 43 1.20% -354 -9.85% 3,593 Perry 824 68.84% 340 28.40% 27 2.26% 6 0.50% 484 40.43% 1,197 Pike 2,141 52.57% 1,900 46.65% 13 0.32% 19 0.47% 241 5.92% 4,073 Powell 625 46.61% 688 51.30% 14 1.04% 14 1.04% -63 -4.70% 1,341 Pulaski 3,668 62.48% 2,099 35.75% 58 0.99% 46 0.78% 1,569 26.72% 5,871 Robertson 449 39.49% 666 58.58% 3 0.26% 19 1.67% -217 -19.09% 1,137 Rockcastle 1,480 62.63% 846 35.80% 16 0.68% 21 0.89% 634 26.83% 2,363 Rowan 767 53.01% 650 44.92% 10 0.69% 20 1.38% 117 8.09% 1,447 Russell 1,038 60.95% 612 35.94% 37 2.17% 16 0.94% 426 25.01% 1,703 Scott 2,111 47.11% 2,237 49.92% 61 1.36% 72 1.61% -126 -2.81% 4,481 Shelby 2,029 42.92% 2,524 53.40% 122 2.58% 52 1.10% -495 -10.47% 4,727 Simpson 888 35.27% 1,531 60.80% 31 1.23% 63 2.50% -643 -25.54% 2,518 Spencer 596 37.23% 969 60.52% 21 1.31% 15 0.94% -373 -23.30% 1,601 Taylor 1,050 46.60% 1,166 51.75% 24 1.07% 13 0.58% -116 -5.15% 2,253 Todd 1,793 49.26% 1,707 46.90% 72 1.98% 68 1.87% 86 2.36% 3,640 Trigg 1,295 43.44% 1,633 54.78% 28 0.94% 25 0.84% -338 -11.34% 2,981 Trimble 418 23.93% 1,267 72.52% 32 1.83% 30 1.72% -849 -48.60% 1,747 Union 1,249 27.55% 3,183 70.22% 43 0.95% 58 1.28% -1,934 -42.66% 4,533 Warren 2,866 41.96% 3,716 54.41% 97 1.42% 151 2.21% -850 -12.45% 6,830 Washington 1,573 49.51% 1,536 48.35% 38 1.20% 30 0.94% 37 1.16% 3,177 Wayne 1,413 53.44% 1,190 45.01% 17 0.64% 24 0.91% 223 8.43% 2,644 Webster 1,484 37.16% 2,471 61.87% 21 0.53% 18 0.45% -987 -24.71% 3,994 Whitley 3,130 77.02% 862 21.21% 29 0.71% 43 1.06% 2,268 55.81% 4,064 Wolfe 583 36.69% 981 61.74% 12 0.76% 13 0.82% -398 -25.05% 1,589 Woodford 1,665 50.64% 1,546 47.02% 32 0.97% 45 1.37% 119 3.62% 3,288Totals218,17148.93%217,89048.86%5,1081.15%4,7811.07%2810.06%445,928 Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican Allen Bourbon Boyd Boyle Breckinridge Campbell Fayette Hart Jefferson Lawrence Lincoln Madison Mercer Pike Todd Washington Woodford Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic Crittenden See also United States presidential elections in Kentucky Notes References 2 Kentucky 1896 Category:1896 Kentucky elections