2016 Kentucky Democratic presidential primary explained

Election Name:2016 Kentucky Democratic presidential primary
Country:Kentucky
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:2012 Kentucky Democratic presidential primary
Previous Year:2012
Next Election:2020 Kentucky Democratic primary
Next Year:2020
Candidate1:Hillary Clinton
Color1:d4aa00
Home State1:New York
Popular Vote1:212,534[1]
Percentage1:46.76%
Delegate Count1:28
Candidate2:Bernie Sanders
Color2:228B22
Home State2:Vermont
Popular Vote2:210,623
Percentage2:46.33%
Delegate Count2:27
Candidate3:Uncommitted
Color3:000000
Home State3:N/A
Delegate Count3:3
Popular Vote3:24,104
Percentage3:5.30%
Map Size:320px

The 2016 Kentucky Democratic presidential primary was held on May 17 in the U.S. state of Kentucky as one of the Democratic Party's primaries ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

On the same day, the Democratic Party held their Oregon primary. The Republican Party held their Kentucky caucuses in early March.

Opinion polling

See also: Statewide opinion polling for the Democratic Party presidential primaries, 2016.

Results

See also: Results of the Democratic Party presidential primaries, 2016.

Results by county

County[2] ClintonVotesSandersVotes
49.6% 46643.7%410
46.0% 42747.4%440
36.0% 1,13252.4%1,649
32.0% 40552.0%659
37.2% 1,97949.9%2,653
45.6% 62846.6%641
44.7% 56745.6%578
51.8% 2,93244.1%2,496
46.5% 1,10945.6%1,087
44.7% 2,19346.1%2,262
49.9% 1,64843.9%1,451
32.5% 25154.9%424
33.9% 1,12351.8%1,716
45.9% 87745.8%875
44.4% 2,90749.1%3,210
51.1% 23842.1%196
34.3% 57052.1%866
35.8% 1,46055.0%2,239
48.1% 3,16947.5%3,133
25.6% 20657.5%462
41.5% 48149.4%573
39.1% 80051.4%1,051
50.7% 21044.0%182
50.2% 2,43739.9%1,936
45.5% 1,81047.5%1,888
48.4% 18441.6%158
57.9% 15135.6%93
35.6% 24051.0%344
44.8% 7850.0%87
45.5% 5,06646.6%5,188
49.5% 27547.1%262
35.7% 30152.6%443
47.6% 44647.0%440
52.8% 20,01445.0%17,048
40.7% 62752.3%806
31.4% 2,32754.1%4,010
45.1% 5,21846.6%5,398
46.6% 31536.2%245
39.5% 26051.6%340
50.5% 43445.0%387
40.9% 59449.2%715
31.8% 1,63151.3%2,631
49.9% 70544.6%630
40.4% 28451.2%360
43.8% 1,51747.7%1,655
42.5% 49149.7%573
47.8% 4,35946.2%4,208
25.9% 45162.8%1,092
41.4% 88649.5%1,059
39.7% 81751.6%1,062
43.4% 2,88742.9%2,850
40.6% 78149.8%958
32.5% 20946.6%300
32.7% 1,69052.2%2,696
35.9% 7859.0%128
57.3% 64,09040.3%45,048
44.2% 1,87549.8%2,113
32.9% 44455.5%749
49.0% 5,14646.5%4,880
30.8% 58358.8%1,114
47.9% 52046.4%504
34.7% 61251.6%910
49.1% 84545.9%791
35.3% 44452.4%659
42.9% 19948.3%224
43.8% 6452.7%77
26.7% 83856.9%1,788
51.7% 21137.0%151
47.7% 77945.5%742
34.4% 40052.4%610
43.8% 1,07746.0%1,131
40.5% 49745.7%561
41.6% 3,44153.0%4,385
42.7% 51152.3%626
50.3% 1,16242.6%983
34.7% 1,57750.8%2,308
31.2% 10457.4%191
44.1% 72747.0%775
43.8% 3,33446.5%3,541
41.9% 16950.4%203
38.1% 47750.1%628
41.9% 1,31249.2%1,541
44.8% 31146.5%323
39.1% 98852.6%1,331
41.7% 50647.9%582
50.8% 12644.0%109
45.8% 1,28947.0%1,322
31.6% 54457.3%988
43.3% 1,54445.7%1,632
47.6% 2,39546.6%2,345
42.2% 35350.2%420
41.3% 77850.0%943
52.4% 2,73044.4%2,315
34.6% 45355.0%720
43.3% 7751.1%91
36.6% 38851.5%546
30.0% 83959.6%1,666
26.1% 2,33554.3%4,848
42.4% 62350.7%744
47.4% 1,16946.6%1,148
32.0% 9559.6%177
45.7% 23848.8%254
44.0% 1,17051.2%1,363
48.2% 34346.7%332
48.6% 2,50546.4%2,394
47.8% 2,19544.5%2,044
45.9% 70845.1%695
42.7% 67351.2%806
50.3% 94944.8%844
35.1% 33353.5%507
40.8% 60448.3%715
38.3% 41550.0%542
29.9% 67249.3%1,106
44.9% 4,82949.9%5,365
47.0% 60145.5%582
55.6% 50239.4%356
28.7% 69348.5%1,169
52.5% 52241.1%409
42.1% 41450.7%499
46.3% 1,86247.7%1,918
Total 46.8%212,55046.3% 210,626

Analysis

Clinton's strength with conservative white voters in the Appalachia region, including Coal Country, had clearly regressed since 2008; she had beaten Barack Obama 65–29 in Kentucky eight years earlier, and only beat rival Bernie Sanders 47–46 in 2016. She ran strongly in Louisville, where the African American population is highest, but lost many of the Eastern Kentucky Coalfield counties in the state to Bernie Sanders, who had won a large victory in neighboring West Virginia the week prior. Sanders also won many counties in the Jackson Purchase area. Notably, in 2012, almost all of the Sanders counties voted for the "Uncommitted" ballot option in a protest vote against Obama.

Notes and References

  1. http://elect.ky.gov/results/2010-2019/Documents/2016%20primary%20election%20results.pdf Kentucky Secretary of State
  2. Web site: 2016 Election Center. CNN. June 4, 2018.