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 County results Congressional district resultsFord: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Emberton: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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The1971 Kentucky gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1971. IncumbentRepublicanLouie Nunn, was ineligible for a second term due to term limits, a rule that was later repealed in 1992.[1]
In theDemocratic primary,Lieutenant GovernorWendell Ford ran against former GovernorBert Combs and 6 other opponents. Ford would win in an easy victory that wasn't expected. In the Republican primary,Thomas Emberton easily won his primary and was endorsed by Governor Nunn.[2]
In the general election, Ford and Emberton were joined by former GovernorA. B. "Happy" Chandler, running as an Independent, as well as American Party candidate William Smith. The Republicans had hoped that Chandler would help Emberton's chances, but Ford ultimately won the general election.[3] As of 2022[update], this is the last time that the Republican candidate has wonJefferson County.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Wendell H. Ford | 237,815 | 53.01 | |
| Democratic | Bert T. Combs | 195,678 | 43.61 | |
| Democratic | William Shires | 3,934 | 0.88 | |
| Democratic | John E. Knipper | 3,128 | 0.70 | |
| Democratic | Earl R. McIntosh | 2,496 | 0.56 | |
| Democratic | Robert McCreary Johnson | 2,049 | 0.46 | |
| Democratic | Jesse N. R. Cecil | 1,838 | 0.41 | |
| Democratic | Wilton Benge Cupp | 1,729 | 0.39 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Thomas Emberton | 84,863 | 84.07 | |
| Republican | Reid Martin | 6,379 | 6.32 | |
| Republican | Thurman Jerome Hamlin | 5,469 | 5.42 | |
| Republican | Samuel Prather | 4,234 | 4.19 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Wendell H. Ford | 470,420 | 50.56 | |
| Republican | Thomas Emberton | 412,653 | 44.35 | |
| Independent | A. B. Chandler | 39,493 | 4.24 | |
| American | William Smith | 7,924 | 0.85 | |
| Democraticgain fromRepublican | ||||
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See also:Political party strength in Kentucky | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
