 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 28.6%[1] ( 9.2%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
 County results Congressional district resultsBeshear: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Williams: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
The2011 Kentucky gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2011, to elect thegovernor of Kentucky and thelieutenant governor of Kentucky. IncumbentDemocratSteve Beshear won re-election, defeatingRepublican challengerDavid L. Williams, then thepresident of the state senate, andGatewood Galbraith, an independent candidate. Statewide turnout in this election was 28%.[2]
This was one of the two Democratic-held governorships up for election in a state thatJohn McCain won in the2008 presidential election, the other being West Virginia.
On July 19, 2009, Beshear announced his intention to run for re-election. However, in that announcement, he stated that then-Louisville mayorJerry Abramson would be his running mate in 2011[3] instead of current Lt. GovernorDaniel Mongiardo, who chose to run for the U.S. Senate in2010.[4] Kentucky state law requires that gubernatorial candidates file to run with running mates, otherwise they cannot legally raise money. Beshear wanted to fundraise and this would have required Mongiardo also saying that he was running in 2011, which he couldn't do.[5] Beshear and Abramson did not face any opposition for the Democratic nomination.
Among Republicans, Kentucky State Senate PresidentDavid Williams fromBurkesville announced his official candidacy along with running mateRichie Farmer, the term-limited State Agriculture Commissioner and formerKentucky Wildcats basketball player.[6] Louisville businessman Phil Moffett also announced his ticket with State Representative Mike Harmon fromDanville as his running mate.[7] Moffett was seen as the Tea Party favorite.[8] However, Williams also advocated for similar positions as Moffett, such as the repeal of theSeventeenth Amendment to theUnited States Constitution[9] and promoting tax reforms similar to what Moffett proposed.
AttorneyGatewood Galbraith of Lexington filed to run his fourth gubernatorial campaign as an independent on July 4, 2009, choosing marketing consultant Dea Riley as his running mate.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Steve Beshear (incumbent) | 446,048 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 446,048 | 100.00% | ||
| Poll Source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Bobbie Holsclaw | Phil Moffett | David Williams | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Survey USA[14] | May 4–10, 2011 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 12% | 21% | 47% | 21% |
| Survey USA[15] | April 8–13, 2011 | 507 | ± 4.4% | 12% | 14% | 49% | 25% |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | David Williams | 68,528 | 48.0% | |
| Republican | Phil Moffett | 53,966 | 38.0% | |
| Republican | Bobbie Holsclaw | 19,614 | 14.0% | |
| Total votes | 142,108 | 100.0% | ||
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Rothenberg Political Report[18] | Lean D | November 4, 2011 |
| Governing[19] | Lean D | November 4, 2011 |
| Cook[20] | Lean D | November 4, 2011 |
| Sabato[21] | Likely D | November 4, 2011 |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Steve Beshear (D) | David Williams (R) | Gatewood Galbraith (I) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Survey USA[22] | October 28 – November 1, 2011 | 576 | ± 4.2% | 54% | 29% | 9% | 8% |
| Braun Research[23] | October 17–19, 2011 | 802 | ± 3.5% | 54% | 26% | 8% | 12% |
| Survey USA[24] | September 22–27, 2011 | 569 | ± 4.2% | 57% | 26% | 8% | 9% |
| Braun Research[25] | August 29–31, 2011 | 803 | ± 3.5% | 54% | 25% | 7% | 14% |
| Public Policy Polling[26] | August 25–28, 2011 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 55% | 28% | 10% | 8% |
| Survey USA[27] | July 22–27, 2011 | 512 | ± 4.4% | 52% | 28% | 9% | 11% |
| Braun Research[28] | June 6–8, 2011 | 802 | ± 3.5% | 51% | 30% | 6% | 14% |
| Survey USA[15] | April 8–13, 2011 | 1,589 | ± 2.5% | 51% | 39% | — | 10% |
| Braun Research[29] | February 28 – March 1, 2011 | 804 | ± 3.5% | 48% | 38% | — | 14% |
| Public Policy Polling[30] | October 28–30, 2010 | 1,021 | ± 3.1% | 44% | 35% | — | 21% |
| Mason-Dixon[31] | October 18–19, 2010 | 625 | ± 4.0% | 45% | 30% | 5% | 20% |
| Public Policy Polling[32] | September 11–12, 2010 | 959 | ± 3.2% | 44% | 39% | — | 17% |
| Braun Research[33] | August 30 – September 1, 2010 | 802 | ± 3.5% | 44% | 38% | — | 18% |
| Braun Research[34] | July 19–21, 2010 | 803 | ± 3.4% | 48% | 30% | — | 20% |
With Moffett
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Steve Beshear (D) | Phil Moffett (R) | Gatewood Galbraith (I) | Other/ Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Survey USA[15] | April 8–13, 2011 | 1,589 | ± 2.5% | 54% | 34% | — | 13% |
| Braun Research[29] | February 28-March 1, 2011 | 804 | ± 3.5% | 53% | 28% | — | 19% |
| Public Policy Polling[30] | October 28–30, 2010 | 1,021 | ± 3.1% | 45% | 26% | — | 29% |
| Mason-Dixon[35] | October 18–19, 2010 | 625 | ± 4.0% | 43% | 24% | 6% | 26% |
| Public Policy Polling[32] | September 11–12, 2010 | 959 | ± 3.2% | 46% | 28% | — | 26% |
| Braun Research[33] | September 1, 2010 | — | — | 49% | 29% | — | 22% |
With Holsclaw
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Steve Beshear (D) | Bobbie Holsclaw (R) | Gatewood Galbraith (I) | Other/ Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Survey USA[15] | April 8–13, 2011 | 1,589 | ± 2.5% | 53% | 34% | — | 13% |
| Braun Research[29] | February 28 – March 1, 2011 | 804 | ± 3.5% | 53% | 27% | — | 21% |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Steve Beshear (incumbent) | 464,245 | 55.72% | −2.99% | |
| Republican | David L. Williams | 294,034 | 35.29% | −6.00% | |
| Independent | Gatewood Galbraith | 74,860 | 8.99% | +8.99% | |
| Total votes | 833,139 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Democratichold | |||||
Beshear won all six congressional districts, including four that were represented by Republicans.[37]
| District | Beshear | Williams | Galbraith | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 54% | 41% | 5% | Ed Whitfield |
| 2nd | 57% | 38% | 6% | Brett Guthrie |
| 3rd | 67% | 27% | 6% | John Yarmuth |
| 4th | 53% | 40% | 6% | Geoff Davis |
| 5th | 47% | 44% | 8% | Hal Rogers |
| 6th | 56% | 23% | 21% | Ben Chandler |
Candidates
Information
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
See also:Political party strength in Kentucky | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
