1966 United States Senate election in Kentucky
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The 1966 United States Senate election in Kentucky took place on November 8, 1966. Incumbent Republican Senator John Sherman Cooper was elected to a second consecutive term in office,[a] defeating Democrat John Y. Brown Sr. in a rematch of the 1946 special election. This would be the first statewide election in Kentucky in which a Republican won Elliott County, and the only one until 2016 when Donald Trump won the county for president.
November 8, 1966
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County results Cooper: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Brown: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Republican primary
Candidates
- John Sherman Cooper, incumbent Senator since 1957[a]
- Thurman Jerome Hamlin, perennial candidate from London
- Sam M. Ward
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Sherman Cooper (incumbent) | 65,023 | 92.80% | |
| Republican | Sam M. Ward | 2,927 | 4.18% | |
| Republican | W. Howard Clay | 2,120 | 3.03% | |
| Total votes | 70,070 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
- John Y. Brown Sr., former U.S. Representative at-large and nominee for Senate in 1946
- Jesse N.R. Cecil
- James Ward Lentz
- Gaines P. Wilson
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John Y. Brown Sr. | 71,759 | 75.58% | |
| Democratic | Gaines P. Wilson | 12,921 | 13.61% | |
| Democratic | James Ward Lentz | 5,339 | 5.69% | |
| Democratic | Jesse N.R. Cecil | 4,861 | 5.12% | |
| Total votes | 94,940 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Sherman Cooper (incumbent) | 483,805 | 64.52% | |
| Democratic | John Y. Brown Sr. | 266,079 | 35.48% | |
| Total votes | 749,884 | 100.00% | ||
Results by county
| County | John Sherman Cooper Republican |
John Young Brown Sr. Democratic |
Margin | Total votes cast[4] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adair | 3,003 | 70.21% | 1,274 | 29.79% | 1,729 | 40.43% | 4,277 |
| Allen | 2,094 | 70.51% | 876 | 29.49% | 1,218 | 41.01% | 2,970 |
| Anderson | 1,799 | 60.27% | 1,186 | 39.73% | 613 | 20.54% | 2,985 |
| Ballard | 1,347 | 54.73% | 1,114 | 45.27% | 233 | 9.47% | 2,461 |
| Barren | 4,194 | 61.24% | 2,655 | 38.76% | 1,539 | 22.47% | 6,849 |
| Bath | 1,591 | 55.92% | 1,254 | 44.08% | 337 | 11.85% | 2,845 |
| Bell | 4,240 | 61.28% | 2,679 | 38.72% | 1,561 | 22.56% | 6,919 |
| Boone | 3,692 | 63.57% | 2,116 | 36.43% | 1,576 | 27.13% | 5,808 |
| Bourbon | 2,051 | 60.01% | 1,367 | 39.99% | 684 | 20.01% | 3,418 |
| Boyd | 8,462 | 62.95% | 4,980 | 37.05% | 3,482 | 25.90% | 13,442 |
| Boyle | 3,368 | 67.16% | 1,647 | 32.84% | 1,721 | 34.32% | 5,015 |
| Bracken | 1,190 | 64.46% | 656 | 35.54% | 534 | 28.93% | 1,846 |
| Breathitt | 1,195 | 34.43% | 2,276 | 65.57% | -1,081 | -31.14% | 3,471 |
| Breckinridge | 2,847 | 60.65% | 1,847 | 39.35% | 1,000 | 21.30% | 4,694 |
| Bullitt | 2,399 | 56.98% | 1,811 | 43.02% | 588 | 13.97% | 4,210 |
| Butler | 2,513 | 81.70% | 563 | 18.30% | 1,950 | 63.39% | 3,076 |
| Caldwell | 2,752 | 69.85% | 1,188 | 30.15% | 1,564 | 39.70% | 3,940 |
| Calloway | 3,244 | 63.68% | 1,850 | 36.32% | 1,394 | 27.37% | 5,094 |
| Campbell | 12,128 | 64.02% | 6,817 | 35.98% | 5,311 | 28.03% | 18,945 |
| Carlisle | 1,417 | 61.08% | 903 | 38.92% | 514 | 22.16% | 2,320 |
| Carroll | 940 | 47.36% | 1,045 | 52.64% | -105 | -5.29% | 1,985 |
| Carter | 3,234 | 66.65% | 1,618 | 33.35% | 1,616 | 33.31% | 4,852 |
| Casey | 3,299 | 80.48% | 800 | 19.52% | 2,499 | 60.97% | 4,099 |
| Christian | 4,394 | 58.96% | 3,058 | 41.04% | 1,336 | 17.93% | 7,452 |
| Clark | 2,850 | 62.97% | 1,676 | 37.03% | 1,174 | 25.94% | 4,526 |
| Clay | 2,802 | 76.68% | 852 | 23.32% | 1,950 | 53.37% | 3,654 |
| Clinton | 2,150 | 84.41% | 397 | 15.59% | 1,753 | 68.83% | 2,547 |
| Crittenden | 1,825 | 70.30% | 771 | 29.70% | 1,054 | 40.60% | 2,596 |
| Cumberland | 1,698 | 80.13% | 421 | 19.87% | 1,277 | 60.26% | 2,119 |
| Daviess | 10,152 | 59.62% | 6,877 | 40.38% | 3,275 | 19.23% | 17,029 |
| Edmonson | 1,878 | 75.48% | 610 | 24.52% | 1,268 | 50.96% | 2,488 |
| Elliott | 846 | 53.85% | 725 | 46.15% | 121 | 7.70% | 1,571 |
| Estill | 2,201 | 67.66% | 1,052 | 32.34% | 1,149 | 35.32% | 3,253 |
| Fayette | 22,374 | 66.27% | 11,390 | 33.73% | 10,984 | 32.53% | 33,764 |
| Fleming | 1,892 | 63.81% | 1,073 | 36.19% | 819 | 27.62% | 2,965 |
| Floyd | 4,890 | 55.98% | 3,846 | 44.02% | 1,044 | 11.95% | 8,736 |
| Franklin | 5,002 | 47.91% | 5,439 | 52.09% | -437 | -4.19% | 10,441 |
| Fulton | 1,406 | 65.49% | 741 | 34.51% | 665 | 30.97% | 2,147 |
| Gallatin | 529 | 51.01% | 508 | 48.99% | 21 | 2.03% | 1,037 |
| Garrard | 2,210 | 67.92% | 1,044 | 32.08% | 1,166 | 35.83% | 3,254 |
| Grant | 1,476 | 61.89% | 909 | 38.11% | 567 | 23.77% | 2,385 |
| Graves | 5,231 | 61.82% | 3,230 | 38.18% | 2,001 | 23.65% | 8,461 |
| Grayson | 3,642 | 72.94% | 1,351 | 27.06% | 2,291 | 45.88% | 4,993 |
| Green | 2,099 | 67.06% | 1,031 | 32.94% | 1,068 | 34.12% | 3,130 |
| Greenup | 4,676 | 61.02% | 2,987 | 38.98% | 1,689 | 22.04% | 7,663 |
| Hancock | 980 | 64.64% | 536 | 35.36% | 444 | 29.29% | 1,516 |
| Hardin | 5,876 | 64.69% | 3,207 | 35.31% | 2,669 | 29.38% | 9,083 |
| Harlan | 6,056 | 69.26% | 2,688 | 30.74% | 3,368 | 38.52% | 8,744 |
| Harrison | 1,905 | 55.56% | 1,524 | 44.44% | 381 | 11.11% | 3,429 |
| Hart | 2,730 | 65.93% | 1,411 | 34.07% | 1,319 | 31.85% | 4,141 |
| Henderson | 3,523 | 54.85% | 2,900 | 45.15% | 623 | 9.70% | 6,423 |
| Henry | 1,625 | 52.30% | 1,482 | 47.70% | 143 | 4.60% | 3,107 |
| Hickman | 1,298 | 69.30% | 575 | 30.70% | 723 | 38.60% | 1,873 |
| Hopkins | 4,534 | 56.85% | 3,442 | 43.15% | 1,092 | 13.69% | 7,976 |
| Jackson | 2,549 | 87.53% | 363 | 12.47% | 2,186 | 75.07% | 2,912 |
| Jefferson | 113,648 | 66.48% | 57,312 | 33.52% | 56,336 | 32.95% | 170,960 |
| Jessamine | 2,379 | 68.76% | 1,081 | 31.24% | 1,298 | 37.51% | 3,460 |
| Johnson | 3,623 | 73.80% | 1,286 | 26.20% | 2,337 | 47.61% | 4,909 |
| Kenton | 16,115 | 67.84% | 7,638 | 32.16% | 8,477 | 35.69% | 23,753 |
| Knott | 1,474 | 43.49% | 1,915 | 56.51% | -441 | -13.01% | 3,389 |
| Knox | 3,884 | 74.35% | 1,340 | 25.65% | 2,544 | 48.70% | 5,224 |
| Larue | 2,052 | 69.16% | 915 | 30.84% | 1,137 | 38.32% | 2,967 |
| Laurel | 4,988 | 78.54% | 1,363 | 21.46% | 3,625 | 57.08% | 6,351 |
| Lawrence | 1,961 | 61.94% | 1,205 | 38.06% | 756 | 23.88% | 3,166 |
| Lee | 1,449 | 68.71% | 660 | 31.29% | 789 | 37.41% | 2,109 |
| Leslie | 2,049 | 82.39% | 438 | 17.61% | 1,611 | 64.78% | 2,487 |
| Letcher | 3,528 | 65.88% | 1,827 | 34.12% | 1,701 | 31.76% | 5,355 |
| Lewis | 2,327 | 75.65% | 749 | 24.35% | 1,578 | 51.30% | 3,076 |
| Lincoln | 2,916 | 66.00% | 1,502 | 34.00% | 1,414 | 32.01% | 4,418 |
| Livingston | 1,483 | 64.06% | 832 | 35.94% | 651 | 28.12% | 2,315 |
| Logan | 2,638 | 46.54% | 3,030 | 53.46% | -392 | -6.92% | 5,668 |
| Lyon | 977 | 62.91% | 576 | 37.09% | 401 | 25.82% | 1,553 |
| Madison | 5,329 | 61.77% | 3,298 | 38.23% | 2,031 | 23.54% | 8,627 |
| Magoffin | 1,605 | 59.69% | 1,084 | 40.31% | 521 | 19.38% | 2,689 |
| Marion | 1,927 | 55.82% | 1,525 | 44.18% | 402 | 11.65% | 3,452 |
| Marshall | 3,465 | 64.75% | 1,886 | 35.25% | 1,579 | 29.51% | 5,351 |
| Martin | 1,446 | 76.11% | 454 | 23.89% | 992 | 52.21% | 1,900 |
| Mason | 2,812 | 66.23% | 1,434 | 33.77% | 1,378 | 32.45% | 4,246 |
| McCracken | 9,039 | 66.21% | 4,612 | 33.79% | 4,427 | 32.43% | 13,651 |
| McCreary | 2,460 | 86.86% | 372 | 13.14% | 2,088 | 73.73% | 2,832 |
| McLean | 1,478 | 55.61% | 1,180 | 44.39% | 298 | 11.21% | 2,658 |
| Meade | 1,823 | 57.85% | 1,328 | 42.15% | 495 | 15.71% | 3,151 |
| Menifee | 710 | 57.68% | 521 | 42.32% | 189 | 15.35% | 1,231 |
| Mercer | 2,695 | 60.93% | 1,728 | 39.07% | 967 | 21.86% | 4,423 |
| Metcalfe | 1,636 | 62.92% | 964 | 37.08% | 672 | 25.85% | 2,600 |
| Monroe | 3,171 | 80.73% | 757 | 19.27% | 2,414 | 61.46% | 3,928 |
| Montgomery | 2,053 | 65.72% | 1,071 | 34.28% | 982 | 31.43% | 3,124 |
| Morgan | 1,254 | 50.38% | 1,235 | 49.62% | 19 | 0.76% | 2,489 |
| Muhlenberg | 4,016 | 56.19% | 3,131 | 43.81% | 885 | 12.38% | 7,147 |
| Nelson | 3,280 | 61.93% | 2,016 | 38.07% | 1,264 | 23.87% | 5,296 |
| Nicholas | 886 | 61.49% | 555 | 38.51% | 331 | 22.97% | 1,441 |
| Ohio | 3,279 | 68.10% | 1,536 | 31.90% | 1,743 | 36.20% | 4,815 |
| Oldham | 1,727 | 60.68% | 1,119 | 39.32% | 608 | 21.36% | 2,846 |
| Owen | 1,042 | 44.10% | 1,321 | 55.90% | -279 | -11.81% | 2,363 |
| Owsley | 980 | 81.46% | 223 | 18.54% | 757 | 62.93% | 1,203 |
| Pendleton | 1,548 | 58.28% | 1,108 | 41.72% | 440 | 16.57% | 2,656 |
| Perry | 4,303 | 65.31% | 2,286 | 34.69% | 2,017 | 30.61% | 6,589 |
| Pike | 8,495 | 52.96% | 7,544 | 47.04% | 951 | 5.93% | 16,039 |
| Powell | 1,277 | 61.04% | 815 | 38.96% | 462 | 22.08% | 2,092 |
| Pulaski | 8,364 | 80.91% | 1,973 | 19.09% | 6,391 | 61.83% | 10,337 |
| Robertson | 394 | 65.89% | 204 | 34.11% | 190 | 31.77% | 598 |
| Rockcastle | 2,841 | 75.80% | 907 | 24.20% | 1,934 | 51.60% | 3,748 |
| Rowan | 2,054 | 64.41% | 1,135 | 35.59% | 919 | 28.82% | 3,189 |
| Russell | 2,592 | 79.98% | 649 | 20.02% | 1,943 | 59.95% | 3,241 |
| Scott | 1,932 | 55.84% | 1,528 | 44.16% | 404 | 11.68% | 3,460 |
| Shelby | 2,504 | 56.63% | 1,918 | 43.37% | 586 | 13.25% | 4,422 |
| Simpson | 1,419 | 61.64% | 883 | 38.36% | 536 | 23.28% | 2,302 |
| Spencer | 849 | 60.08% | 564 | 39.92% | 285 | 20.17% | 1,413 |
| Taylor | 2,563 | 69.74% | 1,112 | 30.26% | 1,451 | 39.48% | 3,675 |
| Todd | 1,514 | 60.01% | 1,009 | 39.99% | 505 | 20.02% | 2,523 |
| Trigg | 1,412 | 57.21% | 1,056 | 42.79% | 356 | 14.42% | 2,468 |
| Trimble | 683 | 43.75% | 878 | 56.25% | -195 | -12.49% | 1,561 |
| Union | 1,788 | 51.86% | 1,660 | 48.14% | 128 | 3.71% | 3,448 |
| Warren | 6,570 | 62.99% | 3,861 | 37.01% | 2,709 | 25.97% | 10,431 |
| Washington | 1,930 | 63.34% | 1,117 | 36.66% | 813 | 26.68% | 3,047 |
| Wayne | 2,642 | 66.13% | 1,353 | 33.87% | 1,289 | 32.27% | 3,995 |
| Webster | 1,801 | 53.46% | 1,568 | 46.54% | 233 | 6.92% | 3,369 |
| Whitley | 5,023 | 77.68% | 1,443 | 22.32% | 3,580 | 55.37% | 6,466 |
| Wolfe | 1,100 | 65.13% | 589 | 34.87% | 511 | 30.25% | 1,689 |
| Woodford | 2,305 | 64.62% | 1,262 | 35.38% | 1,043 | 29.24% | 3,567 |
| Totals | 483,805 | 64.52% | 266,079 | 35.48% | 217,726 | 29.03% | 749,884 |
See also
Notes
- Cooper had served three partial non-consecutive terms from 1946–1949, 1952–1955, and 1957–1961 and one full term beginning in 1961.