1983 Kentucky lieutenant gubernatorial election
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The 1983 Kentucky lieutenant gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 1983, to elect the lieutenant governor of Kentucky. Incumbent Democratic lieutenant governor Martha Layne Collins chose not to seek re-election to a second term, instead choosing to run for governor.
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November 8, 1983
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| Turnout | 56.2%[1] | ||||||||||||||||
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 County results Beshear: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Stuart: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Incumbent Democratic Attorney General Steve Beshear beat Republican nominee Eugene P. Stuart.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Steve Beshear, incumbent Attorney General.[2]
Eliminated in primary
- George L. Atkins, former State Auditor (1976–1980) and cabinet secretary to governor John Y. Brown Jr.[3]
- Alben W. Barkley II, incumbent Agriculture Commissioner and grandson of Alben W. Barkley.
- Bill Spivey, former University of Kentucky basketball player.[4]
- Todd Hollenbach, former Jefferson County Judge/Executive (1970–1978), candidate for governor in 1975 and for this seat in 1979, and father of Todd Hollenbach IV.[5]
- George Herman Kendall, Lexington real estate agent.
- Guy W. Rockefeller.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Steve Beshear | 183,662 | 31.94% | |
| Democratic | George L. Atkins | 156,038 | 27.13% | |
| Democratic | Todd Hollenbach | 126,364 | 21.98% | |
| Democratic | Alben W. Barkley II | 76,046 | 13.22% | |
| Democratic | George H. Kendall | 12,519 | 2.18% | |
| Democratic | Guy W. Rockefeller | 10,406 | 1.81% | |
| Democratic | Bill Spivey | 9,987 | 1.74% | |
| Total votes | 575,022 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
After McCubbin lost the Republican primary, he became an independent candidate for governor. This was because Kentucky law (commonly called Sore loser law) prevented a candidate who lost a primary to run in the general election for the same office they were defeated in. At the same time, Don Wiggins Jr., an unsuccessful candidate for governor in the Republican primary, ran as an independent in the lieutenant gubernatorial election on a ticket with McCubbin.[7][8]
Candidates
Nominee
- Eugene P. Stuart, state senator from the 36th district.
Eliminated in primary
- Nicholas David McCubbin, Lexington lawyer.
- Tommy Klein, perennial candidate.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Eugene P. Stuart | 36,414 | 53.59% | |
| Republican | Nicholas D. McCubbin | 16,598 | 24.43% | |
| Republican | Tommy Klein | 14,932 | 21.98% | |
| Total votes | 67,944 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Candidates
- Democratic: Steve Beshear.
- Republican: Eugene P. Stuart.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Steve Beshear | 568,869 | 63.35% | |
| Republican | Eugene P. Stuart | 321,352 | 35.79% | |
| Independent | Don Wiggins Jr. | 7,728 | 0.86% | |
| Total votes | 897,949 | 100.00% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||