Who won Kentucky in the 1896 presidential election?

Bryan (Democratic) carried Kentucky in 1896, winning its 13 electoral votes.

How many electoral votes did Kentucky have in 1896?

Kentucky cast 13 electoral votes in the 1896 presidential election.

Did Kentucky vote for the national winner in 1896?

No. Kentucky backed Bryan, while William McKinley won the presidency nationally.

Progressive EraKY · 13 EV

1896

Kentucky: Bryan carries 13 EV.

Kentucky cast its 13 electoral votes for Bryan (Democratic). National winner: William McKinley (Republican) — Kentucky voted against the national winner this cycle.

Kentucky in 1896

The 1896 contest saw Kentucky line up behind Bryan, delivering 13 electoral votes to the Democratic ticket. Nationally the result broke the other way — William McKinley (Republican) won the presidency, leaving Kentucky among the states he did not carry.

It marked the 9th consecutive election in which Kentucky backed the Democratic party, a streak reaching back to 1864. The region divided — Virginia, Tennessee, and Missouri joined Kentucky for the Democratic ticket, while Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, and Illinois did not. Across the 59 presidential elections Kentucky has taken part in, it has most often sided with the Democratic party (28 times). The vote fell within the Progressive Era — Trust-busting, suffrage, and World War I.

In the national count, William McKinley took 271 of the 447 electoral votes, against William Jennings Bryan's 176. William McKinley led the national popular vote with 51.02% of the ballots cast.

The 1896 national map

Kentucky full history →