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  Wilkinson: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Harper: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Kentucky |
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 |
 Government |
The 1987 Kentucky gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1987. Democratic nominee Wallace Wilkinson defeated Republican nominee John Harper with 64.50% of the vote.
Primary elections were held on May 26, 1987. [1]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Wallace Wilkinson | 221,138 | 34.90 | |
| Democratic | John Y. Brown Jr. | 163,204 | 25.75 | |
| Democratic | Steve Beshear | 114,439 | 18.06 | |
| Democratic | W. Grady Stumbo | 84,613 | 13.35 | |
| Democratic | Julian Carroll | 42,137 | 6.65 | |
| Democratic | Stanley Luttrell | 3,788 | 0.60 | |
| Democratic | Dinwiddle Lampton Jr. | 2,638 | 0.42 | |
| Total votes | 633,718 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Harper | 37,432 | 41.42 | |
| Republican | Joseph E. Johnson III | 22,396 | 24.78 | |
| Republican | Leonard "Buck" Beasley | 21,067 | 23.31 | |
| Republican | Thurman Jerome Hamlin | 9,475 | 10.49 | |
| Total votes | 90,370 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Wallace Wilkinson | 504,674 | 64.50% | +10.1% | |
| Republican | John Harper | 273,141 | 34.91% | −9.2% | |
| Majority | 231,533 | ||||
| Turnout | 777,815 | ||||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
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