The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government in Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length;since 1992,incumbents have been able to seek re-election once before becoming ineligible for four years. Throughout the state's history,four men have served two non-consecutive terms as governor,and four others have served two consecutive terms,the most recent being current governor Andy Beshear,who was re-elected to a second term on November 7,2023. Kentucky is one of only five U.S. states that hold gubernatorial elections in odd-numbered years.
Julian Morton Carroll was an American lawyer and politician from the state of Kentucky. A Democrat,he served as the 54th governor of Kentucky from 1974 to 1979,succeeding Wendell H. Ford,who resigned to accept a seat in the U.S. Senate. He was most recently a member of the Kentucky Senate,representing Anderson,Franklin,Woodford,Gallatin,and Owen counties. He was the first Kentucky governor from the state's far-western Jackson Purchase region. Thelma Stovall,who served as lieutenant governor with him,was the first woman to be elected lieutenant governor of Kentucky.
Anne Meagher Northup is an American Republican politician and educator from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. From 1997 to 2007,she represented the Louisville-centered 3rd congressional district of Kentucky in the United States House of Representatives,where she served on the powerful House Appropriations Committee. She lost reelection to Democrat John Yarmuth in the 2006 election. She then ran for Governor of Kentucky,losing by 15 points to embattled governor Ernie Fletcher in the Republican primary election for the 2007 Kentucky gubernatorial election. Prior to her election to the United States House of Representatives,Northup had served in the Kentucky House of Representatives. Northup ran again for her old congressional seat in the 2008 election,losing again to Yarmuth.
Ernest Lee Fletcher is an American physician and politician who was the 60th governor of Kentucky from 2003 to 2007. He previously served three consecutive terms in the United States House of Representatives before resigning after being elected governor. A member of the Republican Party,Fletcher was a family practice physician and a Baptist lay minister and is the second physician to be elected Governor of Kentucky;the first was Luke P. Blackburn in 1879. He was also the first Republican governor of Kentucky since Louie Nunn left office in 1971.
Jerry Edwin Abramson is an American Democratic politician who was the 55th lieutenant governor of Kentucky. On November 6,2014,Governor Steve Beshear announced that Abramson would step down from his position as lieutenant governor to accept the job of Director of Intergovernmental Affairs in the Obama White House. He was replaced by former State Auditor Crit Luallen.
John Crepps Wickliffe Beckham was an American attorney and politician who served as the 35th governor of Kentucky and a United States senator from Kentucky. He was the state's first popularly-elected senator after the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment.
United States gubernatorial elections were held in October and November 2007 in three states. The final results were a net change of zero among the parties. Republicans picked up the open seat in Louisiana and reelected incumbent Haley Barbour in Mississippi,while Democrats defeated Republican incumbent Ernie Fletcher in Kentucky.
The 2007 Kentucky gubernatorial election was held on November 6,2007. In this election,incumbent Republican Governor Ernie Fletcher ran for reelection to a second term,but was soundly defeated by Democratic challenger Steve Beshear. A primary election to determine the Republican and Democratic nominees for governor was held on May 22,2007,in which Fletcher and Beshear won their respective primaries. Steve Beshear's son Andy was elected Kentucky's State Attorney General in 2015 and Kentucky's Governor in 2019 and 2023.
John William Conway is an American lawyer and politician from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. A member of the Democratic Party,Conway served as the 49th attorney general of Kentucky from January 7,2008,to January 4,2016. Prior to his election as attorney general,he was the nominee for Kentucky's 3rd congressional district in the 2002 elections,narrowly losing to Republican incumbent Anne Northup.
Gregory D. Stumbo is an American lawyer and former speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives. A member of the Democratic Party,he served as Kentucky attorney general from 2004 to 2008. He was the Democratic candidate for the 2019 election for Attorney General.
Steve Henry is an American politician and orthopedic surgeon who was the 52nd Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky from 1995 through 2003. He twice ran unsuccessfully in statewide elections,finishing third in Democratic primaries for the United States Senate in 1998 and for Governor of Kentucky in 2007.
Irvin G. "Irv" Maze is an American lawyer who served as a judge of the Kentucky Court of Appeals from 2012 to 2023. He is a former circuit court judge in Jefferson County,Kentucky (Louisville) and previously elected to three terms as county attorney for Jefferson County.
The 2008 congressional elections in Kentucky were held on November 4,2008,to determine who would represent the state of Kentucky in the United States House of Representatives. Kentucky has six seats in the House,apportioned according to the 2000 United States census. Representatives are elected for two-year terms;those elected were to serve in the 111th Congress from January 4,2009,until January 3,2011. The election coincides with the 2008 U.S. presidential election.
As established and defined by the Kentucky Constitution,the government of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is composed of three branches:the Executive,Judicial,and Legislative.
The 2003 Kentucky gubernatorial election was held to elect the Governor of Kentucky on November 4,2003. Republican candidate Ernie Fletcher defeated Democrat Ben Chandler and became the first Republican governor of Kentucky in 32 years.
Steven Lynn Beshear is an American attorney and politician who served as the 61st governor of Kentucky from 2007 to 2015. He served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1974 to 1980,was the state's 44th attorney general from 1980 to 1983 and was the 49th lieutenant governor from 1983 to 1987.
The 2011 Kentucky gubernatorial election was held on November 8,2011,to elect the governor of Kentucky and the lieutenant governor of Kentucky. Incumbent Democrat Steve Beshear won re-election,defeating Republican challenger David L. Williams,then the president of the state senate,and Gatewood Galbraith,an independent candidate. Statewide turnout in this election was 28%.
A general election was held in the U.S. state of Kentucky on November 3,2015. All of Kentucky's executive officers were up for election. Primary elections were held on May 19,2015.
The 2019 Kentucky gubernatorial election took place on November 5,2019,to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of Kentucky. The Democratic nominee,Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear,defeated Republican incumbent Matt Bevin by just over 5,000 votes,or 0.37%,making this the closest gubernatorial election in Kentucky since 1899 by total votes,and the closest since 1915 by percentage. It was also the closest race of the 2019 gubernatorial election cycle.
Michael Gene Adams is an American politician who is a member of the Republican Party. He is the secretary of state of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. He succeeded Alison Lundergan Grimes on January 6,2020.
