Kentucky 2027 · Statewide offices
Kentucky governor race 2027
Primary Tuesday, May 18, 2027 · General election Tuesday, November 2, 2027
Open seat. Andy Beshear won the governor's race in 2019 and 2023. Section 71 bars a governor from election for four years after two consecutive terms, so the 2027 race is for an open seat. [1][2][3]
Governor and lieutenant governor results
Primary: May 18, 2027
Results will appear here after the last Kentucky polls close, at 6 p.m. Central time on Tuesday, May 18, 2027. They come from the State Board of Elections results site and stay unofficial until the state certifies them.
General election: November 2, 2027
Results will appear here after the last Kentucky polls close, at 6 p.m. Central time on Tuesday, November 2, 2027. They come from the State Board of Elections results site and stay unofficial until the state certifies them.
Who is running for governor
As of November 6, 2026. The filing deadline for the primary is January 8, 2027 at 4 p.m.
Filed for the primary ballot
| Candidate | Party |
|---|---|
 | Republican |
Registered a campaign
| Candidate | Party | Registered |
|---|---|---|
| Photo not verifiedGeary Cooney | Independent | |
| Republican | |
 | Democratic | |
 | Republican | |
 | Democratic | |
| Photo not verifiedBrett St. Amand | Republican |
A Secretary of State filing puts a name on the primary ballot. A Registry of Election Finance registration only opens a campaign account. The two lists come from different agencies and are shown as published, without matching names. Governor candidates file with a running mate for lieutenant governor.
The 2023 result
Andy Beshear (Democratic) won by 67,025 votes out of 1,322,022 cast, according to the Secretary of State’s certified results.
| Slate | Party | Votes | Share | Counties won | McCracken County |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Democratic | 694,482 | 52.5% | 29 | 9,867 (47.1%) |
  | Republican | 627,457 | 47.5% | 91 | 11,099 (52.9%) |
| Photo not verifiedBrian FishbackPhoto not verifiedWilliam FishbackRunning mate | Write-in | 83 | <0.1% | 0 | 0 (0.0%) |
All 120 counties
| County | | | Photo not verifiedBrian Fishback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adair | 1,688 | 3,597 | 0 |
| Allen | 1,513 | 3,599 | 0 |
| Anderson | 4,212 | 5,078 | 0 |
| Ballard | 963 | 1,691 | 0 |
| Barren | 4,965 | 6,918 | 1 |
| Bath | 1,913 | 1,515 | 0 |
| Bell | 2,281 | 3,386 | 1 |
| Boone | 17,575 | 22,399 | 4 |
| Bourbon | 3,265 | 2,786 | 0 |
| Boyd | 6,068 | 5,710 | 0 |
| Boyle | 5,040 | 4,489 | 0 |
| Bracken | 939 | 1,417 | 0 |
| Breathitt | 1,763 | 1,119 | 0 |
| Breckinridge | 2,608 | 3,607 | 0 |
| Bullitt | 10,723 | 14,235 | 0 |
| Butler | 1,173 | 2,475 | 0 |
| Caldwell | 1,519 | 2,279 | 0 |
| Calloway | 5,211 | 6,054 | 0 |
| Campbell | 16,885 | 14,271 | 4 |
| Carlisle | 545 | 1,252 | 0 |
| Carroll | 1,112 | 1,207 | 0 |
| Carter | 2,978 | 3,321 | 1 |
| Casey | 1,129 | 3,200 | 0 |
| Christian | 5,135 | 6,893 | 2 |
| Clark | 5,938 | 5,561 | 3 |
| Clay | 1,441 | 2,603 | 0 |
| Clinton | 607 | 1,888 | 0 |
| Crittenden | 858 | 1,660 | 0 |
| Cumberland | 503 | 1,400 | 0 |
| Daviess | 15,572 | 14,895 | 2 |
| Edmonson | 1,358 | 2,272 | 3 |
| Elliott | 875 | 761 | 0 |
| Estill | 1,509 | 2,069 | 0 |
| Fayette | 74,298 | 29,239 | 8 |
| Fleming | 1,865 | 2,562 | 0 |
| Floyd | 5,136 | 3,852 | 1 |
| Franklin | 13,500 | 6,201 | 0 |
| Fulton | 615 | 755 | 0 |
| Gallatin | 865 | 1,260 | 0 |
| Garrard | 2,141 | 3,539 | 0 |
| Grant | 2,220 | 4,093 | 1 |
| Graves | 3,885 | 6,763 | 0 |
| Grayson | 2,514 | 4,454 | 1 |
| Green | 1,082 | 2,569 | 1 |
| Greenup | 4,498 | 5,336 | 0 |
| Hancock | 1,464 | 1,499 | 0 |
| Hardin | 14,336 | 14,511 | 0 |
| Harlan | 1,904 | 3,702 | 0 |
| Harrison | 2,775 | 2,878 | 0 |
| Hart | 1,920 | 3,051 | 0 |
| Henderson | 7,048 | 5,589 | 1 |
| Henry | 2,325 | 2,844 | 1 |
| Hickman | 470 | 953 | 0 |
| Hopkins | 5,762 | 6,901 | 0 |
| Jackson | 743 | 2,499 | 1 |
| Jefferson | 179,854 | 76,908 | 11 |
| Jessamine | 8,007 | 9,104 | 1 |
| Johnson | 1,898 | 3,220 | 0 |
| Kenton | 26,066 | 23,301 | 4 |
| Knott | 1,847 | 1,545 | 0 |
| Knox | 2,286 | 4,333 | 0 |
| Larue | 1,756 | 2,796 | 1 |
| Laurel | 4,974 | 10,862 | 1 |
| Lawrence | 1,361 | 2,287 | 0 |
| Lee | 705 | 817 | 0 |
| Leslie | 667 | 1,530 | 0 |
| Letcher | 2,205 | 2,009 | 0 |
| Lewis | 911 | 1,968 | 0 |
| Lincoln | 2,586 | 4,252 | 0 |
| Livingston | 1,061 | 1,836 | 0 |
| Logan | 2,449 | 4,105 | 3 |
| Lyon | 1,221 | 1,619 | 0 |
| Madison | 14,012 | 13,080 | 1 |
| Magoffin | 1,577 | 1,553 | 0 |
| Marion | 2,891 | 2,653 | 1 |
| Marshall | 4,610 | 6,932 | 1 |
| Martin | 513 | 1,208 | 0 |
| Mason | 2,247 | 2,566 | 1 |
| McCracken | 9,867 | 11,099 | 0 |
| McCreary | 853 | 2,170 | 1 |
| McLean | 1,238 | 1,739 | 0 |
| Meade | 3,599 | 4,742 | 3 |
| Menifee | 862 | 1,016 | 1 |
| Mercer | 3,399 | 4,279 | 1 |
| Metcalfe | 1,242 | 1,788 | 0 |
| Monroe | 1,023 | 3,025 | 0 |
| Montgomery | 3,962 | 4,073 | 0 |
| Morgan | 1,630 | 1,824 | 1 |
| Muhlenberg | 3,833 | 4,419 | 0 |
| Nelson | 7,562 | 7,375 | 0 |
| Nicholas | 1,142 | 897 | 0 |
| Ohio | 2,479 | 3,839 | 0 |
| Oldham | 12,952 | 13,177 | 1 |
| Owen | 1,494 | 2,190 | 0 |
| Owsley | 381 | 552 | 0 |
| Pendleton | 1,511 | 2,444 | 0 |
| Perry | 3,121 | 2,473 | 0 |
| Pike | 5,797 | 6,954 | 0 |
| Powell | 1,518 | 1,517 | 0 |
| Pulaski | 6,139 | 12,957 | 1 |
| Robertson | 307 | 388 | 0 |
| Rockcastle | 1,244 | 3,029 | 0 |
| Rowan | 3,907 | 2,524 | 0 |
| Russell | 1,604 | 3,737 | 0 |
| Scott | 10,575 | 8,801 | 1 |
| Shelby | 7,946 | 8,751 | 4 |
| Simpson | 1,905 | 2,718 | 0 |
| Spencer | 2,752 | 4,677 | 0 |
| Taylor | 3,198 | 4,641 | 0 |
| Todd | 907 | 1,753 | 2 |
| Trigg | 1,532 | 2,591 | 0 |
| Trimble | 1,108 | 1,405 | 0 |
| Union | 1,722 | 2,107 | 0 |
| Warren | 18,165 | 16,685 | 5 |
| Washington | 1,772 | 2,346 | 1 |
| Wayne | 1,754 | 2,885 | 0 |
| Webster | 1,425 | 2,024 | 0 |
| Whitley | 2,697 | 5,540 | 0 |
| Wolfe | 1,010 | 754 | 0 |
| Woodford | 6,414 | 4,411 | 0 |
What the governor does
- The governor holds the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth and must take care that the laws are faithfully executed. [4][5]
- The governor and lieutenant governor are elected together as a slate for a four-year term: each voter casts one vote that counts for both offices. [6]
- Every bill passed by the General Assembly goes to the governor, who can sign or veto it. A veto is overridden when a majority of the members elected to each house votes to pass the bill again. [7]
- The governor is commander-in-chief of the state's militia, except when it is called into federal service. [8]
- The governor can remit fines and forfeitures, commute sentences and grant reprieves and pardons. [9]
- The new governor and lieutenant governor take office on the fifth Tuesday after the election. [10]
Constitutional Amendment 1 on the November 2026 ballot proposed limiting pardons around a governor’s election. Amendment 1 results →
Key dates
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| Last day to change party registration and still vote in that party's May primary | |
| Filing deadline for candidates who must run in the primary, 4 p.m. | |
| Last day to register to vote in the primary | |
| No-excuse in-person early voting, Thursday through Saturday | |
| Primary Election Day. Polls open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time | |
| Last day to register to vote in the general election | |
| No-excuse in-person early voting, Thursday through Saturday | |
| General Election Day. Polls open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time |
Other 2027 statewide races
Sources
- Kentucky State Board of Elections, 2019 General Election Certified Results
- Kentucky Secretary of State, Certification of Election Results for 2023 General Election
- Kentucky Constitution, Section 71
- Kentucky Constitution, Section 69
- Kentucky Constitution, Section 81
- Kentucky Constitution, Section 70
- Kentucky Constitution, Section 88
- Kentucky Constitution, Section 75
- Kentucky Constitution, Section 77
- Kentucky Constitution, Section 73
Candidates: Kentucky Secretary of State, candidate filings: 2027 Primary Election and Kentucky Registry of Election Finance, candidate search: May 18, 2027 primary, retrieved November 6, 2026. 2023 results: Kentucky Secretary of State, Certification of Election Results for 2023 General Election. All 2027 Kentucky races →