A head to head comparison of the 2008 Kentucky General Election gives us an idea of the break down of the voters.
John McCain received 1,048,462 (57%) votes, beating Barack Obama who gained 751,985 (41%) by 296,477 votes in Kentucky.
John McCain won 112 counties whereas Barack Obama won 8 counties in the total of the 120 counties in the State of Kentucky.
2008 General Election Barack Obama Popular Vote Count Contributed by Kentucky (KY)
Presidential General Elections
During the 2008 General elections, over 131M total number of votes were cast. Barack Obama got 69,448,278 (69.4 Million) over John McCain's 61,739,059 (61.7 Million). He won the popular vote by 7,709,219 (7.7 Million). Even though he lost to John McCain in the State of Kentucky, his 751,985 votes represents 1.1% of his popular vote victory. The remaining 49 states contributed to the remaining 98.9% popular votes victory.
Top 15 Counties in Primary Elections vs General Elections
All Candidates (General Elections)
These 15 counties play an important role in these Primary elections. If a candidate, can get a sizable majority in the largest counties (Jefferson, Fayette, Kenton, Boone), it becomes very difficult to win majorities in the smaller counties without voter outreach and increased voter participation in them.
Top 15 Counties Comparison in Primary Elections vs General Elections
General Elections
Barack Obama
General Elections
John McCain
Jefferson and Fayette, two of the larger counties, voted in favor of Barack Obama giving him a 48k vote advantage. Kenton, Boone and Warren, another larger counties, voted in favor of John McCain giving him a 40k vote advantage. However, John McCain's steady marginal wins in the less popular counties were enough to overcome that deficit, making him gain an upper hand in the State of Kentucky.
Related References: 2016 Kentucky Primary Election Story, 2016 Kentucky General Election Story, 2020 Kentucky Primary Election Story, 2020 Kentucky General Election Story, 2012 Kentucky General Election Story
