1995 Kentucky gubernatorial election

1995 Kentucky gubernatorial election

November 7, 1995
Turnout	43.8% 0.4 pp
Nominee Paul Patton Larry Forgy Party Democratic Republican Running mate Steve Henry Tom Handy Popular vote 500,605 479,227 Percentage 50.9% 48.7%
Patton:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Forgy:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Governor before election Brereton Jones Democratic Elected Governor Paul E. Patton Democratic

The 1995 Kentucky gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 1995. Incumbent Governor Brereton Jones was not eligible to run for a second term due to term limits established by the Kentucky Constitution, creating an open seat. At the time, Kentucky and Virginia were the only states that prohibited their Governors from serving immediate successive terms. The Democratic nominee, Lieutenant Governor Paul E. Patton, defeated Republican nominee Larry Forgy to win his first term as governor. It was the last time that the election was held until the Kentucky General Assembly changed its term limits law in 1992, allowing Patton to run again in 1999 and leaving Virginia as the only state that prohibits its governor from serving immediate successive terms.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Paul E. Patton, Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky
• Bob Babbage, Secretary of State of Kentucky
• John A. Rose Jr., Kentucky State Senator
• Gatewood Galbraith, perennial candidate
• Steven Maynard

Results

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Paul Patton	152,203	44.95
	Democratic	Bob Babbage	81,352	24.02
	Democratic	John A. Rose, Jr.	71,740	21.18
	Democratic	Gatewood Galbraith	29,039	8.58
	Democratic	Steven Maynard	4,305	1.27
Total votes			338,639	100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

• Larry Forgy, counsel to Governor Louie B. Nunn
• Robert E. Gable, perennial candidate
• Tommy Klein, perennial candidate

Results

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Larry Forgy	97,099	82.44
	Republican	Robert E. Gable	17,054	14.48
	Republican	Tommy Klein	3,627	3.08
Total votes			117,780	100.00

General election

Results

Kentucky gubernatorial election, 1995

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Paul Patton	500,605	50.88%	−13.85%
	Republican	Larry Forgy	479,227	48.71%	+13.44%
	Write-in	Gatewood Galbraith	3,965	0.40%
Majority			21,378	2.17%	−27.29%
Turnout			983,797
	Democratic hold		Swing