2015 Kentucky gubernatorial election
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| Turnout | 30.4% 2.1 pp | |||||||||||||||||||
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Bevin: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Conway: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80-90% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Kentucky |
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| Government |
The 2015 Kentucky gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 2015. Incumbent Democratic governor Steve Beshear was ineligible to run for a third term due to term limits. Primary elections were held on May 19, 2015.
Despite trailing in most pre-election polls, Republican nominee Matt Bevin defeated Democratic nominee Jack Conway by a margin of 52.5% to 43.8% in the general election. Statewide turnout in this election was 30%. With a margin of 8.7%, this election was the closest race of the 2015 gubernatorial election cycle. As of 2025, this was the only time since 2003 that a Republican was elected Governor of Kentucky.
This is the only instance in history in which Knott County has backed a Republican candidate for governor. This was the only Democratic-held governorship up for election in 2015 in a state that Mitt Romney won in the 2012 presidential election.