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1960 United States Senate election in Kentucky
← 1956 (special) November 8, 1960 1966 →
 
Nominee John Sherman Cooper Keen Johnson
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 644,087 444,830
Percentage 59.15% 40.85%
County results
Cooper:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%      80–90%      >90%
Johnson:      50–60%      60–70%
U.S. senator before election

John Sherman Cooper
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

John Sherman Cooper
Republican

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The 1960 United States Senate election in Kentucky took place on November 6, 1960. Incumbent Republican Senator John Sherman Cooper, who won a 1956 special election to fill the vacant seat of Alben Barkley,[a] was elected to a full term in office, defeating Democratic former Governor and Undersecretary of Labor Keen Johnson.

This marked the first time that Republicans won consecutive Senate elections in the state.

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

Republican Primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Sherman Cooper (incumbent) 50,896 96.26%
Republican Thurman Jerome Hamlin 1,978 3.74%
Total votes 52,874 100.00%

Democratic primary

Candidates

Results

Democratic primary[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Keen Johnson 112,797 57.97%
Democratic John Y. Brown Sr. 75,987 39.05%
Democratic Wilton Benge Cupp 2,209 1.14%
Democratic Jesse N.R. Cecil 2,083 1.07%
Democratic James L. Delk 1,517 0.78%
Total votes 194,593 100.00%

General election

Results

1960 U.S. Senate election in Kentucky[3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Sherman Cooper (incumbent) 644,087 59.15%
Democratic Keen Johnson 444,830 40.85%
Total votes 1,088,917 100.00%

Results by county

County John Sherman Cooper
Republican 		Keen Johnson
Democratic 		Margin Total votes cast[4]
# % # % # %
Adair 4,745 70.88% 1,949 29.12% 2,796 41.77% 6,694
Allen 3,401 68.89% 1,536 31.11% 1,865 37.78% 4,937
Anderson 2,318 58.48% 1,646 41.52% 672 16.95% 3,964
Ballard 1,393 37.71% 2,301 62.29% -908 -24.58% 3,694
Barren 5,252 55.23% 4,258 44.77% 994 10.45% 9,510
Bath 2,071 55.07% 1,690 44.93% 381 10.13% 3,761
Bell 6,662 58.86% 4,657 41.14% 2,005 17.71% 11,319
Boone 4,700 61.93% 2,889 38.07% 1,811 23.86% 7,589
Bourbon 2,704 50.49% 2,651 49.51% 53 0.99% 5,355
Boyd 11,657 59.47% 7,945 40.53% 3,712 18.94% 19,602
Boyle 4,165 63.23% 2,422 36.77% 1,743 26.46% 6,587
Bracken 2,016 62.90% 1,189 37.10% 827 25.80% 3,205
Breathitt 2,143 41.99% 2,960 58.01% -817 -16.01% 5,103
Breckinridge 4,137 60.92% 2,654 39.08% 1,483 21.84% 6,791
Bullitt 2,941 58.02% 2,128 41.98% 813 16.04% 5,069
Butler 3,610 80.76% 860 19.24% 2,750 61.52% 4,470
Caldwell 3,442 63.17% 2,007 36.83% 1,435 26.34% 5,449
Calloway 3,792 48.37% 4,048 51.63% -256 -3.27% 7,840
Campbell 17,624 57.64% 12,953 42.36% 4,671 15.28% 30,577
Carlisle 1,020 39.05% 1,592 60.95% -572 -21.90% 2,612
Carroll 1,296 40.21% 1,927 59.79% -631 -19.58% 3,223
Carter 5,322 64.00% 2,993 36.00% 2,329 28.01% 8,315
Casey 4,911 80.42% 1,196 19.58% 3,715 60.83% 6,107
Christian 5,603 47.86% 6,103 52.14% -500 -4.27% 11,706
Clark 3,672 58.87% 2,566 41.13% 1,106 17.73% 6,238
Clay 4,802 78.32% 1,329 21.68% 3,473 56.65% 6,131
Clinton 3,409 85.40% 583 14.60% 2,826 70.79% 3,992
Crittenden 2,787 69.35% 1,232 30.65% 1,555 38.69% 4,019
Cumberland 2,614 79.62% 669 20.38% 1,945 59.24% 3,283
Daviess 13,968 62.14% 8,511 37.86% 5,457 24.28% 22,479
Edmonson 2,834 75.09% 940 24.91% 1,894 50.19% 3,774
Elliott 932 37.96% 1,523 62.04% -591 -24.07% 2,455
Estill 3,395 70.51% 1,420 29.49% 1,975 41.02% 4,815
Fayette 27,379 67.42% 13,228 32.58% 14,151 34.85% 40,607
Fleming 2,850 58.93% 1,986 41.07% 864 17.87% 4,836
Floyd 5,657 39.47% 8,676 60.53% -3,019 -21.06% 14,333
Franklin 5,531 50.32% 5,461 49.68% 70 0.64% 10,992
Fulton 1,761 43.80% 2,260 56.20% -499 -12.41% 4,021
Gallatin 754 44.88% 926 55.12% -172 -10.24% 1,680
Garrard 2,891 64.36% 1,601 35.64% 1,290 28.72% 4,492
Grant 2,289 58.11% 1,650 41.89% 639 16.22% 3,939
Graves 5,125 41.60% 7,194 58.40% -2,069 -16.80% 12,319
Grayson 4,771 69.69% 2,075 30.31% 2,696 39.38% 6,846
Green 3,683 72.53% 1,395 27.47% 2,288 45.06% 5,078
Greenup 6,348 56.62% 4,863 43.38% 1,485 13.25% 11,211
Hancock 1,471 60.89% 945 39.11% 526 21.77% 2,416
Hardin 6,722 61.98% 4,124 38.02% 2,598 23.95% 10,846
Harlan 8,157 51.20% 7,775 48.80% 382 2.40% 15,932
Harrison 2,641 46.77% 3,006 53.23% -365 -6.46% 5,647
Hart 3,796 58.80% 2,660 41.20% 1,136 17.60% 6,456
Henderson 5,326 50.77% 5,165 49.23% 161 1.53% 10,491
Henry 2,302 50.92% 2,219 49.08% 83 1.84% 4,521
Hickman 1,303 42.82% 1,740 57.18% -437 -14.36% 3,043
Hopkins 5,576 47.46% 6,173 52.54% -597 -5.08% 11,749
Jackson 3,825 90.32% 410 9.68% 3,415 80.64% 4,235
Jefferson 137,946 59.51% 93,872 40.49% 44,074 19.01% 231,818
Jessamine 2,788 63.18% 1,625 36.82% 1,163 26.35% 4,413
Johnson 5,480 71.84% 2,148 28.16% 3,332 43.68% 7,628
Kenton 22,312 57.16% 16,722 42.84% 5,590 14.32% 39,034
Knott 1,843 35.49% 3,350 64.51% -1,507 -29.02% 5,193
Knox 5,843 70.98% 2,389 29.02% 3,454 41.96% 8,232
Larue 2,613 66.51% 1,316 33.49% 1,297 33.01% 3,929
Laurel 7,342 78.37% 2,026 21.63% 5,316 56.75% 9,368
Lawrence 3,203 58.82% 2,242 41.18% 961 17.65% 5,445
Lee 2,000 69.18% 891 30.82% 1,109 38.36% 2,891
Leslie 3,830 83.97% 731 16.03% 3,099 67.95% 4,561
Letcher 4,570 54.78% 3,773 45.22% 797 9.55% 8,343
Lewis 3,807 71.87% 1,490 28.13% 2,317 43.74% 5,297
Lincoln 4,003 67.03% 1,969 32.97% 2,034 34.06% 5,972
Livingston 1,592 52.32% 1,451 47.68% 141 4.63% 3,043
Logan 4,349 50.91% 4,194 49.09% 155 1.81% 8,543
Lyon 1,063 45.12% 1,293 54.88% -230 -9.76% 2,356
Madison 7,060 57.85% 5,145 42.15% 1,915 15.69% 12,205
Magoffin 2,785 55.19% 2,261 44.81% 524 10.38% 5,046
Marion 2,587 42.71% 3,470 57.29% -883 -14.58% 6,057
Marshall 3,635 54.08% 3,087 45.92% 548 8.15% 6,722
Martin 2,731 74.39% 940 25.61% 1,791 48.79% 3,671
Mason 4,320 59.03% 2,998 40.97% 1,322 18.07% 7,318
McCracken 10,422 49.06% 10,821 50.94% -399 -1.88% 21,243
McCreary 3,738 84.42% 690 15.58% 3,048 68.83% 4,428
McLean 2,316 58.35% 1,653 41.65% 663 16.70% 3,969
Meade 2,167 53.57% 1,878 46.43% 289 7.14% 4,045
Menifee 871 51.75% 812 48.25% 59 3.51% 1,683
Mercer 3,838 64.28% 2,133 35.72% 1,705 28.55% 5,971
Metcalfe 2,246 63.64% 1,283 36.36% 963 27.29% 3,529
Monroe 4,220 83.07% 860 16.93% 3,360 66.14% 5,080
Montgomery 2,618 54.84% 2,156 45.16% 462 9.68% 4,774
Morgan 1,812 41.86% 2,517 58.14% -705 -16.29% 4,329
Muhlenberg 6,070 58.10% 4,377 41.90% 1,693 16.21% 10,447
Nelson 3,782 49.59% 3,844 50.41% -62 -0.81% 7,626
Nicholas 1,136 47.61% 1,250 52.39% -114 -4.78% 2,386
Ohio 5,280 69.96% 2,267 30.04% 3,013 39.92% 7,547
Oldham 2,494 60.96% 1,597 39.04% 897 21.93% 4,091
Owen 1,525 43.82% 1,955 56.18% -430 -12.36% 3,480
Owsley 2,169 86.24% 346 13.76% 1,823 72.49% 2,515
Pendleton 2,274 61.91% 1,399 38.09% 875 23.82% 3,673
Perry 5,909 56.14% 4,617 43.86% 1,292 12.27% 10,526
Pike 10,450 46.09% 12,222 53.91% -1,772 -7.82% 22,672
Powell 1,484 57.65% 1,090 42.35% 394 15.31% 2,574
Pulaski 12,490 83.64% 2,443 16.36% 10,047 67.28% 14,933
Robertson 632 52.32% 576 47.68% 56 4.64% 1,208
Rockcastle 3,956 79.34% 1,030 20.66% 2,926 58.68% 4,986
Rowan 2,807 57.06% 2,112 42.94% 695 14.13% 4,919
Russell 3,683 78.41% 1,014 21.59% 2,669 56.82% 4,697
Scott 2,415 52.08% 2,222 47.92% 193 4.16% 4,637
Shelby 3,610 54.75% 2,984 45.25% 626 9.49% 6,594
Simpson 1,898 44.98% 2,322 55.02% -424 -10.05% 4,220
Spencer 1,191 57.56% 878 42.44% 313 15.13% 2,069
Taylor 4,778 72.31% 1,830 27.69% 2,948 44.61% 6,608
Todd 1,936 43.29% 2,536 56.71% -600 -13.42% 4,472
Trigg 1,680 44.11% 2,129 55.89% -449 -11.79% 3,809
Trimble 870 38.34% 1,399 61.66% -529 -23.31% 2,269
Union 1,920 38.13% 3,116 61.87% -1,196 -23.75% 5,036
Warren 9,177 58.68% 6,461 41.32% 2,716 17.37% 15,638
Washington 2,910 60.26% 1,919 39.74% 991 20.52% 4,829
Wayne 4,070 70.48% 1,705 29.52% 2,365 40.95% 5,775
Webster 2,466 45.46% 2,959 54.54% -493 -9.09% 5,425
Whitley 7,597 75.49% 2,467 24.51% 5,130 50.97% 10,064
Wolfe 1,369 50.29% 1,353 49.71% 16 0.59% 2,722
Woodford 2,613 65.67% 1,366 34.33% 1,247 31.34% 3,979
Totals 644,087 59.15% 444,830 40.85% 199,257 18.30% 1,088,917

See also

1960 United States Senate elections

Notes

  1. ^ a b Cooper had served three partial non-consecutive terms from 1946–49, 1952–55, and his current term from 1957–61.

References

  1. ^ "Our Campaigns - KY US Senate - R Primary Race - May 24, 1960". www.ourcampaigns.com.
  2. ^ "Our Campaigns - KY US Senate - D Primary Race - May 24, 1960". www.ourcampaigns.com.
  3. ^ Clerk of the United States House of Representatives (1961). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 8, 1960" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office.
  4. ^ "KY US Senate Race, November 08, 1960". Our Campaigns.
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