1983 Kentucky gubernatorial election


The 1983 Kentucky gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1983. Democratic nominee Martha Layne Collins defeated Republican nominee Jim Bunning with 54.50% of the vote, replacing outgoing governor John Y. Brown Jr., and becoming the first female governor of Kentucky.

Primary elections

Primary elections were held on May 24, 1983.

Democratic primary

Candidates

The Democratic race for governor was seen as a race among three major candidates. The most prominent of these candidates was Lieutenant Governor Martha Layne Collins, who had been seen as a likely candidate since she took office. With the exception of the incumbent Governor John Y. Brown Jr., the previous two Democratic governors had been Lieutenant Governors. Collins appealed to local Democratic leaders alienated by Governor Brown and his neglectful attitude towards party affairs. She focused her campaign less on issues, but more on her experience, and her visiting all of the state's 120 counties during her tenure. She also spent close $2.5 million on television advertising, more than any other candidate.
As early as 1980, Louisville mayor Harvey Sloane, would also emerge as a strong potential competitor. Sloane was the runner-up for the nomination in 1979, losing in a race so close, that he did not concede defeat until two days had passed. He had the perception of being a frontrunner, and thus was able to win over institutional support, in addition to keeping his base in Jefferson County. In 1979, Sloane ran as a liberal candidate, earning backing from unions and teachers. For his second bid, he courted the support of business groups and pro-life groups. Polls early in the race showed a close contest, with Sloane leading in northern Kentucky, and Collins running strongest in Western Kentucky and among women.
For most of the campaign, the battle was waged amongst the two frontrunners. Collins faced charges she was too soft to be governor and tried to counter them by emphasizing a tough on crime plan. She also faced sustained criticism from Sloane for using taxpayer funds during campaigning, such as having state police drive her to events, and hosting supporters in the Lieutenant Governor's mansion. At the end of April, the race remained close with Sloane only narrowly ahead of Collins in polls.
A third contender would emerge in the home stretch of the campaign: W. Grady Stumbo, a former state cabinet official and a doctor. Stumbo's campaign was seen as heavily populist, earning endorsements from labor unions. He also focused on his opposition to a right-to-work law and working for coal mining interests. He was also noted for being a compelling speaker, performing well in debates. In spite of this, he was merely a third place contender, lagging heavily behind the two frontrunners in fundraising and polling, largely being viewed as an underdog. However, he saw his fortunes turn around in the final days when Governor Brown endorsed his campaign, as a response to what he saw as the other candidates talking "...about going back to the old patronage system...". With a large polling deficit, and a large number of undecided voters, the endorsement from Brown gave Stumbo last minute momentum, generating uncertainty as to who would win in the end.

Results

The race ended up being close, but Collins would pull out by an exceptionally narrow margin. Sloane refused to concede the race for nearly a month after, until a recanvas showed the outcome would not change. Sloane's loss was attributed to several key factors. One was his decision to run for a second term as Mayor of Louisville, which denied him crucial time to campaign for the job of Governor, in addition to implicating him in controversies. More pertinently, his shift to the right this campaign, particularly waffling on whether he'd sign a right-to-work law and courting pro-life voters cost him with key Democratic groups who were disappointed by his shift. He also was seen as a weak speaker. Stumbo, meanwhile, performed best in Eastern Kentucky and among union voters, but lacked a strong county level organization and struggled with finances.

Republican primary

Candidates

Whereas the Democratic race was hard-fought amongst credible challengers, the Republican side was far less notable. Republicans faced difficulty recruiting candidates this year, with their presence in the legislature at a lower point than it had been for years. However, they did manage to recruit Jim Bunning, the State Senate minority leader, who had initially declined to run. He received support from the state and national party, and faced only token opposition. But even amidst this seemingly unified front, there were troubles internally. Bunning refused to commit to not run for U.S. Senate in 1984, drawing the ire of the state's other prominent Republican Mitch McConnell, who had been planning to seek the seat. Furthermore, the state's sole Republican governor since 1967, Louie Nunn, admitted that Bunning could not speak to voters as well as Lester Burns, and that he did not sufficiently support Republicans, including Nunn's own comeback bid in, 1979.

General election

Candidates

Major party candidates
  • Martha Layne Collins, Democratic
  • Jim Bunning, Republican
Other candidates
  • Nicholas McCubbin, Independent
The race was generally thought to be relatively uneventful, and was seen as a particularly dull race, up until the debate. Collins was the favorite for most of the race and lead in polls and fundraising.

Debates

Bunning initially pushed for seven debates to be held in each of the seven congressional districts at the time. Only one debate would be held on October 12, 1983.

Results

In the end, Collins won comfortably, making history as the first woman elected as Kentucky Governor. Bunning struggled in a state where Democrats outnumbered Republicans. Even among Republicans, he struggled to maintain unity, with prominent Republicans only tepidly backing him. In contrast, Collins received support from every living Democratic governor, including Brown. He wasn't helped by his cold manner on the campaign trail, for being a Catholic in a Protestant state, and for inconsistent messgaing on his position towards the incumbent Brown administration. Moreover, despite some Republicans' hopes that Collins' gender would be a liability, little evidence bore this out, and her anti-abortion stance and lukewarm ERA support was thought to have helped insulate her from serious damage from more conservative voters.