MOREHEAD, Ky. — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear received more votes than Vice President J.D. Vance in an informal presidential preference poll conducted by The Morehead Minute.
The poll, launched October 8 on The Morehead Minute's Facebook Community Board, asked readers whom they would support if the 2028 presidential election featured Beshear as the Democratic nominee and Vance as the Republican nominee.
As of 8:11 p.m. Monday, October 12, 77 people had participated, with the following results:
Gov. Andy Beshear: 45 votes, approximately 58.4%
Vice President J.D. Vance: 32 votes, approximately 41.6%
The figures represent a 13-vote difference among participants.
Although the poll remains available on Facebook, these results represent a snapshot of responses received through October 12.
How the Voting Developed
The poll began at 9:47 a.m. October 8, and early voting was closely divided.
Just 33 minutes after its launch, Beshear had received five votes compared with three for Vance.
Eighteen minutes later, the candidates were tied at five votes apiece.
By 8:05 p.m. that evening, 52 votes had been cast, with Beshear receiving 28 and Vance receiving 24.
Over the following four days, Beshear maintained a numerical lead among participating readers, with the margin reaching 13 votes by Monday evening.
Participation was strongest during the opening hours before gradually slowing.
Kentucky's Unusual Political History
The hypothetical matchup raises an interesting question about Kentucky's political identity.
While Kentucky has strongly supported Republican presidential candidates in recent decades, its history of electing governors tells a different story.
Since 1931, only four Republicans have served as Kentucky governor: Simeon Willis, Louie Nunn, Ernie Fletcher and Matt Bevin.
Democrats have otherwise dominated the governor's office during that period.
That pattern continued in 2023, when Beshear was reelected with approximately 52.5% of the statewide vote, defeating Republican Daniel Cameron.
Yet in the November 2024 presidential election, Kentucky voters gave the Republican ticket of Donald Trump and J.D. Vance approximately 64.4% of the vote.
Those results illustrate the distinction Kentucky voters have historically made between state and national elections.
What Do the Results Mean?
While the results offer an interesting look at preferences among those who participated, they should not be interpreted as a scientific measurement of Kentucky public opinion.
The poll was conducted through Facebook, participation was voluntary, and respondents were not selected through a representative sampling process.
Additionally, participants were not required to verify their county of residence or whether they were registered Kentucky voters.
Consequently, the findings cannot reliably predict how Kentucky voters would respond to an actual Beshear–Vance presidential election.
Nevertheless, the exercise provided readers an opportunity to consider a hypothetical contest involving two political figures with significant Kentucky connections.
Beshear is a two-term Kentucky governor, while Vance, an Ohio native, has longstanding family ties to Breathitt County, where he has owned property near Jackson.
Looking Ahead to 2028
The 2028 presidential election remains more than two years away, and neither Beshear nor Vance has secured a presidential nomination.
The political landscape, party nominees and issues facing voters could change considerably before that election.
For now, The Morehead Minute's informal poll offers a snapshot of how 77 participating readers responded to the hypothetical matchup.
The Facebook poll will remain available, although The Morehead Minute does not plan to continue monitoring or publishing regular updates.
Editor's Note: This was an informal, unscientific reader poll conducted for public-interest discussion. The results should not be interpreted as representative of Kentucky voters or as an endorsement of either potential candidate by The Morehead Minute.