Kentucky was won by incumbent Vice President George H. W. Bush of Texas, who was running against Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis.

In the 1980s, Kentucky was a swing state, having voted for the winner of every presidential election from 1964 on.

However, Mitch McConnell's narrow win in the 1984 Senate election represented a significant shift of the state towards the Republican Party at the federal level.

Dukakis' strength was mostly isolated to rural counties in the Eastern Coalfield and the Jackson Purchase.

As of the 2024 presidential election[update], this remains the last time that Jefferson County has voted for a Republican presidential candidate, as well as the last time that Kentucky has voted more Democratic than neighboring Tennessee.