1979Final results
1979 primary for Kentucky House District 4
Kentucky House of Representatives · Kentucky
Joel Ellington (D) won with 31.3% of the vote, defeating Linda Boatwright (D) by 10.9 points.
Joel EllingtonDemocrat · winner
31.3%3,369
Linda BoatwrightDemocrat
20.4%2,200
George F. HarrisDemocrat
15.6%1,681
Ann BoatwrightDemocrat
10.2%1,095
Bill AtkinsonDemocrat
8.1%869
David CarterDemocrat
5.0%538
Bailey E. SpearsDemocrat
4.8%514
J. H. ChestnutDemocrat
4.6%496
10,762 votes
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET
The candidates
Joel Ellington (D)Linda Boatwright (D)George F. Harris (D)Ann Boatwright (D)Bill Atkinson (D)David Carter (D)
Also on the ballot: Bailey E. Spears (Democrat), 4.8%; J. H. Chestnut (Democrat), 4.6%