1979Final results
1979 primary for Kentucky Senate District 29
Kentucky State Senate · Kentucky
Benny Ray (D) won with 42.7% of the vote, defeating Ralph Darrell (D) by 12.5 points.
Benny RayDemocrat · winner
42.7%8,578
Ralph DarrellDemocrat
30.2%6,069
James GayheartDemocrat
12.5%2,515
Joe D. WeddingtonDemocrat
12.0%2,414
Fred A. JamesDemocrat
2.5%504
20,080 votes
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET
The candidates
Benny Ray (D)Ralph Darrell (D)James Gayheart (D)Joe D. Weddington (D)
Also on the ballot: Fred A. James (Democrat), 2.5%