1981Final results
1981 election for Kentucky House District 44
Kentucky House of Representatives · Kentucky
James Bernard Yates (D) won with 64.8% of the vote, defeating Oma Phelps Despain (R) by 29.6 points.
James Bernard YatesDemocrat · winner · incumbent
64.8%4,843
Oma Phelps DespainRepublican
35.2%2,629
7,472 votes
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1981
Races before and after
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET