1986Final results
1986 Democratic primary for Kentucky House District 51
Kentucky House of Representatives · Kentucky
William Tonnie Ford (D) won with 36.9% of the vote, defeating Joseph Y. Despain (D) by 15.9 points.
William Tonnie FordDemocrat · winner
36.9%1,809
Joseph Y. DespainDemocrat
20.9%1,027
Rufus F. HansfordDemocrat
18.8%923
Harold Thomas WilkersonDemocrat
14.9%732
Donald PennDemocrat
8.4%413
4,904 votes
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET