Kentucky Becoming Less Blue, More Purple

The number of Democrats among the state's voter ranks has fallen below 50 percent, but remains ahead of registered Republicans.

(Undated) - There are still more registered Democrats than registered Republicans in Kentucky, but there are fewer Democrats overall.

The latest vote count from the state shows that registered Democrats make up 49.9 percent of the state's 3.3 million registered voters.

Registered Republicans account for 41 percent of the voting public.

It's a major shift over the past few decades. In 1982, about 62 percent of Kentucky's voters were registered Democrats. 

Kentucky Republican Party spokesman Tres Watson told the Louisville Courier-Journal the numbers show that voters are abandoning the Democratic party and choosing to join Republicans. 

“Thanks go to Democratic politicians like Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Steve and Andy Beshear and Alison Lundergan Grimes for making this happen," Watson said. "Their out-of-touch liberal policies and corrupt mismanagement of Government have driven thousands of voters to change their registration to the Republican Party.”

Brad Bowman, a spokesman for the Kentucky Democratic Party, cited less voter outreach by branches of the part in rural areas of Kentucky.