Willis won the general election by a vote of 279,144 to 270,525 . One factor influencing his victory was his ability to regain much of the black vote in urban centers such as Louisville , which had traditionally supported Republican candidates but had in recent years swung Democratic , because of the Republican Party 's failure to deliver on campaign promises after winning elections . Further , factionalism in the Democratic party had hurt Donaldson . Though he enjoyed the support of sitting governor Keen Johnson , Donaldson garnered only lukewarm support from Johnson 's predecessor , Senator A. B. " Happy " Chandler . Willis was the only Republican elected governor of Kentucky in a 40-year period spanning from 1927 to 1967 . During much of that time , most black residents had been disenfranchised by laws the state passed at the turn of the century . Willis 's victory in a traditionally Democratic state in an off-year election brought him national attention , and he was considered as a candidate for vice-president at the 1944 Republican National Convention
1944 Republican National Convention
1944 Republican National Convention
Simeon Willis