Kentucky voted for the Liberal Republican candidate, Horace Greeley, over Republican candidate, Ulysses S. Grant. Greeley won Kentucky by a margin of 5.88%. However, Greeley died prior to the Electoral College meeting, meaning for Kentucky's 12 electors could vote for the candidate of their choice: eight voted for Indiana Senator Thomas Hendricks, while four voted for Greeley's running mate, Benjamin Gratz Brown.[1]
This is the last time a Republican won two terms without ever carrying the state.
Results
United States presidential election in Kentucky, 1872[2][3][4]