1996 United States Senate election in Kentucky

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1996 United States Senate election in Kentucky
Flag of Kentucky.svg
←  1990 November 5, 1996 2002  →
  Mitch-McConnell-110th.jpg Steve Beshear by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Nominee Mitch McConnell Steve Beshear
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote724,794560,012
Percentage55.45%42.85%
1996 United States Senate election in Kentucky results map by county.svg
County results
McConnell:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%
Beshear:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%
U.S. senator before election

Mitch McConnell
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Mitch McConnell
Republican

The 1996 United States Senate election in Kentucky was held on November 5, 1996. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell won re-election to a third term with a 12.6% margin of victory over Democrat Steve Beshear, who later successfully ran in 2007 and 2011 for governor of Kentucky.

Contents

Democratic primary

Candidates

Results

Democratic primary results [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Steve Beshear 177,859 66.38%
Democratic Tom Barlow64,23523.97%
Democratic Shelby Lanier25,8569.65%
Total votes267,950 100.00%

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

Republican primary results [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Mitch McConnell (incumbent) 88,620 88.59%
Republican Tommy Klein11,41011.41%
Total votes100,030 100.00%

General election

Candidates

Fundraising

Campaign finance reports as of December 31, 1996
CandidateRaisedSpentCash on hand
Mitch McConnell (R)$5,030,245$5,031,293$189,324
Steve Beshear (D)$1,772,276$1,770,035$1,448
Source: Federal Election Commission [3]

Campaign

In 1996, Beshear started out trailing against McConnell, with an early general election poll placing McConnell ahead of Beshear 50% to 32%. [4] The campaign ultimately became quite harsh, with the McConnell campaign sending "Hunt Man," a take off of Chicken George dressed in "the red velvet coat, jodhpurs, black riding boots and black helmet of a patrician fox hunter." This was done as a means of criticizing Beshear's membership in a fox hunting club in Lexington, and undercut the Beshear campaign's message that McConnell was a Republican in the mold of Newt Gingrich and that Beshear was the only friend of the working class in the race. [5] Beshear did not make much traction with the electorate during the campaign. By October 1996, Beshear had narrowed the gap between himself and McConnell slightly, with McConnell leading Beshear 50% to 38%. [6]

Results

General election results [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Mitch McConnell (incumbent) 724,794 55.45% +3.27%
Democratic Steve Beshear 560,01242.85%−4.97%
Libertarian Dennis L. Lacy8,5950.66%
Natural Law Patricia Jo Metten8,3440.64%
U.S. TaxpayersMac Elroy5,2840.40%
Write-ins170.00%
Majority 164,78212.61%+8.23%
Total votes1,307,046100.00%
Republican hold

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved April 26, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved April 26, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ↑ "Candidate financial totals". Federal Election Commission .
  4. ↑ Janofsky, Michael (June 25, 1996). "Political Briefing;The Campaigns for Congress". The New York Times .
  5. ↑ Wines, Michael (August 11, 1996). "The Campaigns For Congress". The New York Times .
  6. ↑ "McConnell Holds 12-Point Lead Over Beshear in Poll". Lexington Herald-Leader . October 6, 1996.
  7. ↑ "Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives".
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