Kentucky gubernatorial election, 2007

Kentucky gubernatorial election, 2007
	Results by county; Beshear: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%; Fletcher: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
Governor before election; Ernie Fletcher ; Republican	Elected Governor ; Steve Beshear ; Democratic

Last updated April 14, 2019

The Kentucky gubernatorial election, 2007 was held on November 6, 2007. In this election, incumbent Republican Governor Ernie Fletcher lost to Democratic challenger Steve Beshear, who therefore began serving as Governor of Kentucky in December 2007 for a term through December 2011. A primary election to determine the Republican and Democratic nominees for governor was held on May 22, 2007 in which Ernie Fletcher (Republican) and Steve Beshear (Democrat) won their respective primaries.^[1] Beshear's running mate, Daniel Mongiardo, was elected as Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky for that same time period.

The Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of the executive branch of government in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Fifty-seven men and one woman have served as Governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; since 1992, incumbents have been able to seek re-election once before becoming ineligible for four years. Throughout the state's history, four men have served two non-consecutive terms as governor, and two others have served two consecutive terms. Kentucky is one of only five U.S. states that hold gubernatorial elections in odd-numbered years. The current governor is Matt Bevin, who was first elected in 2015.

A primary election is the process by which voters, either the general public or members of a political party, can indicate their preference for a candidate in an upcoming general election or by-election, thus narrowing the field of candidates.

The Republican Party, also referred to as the GOP, is one of the two major political parties in the United States; the other is its historic rival, the Democratic Party.

Background

Fletcher came under increasing criticism from both parties after his involvement in a state employee hiring controversy, in which Fletcher was accused of illegally hiring civil service employees for their political affiliations and loyalties. An investigation by the Attorney General of Kentucky and a special grand jury led to the indictment of 13 Fletcher administration officials. Fletcher issued a blanket pardon for anyone in his administration (other than himself) who was or may have been involved in the scandal. Fletcher himself was later indicted by a grand jury for three misdemeanors: conspiracy, official misconduct and political discrimination. All were related to the merit system investigation. On August 24, 2006, Fletcher reached a deal with the Attorney General's office that led to the dismissal of the charges in exchange for Fletcher's acknowledgment that "the evidence strongly indicates wrongdoing by his administration with regard to personnel actions within the merit system. Further, the governor hereby states that these actions were inappropriate and that he regrets their occurrence and accepts responsibility for them as head of the executive branch of state government." (See Ernie Fletcher: Merit system investigation) Fletcher's approval rating as of May 11, 2007 was at 38%,^[2] putting him among the lowest governors in the nation.

The Attorney General of Kentucky is an office created by the Kentucky Constitution.. Under Kentucky law, he serves several roles, including the state's chief prosecutor, the state's chief law enforcement officer, and the state's chief law officer. As the chief prosecutor, the Attorney General is the Chairman of the Kentucky Prosecutors Advisory Council, which supervises the prosecutors of Kentucky. As chief law officer, he writes opinions to advise government officials and agencies concerning the law.. The Attorney General holds an ex officio seat on various Kentucky state boards and agencies.

A grand jury is a jury – a group of citizens – empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings and investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a person to testify. A grand jury is separate from the courts, which do not preside over its functioning.

Anne Northup, who was defeated for re-election to the House of Representatives in 2006, and Paducah businessman Billy Harper challenged Fletcher in the Republican primary. Both had supported and worked for Fletcher's 2003 campaign. Despite his troubles, Fletcher was able to fend off the primary challenge, winning a majority of the vote (see below).

Anne Meagher Northup is an American Republican politician from the state of Kentucky. From 1997 to 2007, she represented the Louisville-centered 3rd congressional district of Kentucky in the United States House of Representatives, where she served on the powerful House Appropriations Committee. She lost reelection to Democratic politician John Yarmuth in the 2006 election. She then ran for governor, losing by 15 points to embattled Governor of Kentucky Ernie Fletcher in the Republican primary election for the 2007 Kentucky gubernatorial election. Prior to her election to the United States House of Representatives, Northup had served in the Kentucky House of Representatives.

On the Democratic side, an increasingly competitive primary campaign developed. Louisville businessman Bruce Lunsford spent over five million dollars, most of it being his own money, in the campaign. On May 7, Kentucky State Treasurer Jonathan Miller withdrew from the race and endorsed Steve Beshear. Lunsford, Beshear, State House Speaker Jody Richards, and former Lt. Governor Steve Henry consistently polled significantly ahead of the other candidates. Given the crowded field, many believed a runoff election was likely between the top two finishers—which polls suggested would be Beshear and Lunsford—if no candidate was able to obtain at least 40% of the vote. Beshear, however, was able to avoid a runoff with 40.9% (see below).

Louisville is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 29th most-populous city in the United States. It is one of two cities in Kentucky designated as first-class, the other being Lexington, the state's second-largest city. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, located in the northern region of the state, on the border with Indiana.

The Kentucky State Treasurer is elected every four years along with the governor and other statewide officials. The treasurer, who can serve two terms, acts as the state's chief elected fiscal officer. The salary is $110,000 a year.

Jonathan Miller was a politician from the Commonwealth of Kentucky serving as Secretary for the Kentucky Finance and Administration Cabinet, serving from December 2007 to 2011. Prior to this appointment, Miller served as Kentucky State Treasurer from 1999 to 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Steve Beshear – former Lt. Governor of Kentucky, 1983–1987; former Attorney General of Kentucky, 1979–1983; former State Representative, 1974–1979.

Steven Lynn Beshear is an American attorney and politician who served as the 61st governor of Kentucky from 2007 to 2015. He served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1974 to 1980, was the state's 44th Attorney General from 1980 to 1983, and was the 49th lieutenant governor from 1983 to 1987.

The office of Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky was created under the state's second constitution, which was ratified in 1799. The inaugural officeholder was Alexander Scott Bullitt, who took office in 1800 following his election to serve under James Garrard in 1799. The lieutenant governor serves as governor of Kentucky under circumstances similar to the Vice President of the United States assuming the powers of the presidency. The current Lieutenant Governor is Republican Jenean Hampton.

Running mate: State Senator Daniel Mongiardo, 2001–2007.

The Kentucky Senate is the upper house of the Kentucky General Assembly. The Kentucky Senate is composed of 38 members elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. There are no term limits for Kentucky Senators. The Kentucky Senate meets at the Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort.

Frank Daniel Mongiardo is an American physician and politician from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Mongiardo is a Democrat and was the 54th Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky from 2007 until 2011. He was a member of the Kentucky State Senate from 2001 to 2007. He also ran for the U.S. Senate in 2004, narrowly losing in the general election to Jim Bunning and again in 2010, losing in the primary election to Jack Conway.

Gatewood Galbraith – Attorney, Legalization of Marijuana and Industrial Hemp Advocate

Running mate: Mark Wireman

Steve Henry – former Lt. Governor of Kentucky, 1995–2003

Running Mate: Fayette County Property Valuation Administrator Renee True

Otis Hensley – Private contractor from Wallins Creek, Kentucky who received 3% of the vote in the Democratic primary in 2003.

Running mate: Richard Robbins

Bruce Lunsford – prominent Louisville businessman; unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Kentucky in 2003.

Running mate: Greg Stumbo, Attorney General of Kentucky 2003–2007; former State Representative, 1985–2003.

Jody Richards – State Representative, 1975–present (Speaker of the House, 1996–2007); received 47% of the vote in the Democratic primary for Governor of Kentucky in 2003.

Running mate: John Y. Brown III, Kentucky Secretary of State 1995–2003.

Polling

Source	Date	Beshear (D)	Galbraith (D)	Henry (D)	Hensley (D)	Lunsford (D)	Richards (D)
Survey USA	May 18–20, 2007	32%	7%	17%	1%	23%	12%
Penn, Schoen and Berland	May 16–17, 2007	26%	N/A	13%	N/A	22%	12%
GarinHartYang Research	May 14–15, 2007	35%	N/A	13%	N/A	23%	12%
Survey USA	May 12–14, 2007	32%	5%	18%	1%	23%	12%
Courier-Journal Bluegrass Poll	May 10–14, 2007	27%	4%	13%	1%	21%	7%	Miller (D)
Survey USA	Apr 28-30, 2007	23%	6%	18%	1%	29%	9%	7%
Mellman Group	Apr 19-22, 2007	15%	N/A	24%	N/A	16%	9%	20%
Survey USA	Mar 31 – Apr 2, 2007	15%	8%	20%	1%	20%	12%	8%
Survey USA	Mar 3-5, 2007	15%	6%	26%	2%	7%	13%	8%
GarinHartYang Research	Feb 20-22, 2007	21%	N/A	21%	N/A	8%	16%	8%

Results

Democratic primary results^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Steve Beshear	142,838	41.02
	Democratic	Bruce Lunsford	74,578	21.42
	Democratic	Steve Henry	60,893	17.49
	Democratic	Jody Richards	45,433	13.05
	Democratic	Gatewood Galbraith	20,704	5.95
	Democratic	Otis Hensley	3,792	1.09
Total votes			348,238	100