1996 United States Senate election in Kentucky

1996 United States Senate election in Kentucky

← 1990 November 5, 1996 2002 →

Nominee Mitch McConnell Steve Beshear Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 724,794 560,012 Percentage 55.45% 42.85%

County results McConnell:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Beshear:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Mitch McConnell Republican Elected U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell Republican

Elections in Kentucky
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Government
v t e

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.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Tom Barlow, former U.S. Representative from Paducah (1993–95)
• Steve Beshear, former Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky, former Attorney General of Kentucky and former State Representative
• Shelby Lanier, perennial candidate

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

• Mitch McConnell, incumbent U.S. Senator
• Tommy Klein, perennial candidate

Results

General election

Candidates

• Steve Beshear (Democratic), former Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky, former Attorney General of Kentucky and former Kentucky State Representative
• Mac Elroy (U.S. Tax Payers)
• Dennis Lacy (Libertarian)
• Mitch McConnell (Republican), incumbent U.S. Senator
• Patricia Jo Metten (Natural Law)

Campaign

In 1996, Beshear started out trailing against McConnell, with an early general election poll placing McConnell ahead of Beshear 50% to 32%.^[3] 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.^[4] 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%.^[5]

Results

See also

• 1996 United States Senate elections

References

This page was last edited on 18 March 2024, at 17:43