1996 United States Senate election in Kentucky

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.

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

Democratic primary

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Candidates

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Results

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Democratic primary results[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Steve Beshear 177,859 66.38%
Democratic Tom Barlow 64,235 23.97%
Democratic Shelby Lanier 25,856 9.65%
Total votes 267,950 100.00%

Republican primary

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Candidates

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Results

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Republican primary results[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mitch McConnell (incumbent) 88,620 88.59%
Republican Tommy Klein 11,410 11.41%
Total votes 100,030 100.00%

General election

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Candidates

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Fundraising

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Campaign finance reports as of December 31, 1996
Candidate Raised Spent Cash 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

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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

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General election results[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Mitch McConnell (incumbent) 724,794 55.45% +3.27%
Democratic Steve Beshear 560,012 42.85% −4.97%
Libertarian Dennis L. Lacy 8,595 0.66%
Natural Law Patricia Jo Metten 8,344 0.64%
U.S. Taxpayers Mac Elroy 5,284 0.40%
Write-ins 17 0.00%
Majority 164,782 12.61% +8.23%
Total votes 1,307,046 100.00%
Republican hold

See also

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References

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  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".