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. McConnell's landslide victory occurred at the same time President Bill Clinton was re-elected to a second term, winning by an 8.5% margin nationwide, but carrying Kentucky by a 0.9% margin.

1996 United States Senate election in Kentucky
November 5, 1996
 
Nominee Mitch McConnell Steve Beshear
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 724,794 560,012
Percentage 55.5% 42.9%
Country 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
Government

Democratic primary

Candidates

Results
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

Candidates

Results
Republican primary results[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mitch McConnell (incumbent) 88,620 88.59%
Republican Tommy Klein 11,410 11.41%
Total votes 72,373 100.00%

General election

Candidates

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
General election results[6]
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' '100.0%'
Republican hold

See also
  • United States Senate elections, 1996

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-20. Retrieved 2011-04-26.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-20. Retrieved 2011-04-26.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. Janofsky, Michael (June 25, 1996). "Political Briefing;The Campaigns for Congress". The New York Times.
  4. Wines, Michael (August 11, 1996). "The Campaigns For Congress". The New York Times.
  5. "McConnell Holds 12-Point Lead Over Beshear in Poll". Lexington Herald-Leader. October 6, 1996.
  6. http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1996/96Stat.htm#12
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