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 substantial 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

← 1990 November 5, 1996 2002 →

Nominee Mitch McConnell Steve Beshear Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 724,794 560,012 Percentage 55.5% 42.9%

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

Beshear ran for governor in 2007, where he won.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Tom Barlow, former U.S. Representative
• Steve Beshear, former Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky, former Attorney General of Kentucky and former State Representative
• Shelby Lanier, perennial candidate

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

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

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			100,030	100.00%

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

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

• 1996 United States Senate elections

References

1. . Archived from the original on 2011-07-20. Retrieved 2011-04-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
2. . Archived from the original on 2011-07-20. Retrieved 2011-04-26.{{cite web}}: 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. "Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives".