2000 United States presidential election in Kentucky

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2000 United States presidential election in Kentucky

← 1996 November 7, 2000 2004 →
 
Nominee George W. Bush Al Gore
Party Republican Democratic
Home state Texas Tennessee
Running mate Dick Cheney Joe Lieberman
Electoral vote 8 0
Popular vote 872,492 638,898
Percentage 56.50% 41.37%

County Results

President before election

Bill Clinton
Democratic

Elected President

George W. Bush
Republican

The 2000 United States presidential election in Kentucky took place on November 7, 2000, as part of the 2000 United States presidential election, which included elections in all 50 states and D.C. Voters chose 8 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

Kentucky was won by Governor George W. Bush. He won most of the counties and congressional districts in the state. Bush dominated among the rural areas of the state. The only congressional district Gore won was the third district, which is a part of Jefferson County, Kentucky, the highest populated county in the state. The only other region where Gore performed strongly was in the coal dependent counties in the southeastern part of the state. As of the 2020 presidential election, this is the last election in which Boyd County, Muhlenberg County, Harlan County, Perry County, Letcher County, Ballard County, and Fulton County voted for the Democratic candidate, and also the first in which Wolfe County and Morgan County ever voted for a Republican.[1] This election cemented Kentucky from a major swing state into a Republican stronghold, although the state would not back the loser of a general election until 2008.

Kentucky was 1 of 14 states that Bill Clinton (and, by extension, Gore as Clinton's vice presidential running mate) won at least once and 1 of 9 that backed him twice that Gore lost in this election.Kentucky is also the only state to back Clinton in 1996 which Gore lost by a double digit margin in 2000.

Bush became the first Republican to win the White House without carrying Jefferson County since Theodore Roosevelt in 1904.

Results[edit]

United States presidential election in Kentucky, 2000[2]
Party Candidate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Republican George W. Bush 872,492 56.50% 8
Democratic Al Gore 638,898 41.37% 0
Green Party Ralph Nader 23,192 1.50% 0
Reform Patrick Buchanan 4,173 0.27% 0
Libertarian Harry Browne 2,896 0.19% 0
Natural Law John Hagelin 1,533 0.10% 0
Independent Howard Phillips 1,145 0.07% 0
Totals 1,544,329 100.00% 6
Voter turnout (Voting age/registered) 51%/60%

By county[edit]

County George W. Bush
Republican
Al Gore
Democratic
Various candidates
Other parties
Margin Total
# % # % # % # %
Adair 5,460 74.51% 1,779 24.28% 89 1.21% 3,681 50.23% 7,328
Allen 4,415 68.67% 1,950 30.33% 64 1.00% 2,465 38.34% 6,429
Anderson 4,909 61.62% 2,902 36.43% 156 1.96% 2,007 25.19% 7,967
Ballard 1,824 48.38% 1,880 49.87% 66 1.75% -56 -1.49% 3,770
Barren 8,741 63.14% 4,930 35.61% 173 1.25% 3,811 27.53% 13,844
Bath 2,303 51.49% 2,087 46.66% 83 1.86% 216 4.83% 4,473
Bell 5,585 52.63% 4,787 45.11% 239 2.25% 798 7.52% 10,611
Boone 22,016 68.83% 9,248 28.91% 720 2.25% 12,768 39.92% 31,984
Bourbon 3,881 54.65% 3,048 42.92% 173 2.44% 833 11.73% 7,102
Boyd 9,247 48.21% 9,541 49.74% 394 2.05% -294 -1.53% 19,182
Boyle 6,126 59.33% 3,963 38.38% 237 2.30% 2,163 20.95% 10,326
Bracken 2,065 68.40% 888 29.41% 66 2.19% 1,177 38.99% 3,019
Breathitt 2,084 41.08% 2,902 57.20% 87 1.71% -818 -16.12% 5,073
Breckinridge 4,763 63.91% 2,595 34.82% 95 1.27% 2,168 29.09% 7,453
Bullitt 14,054 61.91% 8,195 36.10% 452 1.99% 5,859 25.81% 22,701
Butler 3,654 72.93% 1,299 25.93% 57 1.14% 2,355 47.00% 5,010
Caldwell 3,161 57.66% 2,223 40.55% 98 1.79% 938 17.11% 5,482
Calloway 7,705 56.35% 5,635 41.21% 333 2.44% 2,070 15.14% 13,673
Campbell 20,789 61.45% 12,040 35.59% 1,000 2.96% 8,749 25.86% 33,829
Carlisle 1,405 54.18% 1,149 44.31% 39 1.50% 256 9.87% 2,593
Carroll 1,818 51.96% 1,601 45.76% 80 2.29% 217 6.20% 3,499
Carter 4,617 51.53% 4,182 46.68% 160 1.79% 435 4.85% 8,959
Casey 4,284 78.33% 1,122 20.52% 63 1.15% 3,162 57.81% 5,469
Christian 10,787 60.69% 6,778 38.14% 208 1.17% 4,009 22.55% 17,773
Clark 7,297 58.50% 4,918 39.43% 258 2.07% 2,379 19.07% 12,473
Clay 4,926 73.31% 1,723 25.64% 70 1.04% 3,203 47.67% 6,719
Clinton 3,224 74.89% 1,032 23.97% 49 1.14% 2,192 50.92% 4,305
Crittenden 2,469 59.44% 1,610 38.76% 75 1.81% 859 20.68% 4,154
Cumberland 2,220 73.85% 736 24.48% 50 1.66% 1,484 49.37% 3,006
Daviess 21,361 58.94% 14,126 38.98% 753 2.08% 7,235 19.96% 36,240
Edmonson 3,250 65.07% 1,710 34.23% 35 0.70% 1,540 30.84% 4,995
Elliott 827 34.73% 1,525 64.05% 29 1.22% -698 -29.32% 2,381
Estill 3,033 64.39% 1,591 33.78% 86 1.83% 1,442 30.61% 4,710
Fayette 54,495 51.67% 47,277 44.82% 3,705 3.51% 7,218 6.85% 105,477
Fleming 3,282 63.37% 1,813 35.01% 84 1.62% 1,469 28.36% 5,179
Floyd 5,068 32.92% 10,088 65.53% 238 1.55% -5,020 -32.61% 15,394
Franklin 10,209 47.15% 10,853 50.12% 592 2.73% -644 -2.97% 21,654
Fulton 1,293 46.38% 1,452 52.08% 43 1.54% -159 -5.70% 2,788
Gallatin 1,345 54.70% 1,049 42.66% 65 2.64% 296 12.04% 2,459
Garrard 4,043 69.43% 1,713 29.42% 67 1.15% 2,330 40.01% 5,823
Grant 4,405 62.02% 2,568 36.15% 130 1.83% 1,837 25.87% 7,103
Graves 7,849 55.15% 6,097 42.84% 285 2.00% 1,752 12.31% 14,231
Grayson 5,843 68.28% 2,604 30.43% 111 1.30% 3,239 37.85% 8,558
Green 3,615 76.01% 1,085 22.81% 56 1.18% 2,530 53.20% 4,756
Greenup 7,233 49.33% 7,164 48.86% 266 1.81% 69 0.47% 14,663
Hancock 2,032 56.29% 1,508 41.77% 70 1.94% 524 14.52% 3,610
Hardin 18,964 61.79% 11,095 36.15% 631 2.06% 7,869 25.64% 30,690
Harlan 4,980 47.27% 5,365 50.93% 190 1.80% -385 -3.66% 10,535
Harrison 3,793 57.37% 2,658 40.21% 160 2.42% 1,135 17.16% 6,611
Hart 3,725 61.89% 2,201 36.57% 93 1.55% 1,524 25.32% 6,019
Henderson 7,698 48.00% 8,054 50.22% 287 1.79% -356 -2.22% 16,039
Henry 3,244 59.27% 2,117 38.68% 112 2.05% 1,127 20.59% 5,473
Hickman 1,151 54.19% 940 44.26% 33 1.55% 211 9.93% 2,124
Hopkins 9,490 57.55% 6,734 40.84% 265 1.61% 2,756 16.71% 16,489
Jackson 4,079 84.02% 701 14.44% 75 1.54% 3,378 69.58% 4,855
Jefferson 145,052 47.97% 149,901 49.58% 7,409 2.45% -4,849 -1.61% 302,362
Jessamine 10,074 66.89% 4,633 30.76% 354 2.35% 5,441 36.13% 15,061
Johnson 4,783 58.47% 3,251 39.74% 146 1.78% 1,532 18.73% 8,180
Kenton 35,363 62.87% 19,100 33.96% 1,786 3.18% 16,263 28.91% 56,249
Knott 2,029 31.42% 4,349 67.34% 80 1.24% -2,320 -35.92% 6,458
Knox 6,058 61.13% 3,690 37.24% 162 1.63% 2,368 23.89% 9,910
LaRue 3,384 65.34% 1,727 33.35% 68 1.31% 1,657 31.99% 5,179
Laurel 13,029 71.90% 4,856 26.80% 235 1.30% 8,173 45.10% 18,120
Lawrence 2,969 55.94% 2,258 42.55% 80 1.51% 711 13.39% 5,307
Lee 1,893 68.49% 836 30.25% 35 1.27% 1,057 38.24% 2,764
Leslie 3,159 71.24% 1,210 27.29% 65 1.47% 1,949 43.95% 4,434
Letcher 4,092 45.54% 4,698 52.29% 195 2.17% -606 -6.75% 8,985
Lewis 3,217 70.42% 1,293 28.31% 58 1.27% 1,924 42.11% 4,568
Lincoln 4,795 63.12% 2,678 35.25% 124 1.63% 2,117 27.87% 7,597
Livingston 2,118 50.07% 2,022 47.80% 90 2.13% 96 2.27% 4,230
Logan 5,344 57.27% 3,885 41.63% 103 1.10% 1,459 15.64% 9,332
Lyon 1,688 49.36% 1,680 49.12% 52 1.52% 8 0.24% 3,420
McCracken 14,745 55.25% 11,412 42.76% 532 1.99% 3,333 12.49% 26,689
McCreary 3,321 69.20% 1,418 29.55% 60 1.25% 1,903 39.65% 4,799
McLean 2,219 55.17% 1,747 43.44% 56 1.39% 472 11.73% 4,022
Madison 13,682 57.81% 9,309 39.33% 675 2.85% 4,373 18.48% 23,666
Magoffin 2,785 51.07% 2,603 47.74% 65 1.19% 182 3.33% 5,453
Marion 3,259 52.77% 2,778 44.98% 139 2.25% 481 7.79% 6,176
Marshall 7,294 53.00% 6,203 45.08% 264 1.92% 1,091 7.92% 13,761
Martin 2,667 59.85% 1,714 38.46% 75 1.68% 953 21.39% 4,456
Mason 3,572 60.82% 2,178 37.08% 123 2.09% 1,394 23.74% 5,873
Meade 5,319 58.64% 3,596 39.64% 156 1.72% 1,723 19.00% 9,071
Menifee 1,170 52.02% 1,038 46.15% 41 1.82% 132 5.87% 2,249
Mercer 5,362 62.12% 3,092 35.82% 178 2.06% 2,270 26.30% 8,632
Metcalfe 2,476 64.33% 1,318 34.24% 55 1.43% 1,158 30.09% 3,849
Monroe 4,377 78.60% 1,158 20.79% 34 0.61% 3,219 57.81% 5,569
Montgomery 4,534 53.22% 3,833 44.99% 152 1.78% 701 8.23% 8,519
Morgan 2,295 54.13% 1,875 44.22% 70 1.65% 420 9.91% 4,240
Muhlenberg 5,518 46.15% 6,295 52.65% 143 1.20% -777 -6.50% 11,956
Nelson 7,714 57.19% 5,481 40.64% 293 2.17% 2,233 16.55% 13,488
Nicholas 1,613 60.34% 994 37.19% 66 2.47% 619 23.15% 2,673
Ohio 5,413 60.94% 3,303 37.19% 166 1.87% 2,110 23.75% 8,882
Oldham 13,580 67.00% 6,236 30.77% 452 2.23% 7,344 36.23% 20,268
Owen 2,582 63.44% 1,394 34.25% 94 2.31% 1,188 29.19% 4,070
Owsley 1,466 80.28% 339 18.57% 21 1.15% 1,127 61.71% 1,826
Pendleton 3,044 63.38% 1,670 34.77% 89 1.85% 1,374 28.61% 4,803
Perry 5,300 48.18% 5,514 50.13% 186 1.69% -214 -1.95% 11,000
Pike 11,005 44.13% 13,611 54.59% 319 1.28% -2,606 -10.46% 24,935
Powell 2,258 51.77% 2,008 46.03% 96 2.20% 250 5.74% 4,362
Pulaski 15,845 73.56% 5,415 25.14% 281 1.30% 10,430 48.42% 21,541
Robertson 630 63.13% 341 34.17% 27 2.71% 289 28.96% 998
Rockcastle 3,992 76.08% 1,174 22.37% 81 1.54% 2,818 53.71% 5,247
Rowan 3,546 49.07% 3,505 48.51% 175 2.42% 41 0.56% 7,226
Russell 5,268 74.47% 1,710 24.17% 96 1.36% 3,558 50.30% 7,074
Scott 7,952 57.68% 5,472 39.69% 362 2.63% 2,480 17.99% 13,786
Shelby 8,068 63.34% 4,435 34.82% 235 1.84% 3,633 28.52% 12,738
Simpson 3,169 54.41% 2,583 44.35% 72 1.24% 586 10.06% 5,824
Spencer 3,150 66.01% 1,554 32.56% 68 1.42% 1,596 33.45% 4,772
Taylor 6,151 67.96% 2,790 30.83% 110 1.23% 3,361 37.13% 9,051
Todd 2,646 63.20% 1,496 35.73% 45 1.07% 1,150 27.47% 4,187
Trigg 3,130 58.57% 2,110 39.48% 104 1.95% 1,020 19.09% 5,344
Trimble 1,837 59.62% 1,181 38.33% 63 2.04% 656 21.29% 3,081
Union 2,749 51.21% 2,547 47.45% 72 1.34% 202 3.76% 5,368
Warren 20,235 61.36% 12,180 36.94% 560 1.70% 8,055 24.42% 32,975
Washington 3,044 66.35% 1,458 31.78% 86 1.87% 1,586 34.57% 4,588
Wayne 4,069 62.85% 2,312 35.71% 93 1.44% 1,757 27.14% 6,474
Webster 2,599 51.24% 2,388 47.08% 85 1.68% 211 4.16% 5,072
Whitley 7,502 63.72% 4,101 34.83% 171 1.45% 3,401 28.89% 11,774
Wolfe 1,267 52.25% 1,136 46.85% 22 0.91% 131 5.40% 2,425
Woodford 5,890 58.10% 3,995 39.41% 252 2.49% 1,895 18.69% 10,137
Totals 872,492 56.50% 638,898 41.37% 32,797 2.12% 233,594 15.13% 1,544,187

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican[edit]

By congressional district[edit]

Bush won 5 of 6 congressional districts. Each candidate won a district held by the other party.

District Bush Gore Representative
1st 58% 41% Ed Whitfield
2nd 62% 36% Ron Lewis
3rd 46% 51% Anne Northup
4th 61% 37% Ken Lucas
5th 57% 42% Hal Rogers
6th 56% 42% Ernie Fletcher

Electors[edit]

Technically the voters of Kentucky cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. Kentucky is allocated 8 electors because it has 6 congressional districts and 2 senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 8 electors, who pledge to vote for their candidate and his or her running mate. Whoever wins the majority of votes in the state is awarded all 8 electoral votes. Their chosen electors then vote for president and vice president. Although electors are pledged to their candidate and running mate, they are not obligated to vote for them. An elector who votes for someone other than his or her candidate is known as a faithless elector.

The electors of each state and the District of Columbia met on December 18, 2000[3] to cast their votes for president and vice president. The Electoral College itself never meets as one body. Instead the electors from each state and the District of Columbia met in their respective capitols.

The following were the members of the Electoral College from the state. All were pledged to and voted for George W. Bush and Dick Cheney:[4]

  1. George S. Beard
  2. William S. Farish Jr
  3. Robert B. Fearing
  4. Connie S. Hayes
  5. G. Richard Noss Jr.
  6. A. Douglas Reece
  7. Michael A. Shea
  8. Larry Joe Walden

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The Political Graveyard: Wolfe County, Ky". politicalgraveyard.com. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  2. ^ "2000 Presidential General Election Results - Kentucky".
  3. ^ "2000 Post-Election Timeline of Events".
  4. ^ "President Elect - 2000". Archived from the original on February 12, 2012. Retrieved October 25, 2009.