2000 United States presidential election in Kentucky
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.
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 County Results
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| Elections in Kentucky |
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 Government |
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]
Bush became the first Republican to win the White House without carrying Jefferson County since Theodore Roosevelt in 1904.
Results
| 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
| County | Al Gore | George W. Bush | Other | Margin | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adair | 1,779 | 24.28% | 5,460 | 74.51% | 89 | 1.21% | 3,681 | 50.23% | 7,328 |
| Allen | 1,950 | 30.33% | 4,415 | 68.67% | 64 | 1.00% | 2,465 | 38.34% | 6,429 |
| Anderson | 2,902 | 36.43% | 4,909 | 61.62% | 156 | 1.96% | 2,007 | 25.19% | 7,967 |
| Ballard | 1,880 | 49.88% | 1,824 | 48.39% | 65 | 1.72% | -56 | -1.49% | 3,769 |
| Barren | 4,930 | 35.61% | 8,741 | 63.14% | 173 | 1.25% | 3,811 | 27.53% | 13,844 |
| Bath | 2,087 | 46.66% | 2,303 | 51.49% | 83 | 1.86% | 216 | 4.83% | 4,473 |
| Bell | 4,787 | 45.11% | 5,585 | 52.63% | 239 | 2.25% | 798 | 7.52% | 10,611 |
| Boone | 9,248 | 28.91% | 22,016 | 68.83% | 720 | 2.25% | 12,768 | 39.92% | 31,984 |
| Bourbon | 3,048 | 42.92% | 3,881 | 54.65% | 173 | 2.44% | 833 | 11.73% | 7,102 |
| Boyd | 9,541 | 49.74% | 9,247 | 48.21% | 394 | 2.05% | -294 | -1.53% | 19,182 |
| Boyle | 3,963 | 38.38% | 6,126 | 59.33% | 237 | 2.30% | 2,163 | 20.95% | 10,326 |
| Bracken | 888 | 29.41% | 2,065 | 68.40% | 66 | 2.19% | 1,177 | 38.99% | 3,019 |
| Breathitt | 2,902 | 57.20% | 2,084 | 41.08% | 87 | 1.71% | -818 | -16.12% | 5,073 |
| Breckinridge | 2,595 | 34.82% | 4,763 | 63.91% | 95 | 1.27% | 2,168 | 29.09% | 7,453 |
| Bullitt | 8,195 | 36.13% | 14,054 | 61.97% | 430 | 1.90% | 5,859 | 25.83% | 22,679 |
| Butler | 1,299 | 25.93% | 3,654 | 72.93% | 57 | 1.14% | 2,355 | 47.01% | 5,010 |
| Caldwell | 2,223 | 40.55% | 3,161 | 57.66% | 98 | 1.79% | 938 | 17.11% | 5,482 |
| Calloway | 5,635 | 41.21% | 7,705 | 56.35% | 333 | 2.44% | 2,070 | 15.14% | 13,673 |
| Campbell | 12,040 | 35.61% | 20,789 | 61.49% | 980 | 2.90% | 8,749 | 25.88% | 33,809 |
| Carlisle | 1,149 | 44.31% | 1,405 | 54.18% | 39 | 1.50% | 256 | 9.87% | 2,593 |
| Carroll | 1,601 | 45.76% | 1,818 | 51.96% | 80 | 2.29% | 217 | 6.20% | 3,499 |
| Carter | 4,182 | 46.68% | 4,617 | 51.53% | 160 | 1.79% | 435 | 4.86% | 8,959 |
| Casey | 1,122 | 20.52% | 4,284 | 78.33% | 63 | 1.15% | 3,162 | 57.82% | 5,469 |
| Christian | 6,778 | 38.14% | 10,787 | 60.69% | 208 | 1.17% | 4,009 | 22.56% | 17,773 |
| Clark | 4,918 | 39.52% | 7,297 | 58.64% | 228 | 1.83% | 2,379 | 19.12% | 12,443 |
| Clay | 1,723 | 25.64% | 4,926 | 73.31% | 70 | 1.04% | 3,203 | 47.67% | 6,719 |
| Clinton | 1,032 | 23.97% | 3,224 | 74.89% | 49 | 1.14% | 2,192 | 50.92% | 4,305 |
| Crittenden | 1,610 | 38.76% | 2,469 | 59.44% | 75 | 1.81% | 859 | 20.68% | 4,154 |
| Cumberland | 736 | 24.48% | 2,220 | 73.85% | 50 | 1.66% | 1,484 | 49.37% | 3,006 |
| Daviess | 14,126 | 38.98% | 21,361 | 58.94% | 753 | 2.08% | 7,235 | 19.96% | 36,240 |
| Edmonson | 1,710 | 34.23% | 3,250 | 65.07% | 35 | 0.70% | 1,540 | 30.83% | 4,995 |
| Elliott | 1,525 | 64.05% | 827 | 34.73% | 29 | 1.22% | -698 | -29.32% | 2,381 |
| Estill | 1,591 | 33.78% | 3,033 | 64.39% | 86 | 1.83% | 1,442 | 30.62% | 4,710 |
| Fayette | 47,277 | 44.82% | 54,495 | 51.67% | 3,703 | 3.51% | 7,218 | 6.84% | 105,475 |
| Fleming | 1,813 | 35.01% | 3,282 | 63.37% | 84 | 1.62% | 1,469 | 28.36% | 5,179 |
| Floyd | 10,088 | 65.53% | 5,068 | 32.92% | 238 | 1.55% | -5,020 | -32.61% | 15,394 |
| Franklin | 10,853 | 50.12% | 10,209 | 47.15% | 592 | 2.73% | -644 | -2.97% | 21,654 |
| Fulton | 1,452 | 52.08% | 1,293 | 46.38% | 43 | 1.54% | -159 | -5.70% | 2,788 |
| Gallatin | 1,049 | 42.66% | 1,345 | 54.70% | 65 | 2.64% | 296 | 12.04% | 2,459 |
| Garrard | 1,713 | 29.42% | 4,043 | 69.43% | 67 | 1.15% | 2,330 | 40.01% | 5,823 |
| Grant | 2,568 | 36.15% | 4,405 | 62.02% | 130 | 1.83% | 1,837 | 25.86% | 7,103 |
| Graves | 6,097 | 42.84% | 7,849 | 55.15% | 285 | 2.00% | 1,752 | 12.31% | 14,231 |
| Grayson | 2,604 | 30.45% | 5,843 | 68.33% | 104 | 1.22% | 3,239 | 37.88% | 8,551 |
| Green | 1,085 | 22.81% | 3,615 | 76.01% | 56 | 1.18% | 2,530 | 53.20% | 4,756 |
| Greenup | 7,164 | 48.86% | 7,233 | 49.33% | 266 | 1.81% | 69 | 0.47% | 14,663 |
| Hancock | 1,508 | 41.77% | 2,032 | 56.29% | 70 | 1.94% | 524 | 14.52% | 3,610 |
| Hardin | 11,095 | 36.15% | 18,964 | 61.79% | 631 | 2.06% | 7,869 | 25.64% | 30,690 |
| Harlan | 5,365 | 50.93% | 4,980 | 47.27% | 190 | 1.80% | -385 | -3.65% | 10,535 |
| Harrison | 2,658 | 40.21% | 3,793 | 57.37% | 160 | 2.42% | 1,135 | 17.17% | 6,611 |
| Hart | 2,201 | 36.57% | 3,725 | 61.89% | 93 | 1.55% | 1,524 | 25.32% | 6,019 |
| Henderson | 8,054 | 50.22% | 7,698 | 48.00% | 287 | 1.79% | -356 | -2.22% | 16,039 |
| Henry | 2,117 | 38.68% | 3,244 | 59.27% | 112 | 2.05% | 1,127 | 20.59% | 5,473 |
| Hickman | 940 | 44.26% | 1,151 | 54.19% | 33 | 1.55% | 211 | 9.93% | 2,124 |
| Hopkins | 6,734 | 40.84% | 9,490 | 57.55% | 265 | 1.61% | 2,756 | 16.71% | 16,489 |
| Jackson | 701 | 14.44% | 4,079 | 84.02% | 75 | 1.54% | 3,378 | 69.58% | 4,855 |
| Jefferson | 149,901 | 49.58% | 145,052 | 47.97% | 7,408 | 2.45% | -4,849 | -1.60% | 302,361 |
| Jessamine | 4,633 | 30.76% | 10,074 | 66.89% | 354 | 2.35% | 5,441 | 36.13% | 15,061 |
| Johnson | 3,251 | 39.74% | 4,783 | 58.47% | 146 | 1.78% | 1,532 | 18.73% | 8,180 |
| Kenton | 19,100 | 33.97% | 35,363 | 62.90% | 1,760 | 3.13% | 16,263 | 28.93% | 56,223 |
| Knott | 4,349 | 67.34% | 2,029 | 31.42% | 80 | 1.24% | -2,320 | -35.92% | 6,458 |
| Knox | 3,690 | 37.24% | 6,058 | 61.13% | 162 | 1.63% | 2,368 | 23.90% | 9,910 |
| LaRue | 1,727 | 33.35% | 3,384 | 65.34% | 68 | 1.31% | 1,657 | 31.99% | 5,179 |
| Laurel | 4,856 | 26.80% | 13,029 | 71.90% | 235 | 1.30% | 8,173 | 45.10% | 18,120 |
| Lawrence | 2,258 | 42.55% | 2,969 | 55.94% | 80 | 1.51% | 711 | 13.40% | 5,307 |
| Lee | 836 | 30.25% | 1,893 | 68.49% | 35 | 1.27% | 1,057 | 38.24% | 2,764 |
| Leslie | 1,210 | 27.29% | 3,159 | 71.24% | 65 | 1.47% | 1,949 | 43.96% | 4,434 |
| Letcher | 4,698 | 52.29% | 4,092 | 45.54% | 195 | 2.17% | -606 | 6.74% | 8,985 |
| Lewis | 1,293 | 28.31% | 3,217 | 70.42% | 58 | 1.27% | 1,924 | 42.12% | 4,568 |
| Lincoln | 2,678 | 35.25% | 4,795 | 63.12% | 124 | 1.63% | 2,117 | 27.87% | 7,597 |
| Livingston | 2,022 | 47.80% | 2,118 | 50.07% | 90 | 2.13% | 96 | 2.27% | 4,230 |
| Logan | 3,885 | 41.63% | 5,344 | 57.27% | 103 | 1.10% | 1,459 | 15.63% | 9,332 |
| Lyon | 1,680 | 49.12% | 1,688 | 49.36% | 52 | 1.52% | 8 | 0.23% | 3,420 |
| McCracken | 11,412 | 42.76% | 14,745 | 55.25% | 532 | 1.99% | 3,333 | 12.49% | 26,689 |
| McCreary | 1,418 | 29.55% | 3,321 | 69.20% | 60 | 1.25% | 1,903 | 39.65% | 4,799 |
| McLean | 1,747 | 43.44% | 2,219 | 55.17% | 56 | 1.39% | 472 | 11.74% | 4,022 |
| Madison | 9,309 | 39.33% | 13,682 | 57.81% | 675 | 2.85% | 4,373 | 18.48% | 23,666 |
| Magoffin | 2,603 | 47.74% | 2,785 | 51.07% | 65 | 1.19% | 182 | 3.34% | 5,453 |
| Marion | 2,778 | 44.98% | 3,259 | 52.77% | 139 | 2.25% | 481 | 7.79% | 6,176 |
| Marshall | 6,203 | 45.08% | 7,294 | 53.00% | 264 | 1.92% | 1,091 | 7.93% | 13,761 |
| Martin | 1,714 | 38.46% | 2,667 | 59.85% | 75 | 1.68% | 953 | 21.39% | 4,456 |
| Mason | 2,178 | 37.08% | 3,572 | 60.82% | 123 | 2.09% | 1,394 | 23.74% | 5,873 |
| Meade | 3,596 | 39.64% | 5,319 | 58.64% | 156 | 1.72% | 1,723 | 18.99% | 9,071 |
| Menifee | 1,038 | 46.15% | 1,170 | 52.02% | 41 | 1.82% | 132 | 5.87% | 2,249 |
| Mercer | 3,092 | 35.82% | 5,362 | 62.12% | 178 | 2.06% | 2,270 | 26.30% | 8,632 |
| Metcalfe | 1,318 | 34.24% | 2,476 | 64.33% | 55 | 1.43% | 1,158 | 30.09% | 3,849 |
| Monroe | 1,158 | 20.79% | 4,377 | 78.60% | 34 | 0.61% | 3,219 | 57.80% | 5,569 |
| Montgomery | 3,833 | 44.99% | 4,534 | 53.22% | 152 | 1.78% | 701 | 8.23% | 8,519 |
| Morgan | 1,875 | 44.22% | 2,295 | 54.13% | 70 | 1.65% | 420 | 9.91% | 4,240 |
| Muhlenberg | 6,295 | 52.65% | 5,518 | 46.15% | 143 | 1.20% | -777 | -6.50% | 11,956 |
| Nelson | 5,481 | 40.64% | 7,714 | 57.19% | 293 | 2.17% | 2,233 | 16.56% | 13,488 |
| Nicholas | 994 | 37.19% | 1,613 | 60.34% | 66 | 2.47% | 619 | 23.16% | 2,673 |
| Ohio | 3,303 | 37.19% | 5,413 | 60.94% | 166 | 1.87% | 2,110 | 23.76% | 8,882 |
| Oldham | 6,236 | 30.77% | 13,580 | 67.00% | 452 | 2.23% | 7,344 | 36.23% | 20,268 |
| Owen | 1,394 | 34.25% | 2,582 | 63.44% | 94 | 2.31% | 1,188 | 29.19% | 4,070 |
| Owsley | 339 | 18.57% | 1,466 | 80.28% | 21 | 1.15% | 1,127 | 61.72% | 1,826 |
| Pendleton | 1,670 | 34.77% | 3,044 | 63.38% | 89 | 1.85% | 1,374 | 28.61% | 4,803 |
| Perry | 5,514 | 50.15% | 5,300 | 48.20% | 182 | 1.66% | -214 | -1.95% | 10,996 |
| Pike | 13,611 | 54.59% | 11,005 | 44.13% | 319 | 1.28% | -2,606 | -10.45% | 24,935 |
| Powell | 2,008 | 46.17% | 2,258 | 51.92% | 83 | 1.91% | 250 | 5.75% | 4,349 |
| Pulaski | 5,415 | 25.14% | 15,845 | 73.56% | 281 | 1.30% | 10,430 | 48.42% | 21,541 |
| Robertson | 341 | 34.17% | 630 | 63.13% | 27 | 2.71% | 289 | 28.96% | 998 |
| Rockcastle | 1,174 | 22.37% | 3,992 | 76.08% | 81 | 1.54% | 2,818 | 53.71% | 5,247 |
| Rowan | 3,505 | 48.51% | 3,546 | 49.07% | 175 | 2.42% | 41 | 0.57% | 7,226 |
| Russell | 1,710 | 24.17% | 5,268 | 74.47% | 96 | 1.36% | 3,558 | 50.30% | 7,074 |
| Scott | 5,472 | 39.69% | 7,952 | 57.68% | 362 | 2.63% | 2,480 | 17.99% | 13,786 |
| Shelby | 4,435 | 34.82% | 8,068 | 63.34% | 235 | 1.84% | 3,633 | 28.52% | 12,738 |
| Simpson | 2,583 | 44.35% | 3,169 | 54.41% | 72 | 1.24% | 586 | 10.06% | 5,824 |
| Spencer | 1,554 | 32.56% | 3,150 | 66.01% | 68 | 1.42% | 1,596 | 33.45% | 4,772 |
| Taylor | 2,790 | 30.83% | 6,151 | 67.96% | 110 | 1.22% | 3,361 | 37.13% | 9,051 |
| Todd | 1,496 | 35.73% | 2,646 | 63.20% | 45 | 1.07% | 1,150 | 27.47% | 4,187 |
| Trigg | 2,110 | 39.48% | 3,130 | 58.57% | 104 | 1.95% | 1,020 | 19.09% | 5,344 |
| Trimble | 1,181 | 38.33% | 1,837 | 59.62% | 63 | 2.04% | 656 | 21.29% | 3,081 |
| Union | 2,547 | 47.45% | 2,749 | 51.21% | 72 | 1.34% | 202 | 3.76% | 5,368 |
| Warren | 12,180 | 36.94% | 20,235 | 61.36% | 560 | 1.70% | 8,055 | 24.43% | 32,975 |
| Washington | 1,458 | 31.78% | 3,044 | 66.35% | 86 | 1.87% | 1,586 | 34.57% | 4,588 |
| Wayne | 2,312 | 35.71% | 4,069 | 62.85% | 93 | 1.44% | 1,757 | 27.14% | 6,474 |
| Webster | 2,388 | 47.08% | 2,599 | 51.24% | 85 | 1.68% | 211 | 4.16% | 5,072 |
| Whitley | 4,101 | 34.83% | 7,502 | 63.72% | 171 | 1.45% | 3,401 | 28.89% | 11,774 |
| Wolfe | 1,136 | 46.85% | 1,267 | 52.25% | 22 | 0.91% | 131 | 5.40% | 2,425 |
| Woodford | 3,995 | 39.41% | 5,890 | 58.10% | 252 | 2.49% | 1,895 | 18.69% | 10,137 |
| Total | 638,898 | 41.38% | 872,492 | 56.51% | 32,671 | 2.12% | 233,594 | 15.13% | 1,544,061 |
By congressional district
Bush won 5 of 6 congressional districts.
| 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
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]
- George S. Beard
- William S. Farish Jr
- Robert B. Fearing
- Connie S. Hayes
- G. Richard Noss Jr.
- A. Douglas Reece
- Michael A. Shea
- Larry Joe Walden
References
- "The Political Graveyard: Wolfe County, Ky". politicalgraveyard.com. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
- "2000 Presidential General Election Results - Kentucky".
- "2000 Post-Election Timeline of Events".
- "President Elect - 2000". Archived from the original on 2012-02-12. Retrieved 2009-10-25.
