2000 United States presidential election in Kentucky
2000 United States presidential election in Kentucky
County Results
Bush
40-50%
50-60%
60-70%
70-80%
80-90%
Gore
40-50%
50-60%
60-70%
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 fifty states and the District of Columbia. Voters chose eight representatives, or electors to the Electoral College , who voted for president and vice president.
Governor of Texas George W. Bush won the state with 56.50% of the vote over Vice President Al Gore , who won 41.37% of the vote. Bush dominated in rural Kentucky, particularly the Pennyroyal Plateau , and won five of the state's six congressional districts. Gore only won the Louisville -based 3rd congressional district , though he also performed well in parts of the Eastern Coalfield .
As of the 2020 presidential election [update] , this is the last election in which Boyd County , Muhlenberg County , Harlan County , Perry County , Letcher County , Ballard County , and Fulton County have voted for the Democratic candidate. It also marked the first ever election in which Wolfe County and Morgan County in the Eastern Coalfield voted for a Republican.[ 1] This election marked the state's shift from a swing state to a safely Republican state, which would be further cemented by its vote for John McCain in 2008 .
Kentucky was one of nine states to vote for Bill Clinton in both 1992 and 1996 that Gore lost. It was also the only state to back Clinton in 1996 that Gore lost by a double digit margin.
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
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
By congressional district
Bush won five of the state's six congressional districts. Each candidate won a district held by the other party.
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