Kentucky gubernatorial election, 2007

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The Kentucky gubernatorial election, 2007 was held on November 6, 2007. In this election, incumbent Republican Governor Ernie Fletcher lost to Democratic challenger Steve Beshear, who will therefore serve as Governor of Kentucky from December 2007 through December 2011. Beshear's running mate, Daniel Mongiardo, will serve as Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky for that same time period.

A Primary Election to determine the Republican and Democratic nominees for governor was held on May 22, 2007 in which Ernie Fletcher (Republican) and Steve Beshear (Democrat) won their respective primaries^[1].

Contents 1 Background 2 Nominees 2.1 Republican 2.2 Democratic 2.3 Candidates who ran and lost in their primary 2.3.1 Republican 2.3.2 Democratic 2.3.2.1 Withdrawn 3 Polling 3.1 Republican Primary 3.2 Democratic Primary 3.3 General Election 4 Results 4.1 General Election 4.2 Democratic Primary 4.3 Republican Primary 5 See also 6 References 7 External links 7.1 Campaign sites 7.1.1 Major party nominees

[edit] Background

Fletcher came under increasing criticism from both parties after his involvement in a state employee hiring controversy, in which Fletcher was accused of illegally hiring civil service employees for their political affiliations and loyalties. An investigation by the Attorney General of Kentucky and a special grand jury led to the indictment of 13 Fletcher administration officials. Fletcher issued a blanket pardon for anyone in his administration (other than himself) who was or may have been involved in the scandal. Fletcher himself was later indicted by a grand jury for three misdemeanors: conspiracy, official misconduct and political discrimination. All were related to the merit system investigation. On August 24, 2006, Fletcher reached a deal with the Attorney General's office that led to the dismissal of the charges in exchange for Fletcher's acknowledgment that "the evidence strongly indicates wrongdoing by his administration with regard to personnel actions within the merit system. Further, the governor hereby states that these actions were inappropriate and that he regrets their occurrence and accepts responsibility for them as head of the executive branch of state government." (See Ernie Fletcher: Merit system investigation) Fletcher's approval rating as of May 11, 2007 was at 38% [3], putting him among the lowest governors in the nation.

Anne Northup, who was defeated for reelection to the House of Representatives in 2006, and Paducah businessman Billy Harper challenged Fletcher in the Republican primary. Both had supported and worked for Fletcher's 2003 campaign. Despite his troubles, Fletcher was able to fend off the primary challenge, winning a majority of the vote (see below).

On the Democratic side, an increasingly competitive primary campaign developed. Louisville businessman Bruce Lunsford spent over five million dollars, most of it being his own money, in the campaign. On May 7, Jonathan Miller withdrew from the race and endorsed Steve Beshear. Lunsford, Beshear, State House Speaker Jody Richards, and former Lt. Governor Steve Henry consistently polled significantly ahead of the other candidates. Given the crowded field, many believed a runoff election was likely between the top two finishers--which polls suggested would be Beshear and Lunsford--if no candidate was able to obtain at least 40% of the vote. Beshear, however, was able to avoid a runoff with 40.9% (see below).

[edit] Nominees

[edit] Republican

• Ernie Fletcher - Incumbent Governor of Kentucky, 2003-Present; former U.S. Representative for Kentucky's 6th congressional district, 1999-2003; former St. Representative, 1995-1997

• Running mate: Robbie Rudolph, State Secretary of Executive Cabinet, 2006-2007; State Secretary of Finance, 2003-2006.

[edit] Democratic

• Steve Beshear - Former Lt. Governor of Kentucky, 1983-1987; former Attorney General of Kentucky, 1979-1983; former St. Representative, 1974-1979.

• Running mate: St. Senator Daniel Mongiardo, 2001-2007.

[edit] Candidates who ran and lost in their primary

[edit] Republican

• Billy Harper - Businessman from West Paducah.

• Running mate: Dick Wilson.

• Anne Northup - Former U.S. Representative for Kentucky's 3rd congressional district, 1997-2007; former St. Representative, 1987-1997.

• Running mate: St. Representative Jeff Hoover, 1997-Present.

[edit] Democratic

• Gatewood Galbraith - Attorney, Frequent Candidate

• Running mate: Mark Wireman

• Steve Henry - Former Lt. Governor of Kentucky, 1995-2003

• Running Mate: Fayette County Property Valuation Administrator Renee True

• Otis Hensley - Private contractor from Wallins Creek, Kentucky who received 3% of the vote in the Democratic primary in 2003.

• Running mate: Richard Robbins

• Bruce Lunsford - prominent Louisville businessman; unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Kentucky in 2003.

• Running mate: Greg Stumbo, Attorney General of Kentucky 2003-Present; former St. Representative, 1985-2003.

• Jody Richards - St. Representative, 1975-Present (Speaker of the House, 1996-Present); received 47% of the vote in the Democratic primary for Governor of Kentucky in 2003.

• Running mate: John Y. Brown III, Kentucky Secretary of State 1995-2003.

[edit] Withdrawn

• Jonathan Miller - St. Treasurer, 1999-Present. (Withdrew May 7, and endorsed Steve Beshear)

• Running mate: Irv Maze, Jefferson County Attorney, 1999-Present

[edit] Polling

[edit] Republican Primary

Source	Date	Fletcher (R)	Harper (R)	Northup (R)
Survey USA	May 18-20, 2007	44%	17%	34%
Courier-Journal Bluegrass Poll	May 10-15, 2007	41%	10%	26%
Survey USA	May 12-14, 2007	44%	14%	34%
Survey USA	April 28-30, 2007	46%	14%	34%
Survey USA	Mar 31 - Apr 2, 2007	40%	16%	31%
Survey USA	Mar 3-5, 2007	33%	13%	31%
Public Opinion Strategies	Jan 28-29, 2007	39%	10%	39%

[edit] Democratic Primary

Source	Date	Beshear (D)	Galbraith (D)	Henry (D)	Hensley (D)	Lunsford (D)	Richards (D)
Survey USA	May 18-20, 2007	32%	7%	17%	1%	23%	12%
Penn, Schoen and Berland	May 16-17, 2007	26%	N/A	13%	N/A	22%	12%
GarinHartYang Research	May 14-15, 2007	35%	N/A	13%	N/A	23%	12%
Survey USA	May 12-14, 2007	32%	5%	18%	1%	23%	12%
Courier-Journal Bluegrass Poll	May 10-14, 2007	27%	4%	13%	1%	21%	7%	Miller (D)
Survey USA	Apr 28-30, 2007	23%	6%	18%	1%	29%	9%	7%
Mellman Group	Apr 19-22, 2007	15%	N/A	24%	N/A	16%	9%	20%
Survey USA	Mar 31 - Apr 2, 2007	15%	8%	20%	1%	20%	12%	8%
Survey USA	Mar 3-5, 2007	15%	6%	26%	2%	7%	13%	8%
GarinHartYang Research	Feb 20-22, 2007	21%	N/A	21%	N/A	8%	16%	8%

[edit] General Election

Source	Date	Beshear (D)	Fletcher (R)
Survey USA	Nov 2-4, 2007	59%	39%
Rasmussen Reports	Nov 1, 2007	54%	39%
Survey USA	Oct 27-29, 2007	60%	36%
Courier-Journal Bluegrass Poll	Oct 26-29, 2007	56%	33%
Research 2000	Oct 22-24, 2007	55%	40%
Survey USA	Oct 19-21, 2007	58%	38%
Survey USA	Oct 8-9, 2007	56%	40%
Insider Advantage	Sep 24-25, 2007	45%	35%
Courier-Journal Bluegrass Poll	Sep 13-18, 2007	55%	35%
Preston-Osborne	Sep 13-17, 2007	51%	36%
Research 2000	Sep 10-13, 2007	56%	39%
Survey USA	Sep 8-10, 2007	58%	39%
Survey USA	Aug 4-6, 2007	58%	37%
Preston-Osborne	Jul 25 - Aug 2, 2007	49%	31%
Survey USA	Jul 14-16, 2007	59%	36%
Insider Advantage	Jul 8-9, 2007	41%	38%
Rasmussen Reports	May 24-25, 2007	51%	35%
Survey USA	May 23-24, 2007	62%	34%

[edit] Results

[edit] General Election

Fletcher conceded to Beshear at 9:00 PM on November 6.

Kentucky gubernatorial election, 2007
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Steve Beshear	619,553	58.7	+13.75
	Republican	Ernie Fletcher	435,772	41.3	-13.75
Majority			183,781	17.4
Turnout			1,055,325	37.1
	Democratic gain from Republican		Swing

[edit] Democratic Primary

Democratic Primary Election, May 22[4]
Candidate	Party	Votes	Percent
Steve Beshear	Democratic	142,838	41.02%
Bruce Lunsford	Democratic	74,578	21.42%
Steve Henry	Democratic	60,893	17.49%
Jody Richards	Democratic	45,433	13.05%
Gatewood Galbraith	Democratic	20,704	5.95%
Otis Hensley	Democratic	3,792	1.09%

[edit] Republican Primary

Republican Primary Election, May 22[5]
Candidate	Party	Votes	Percent
Ernie Fletcher	Republican	101,328	50.08%
Anne Northup	Republican	73,919	36.53%
Billy Harper	Republican	27,092	13.39%

[edit] See also

• U.S. gubernatorial elections, 2007
• State of Kentucky
• Governors of Kentucky

[edit] References

1. ^ LEX18 - Lexington, KY - News, Weather, Sports - Fletcher, Beshear To Face Off In Nov
2. ^ electionresults.ky.gov - View Election Results
3. ^ http://elect.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/B3BC13F8-C6E6-4E5E-859D-21CDCEB43783/0/county.txt
4. ^ [1]
5. ^ [2]

[edit] External links

• Kentucky Secretary of State Filing Report

• Louisville Courier-Journal recap of Democratic primary

• Louisville Courier-Journal recap of Republican primary

• Unofficial Election results (live returns)

[edit] Campaign sites

[edit] Major party nominees

• Steve Beshear for Governor (Democrat)
• Ernie Fletcher for Governor (Republican)

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