The 2004 United States House of Representatives special election in Kentucky's 6th congressional district was held on February 17, 2004, to select the successor to

Ernie Fletcher Ernest Lee Fletcher (born November 12, 1952) is an American physician and politician. In 1998, he was elected to the first of three consecutive terms in the United States House of Representatives; he resigned in 2003 after being elected the 60th ...

(R) who resigned upon being elected

Governor of Kentucky The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; since 1992, incumbents have been able to seek re-e ...

. Each party held a nominating convention to choose their nominee for the special election. Republicans selected state Senator Alice Kerr over state Representatives Stan Lee and

Lonnie Napier Lonnie Napier (born May 24, 1940) is an American politician from the Republican Party (GOP). Napier served from 1985 to 2013 in the Kentucky House of Representatives. Known as "The Fox" to friends and foes alike, Napier began his political care ...

and Lexington city councilman Charles Ellinger II as their nominee while Democrats chose former

state Attorney General The state attorney general in each of the 50 U.S. states, of the federal district, or of any of the territories is the chief legal advisor to the state government and the state's chief law enforcement officer. In some states, the attorney gener ...

and 2003 Democratic gubernatorial nominee

Ben Chandler Albert Benjamin Chandler III (born September 12, 1959) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the United States representative for from 2004 to 2013. A Democrat, Chandler was first elected to Congress in a 2004 special election. He ...

. Chandler won the election to fill out the rest of Fletcher's unexpired term. This was a symbolic victory for Democrats considering that the man Chandler succeeded was the same one he lost to in the

Gubernatorial election A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

months earlier. Though Kerr was able to out raise and out spend Chandler, it was not enough to overcome his popularity, who in addition to having served as state attorney general was also the grandson of Happy Chandler, a former governor, U.S. Senator, and

Commissioner of Baseball The Commissioner of Baseball is the chief executive officer of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the associated Minor League Baseball (MiLB) – a constellation of leagues and clubs known as "organized baseball". Under the direction of the Commiss ...

, in this conservative, but generally

ticket-splitting Split-ticket voting is when a voter in an election votes for candidates from different political parties when multiple offices are being decided by a single election, as opposed to straight-ticket voting, where a voter chooses candidates from t ...

Lexington centered District, which supported Fletcher with 71% in 2002, and

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

over

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic no ...

by a smaller but nonetheless substantial 55% to 42% margin in the Presidential election of 2000.

Election results

References

{{2004 United States elections 2004 Kentucky elections 2004 06 Kentucky 06 Kentucky 2004 06 United States House of Representatives 2004 06 Kentucky 06