Kentucky
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Categories: United States of America | Kentucky
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Kentucky entered the Union on June 1, 1792 becoming the 14th state of the United States. Kentucky prides itself on producing some of the nation's best tobacco, race horses, whiskey and bluegrass music. Only the last is not direcly associated with some form of vice.
Eastern Kentucky was originally home to the Cherokee. Central Kentucky was originally home to Shawnee. Western Kentucky was originally home to the Chickasaw. The lesser known Mosopelea and Yuchi also lived in Kentucky. Englishman Gabriel Arthur arrived in Kentucky 1674. Kentucky was part of the vast region claimed by France in 1782.
Kentucky's state capitol is Frankfort although its largest city is Louisville. Demographically, according the 2000 census, Kentucky had a population of 4,041,769. Racially, the population is:
- 89.3% White, non-Hispanic
- 7.3% Black
- 1.5% Hispanic
- 0.7% Asian
- 0.2% Native American
- 1.1% Mixed race
To date, 46 Kentuckians have been killed in the War in Iraq.
Contents |
Blue-Red Border State Politics
Kentucky has voted Republican in five of the last seven presidential elections, but has supported the Democratic candidates of the South. The commonwealth supported Democrats Jimmy Carter in 1976, and Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996, but Republican George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004. Bush won the state's 8 electoral votes overwhelmingly in 2004 by a margin of 20 percentage points and 59.6% of the vote. The most solidly Democratic counties are in the mountainous eastern unionized coal mining region, especially Pike, Floyd, Knott, Menifee, and Breathitt, and the city of Louisville.
Patronage Politics
On May 11, Republican Gov. Ernie Fletcher was indicted for engaging in crude, old fashioned patronage politics--giving political supporters state jobs. Fletcher, who had pardoned underlings charged with the same offense but not himself, is accused of conspiracy, official misconduct and violating a prohibition against political discrimination. In a demonstration of the denial plus "I'm a victim of politics" rhetoric typical of so many Republican politicians Fletcher's spokesperson Bret Hall claimed that, "This has been a politically motivated, media-driven investigation from the start. He has done nothing wrong." Source: n.a. "Kentucky Governor Indicted." Associated Press and The Los Angeles Times. May 12, 2006. In August 2006, Fletcher agreed to a plea bargain in which he admitted wrong-doing in hiring state employees, but avoided prosecution (http://www.bluegrassreport.org/bluegrass_politics/2006/08/kentucky_govern.html Bluegrass Report blog]).
Kentucky Congressional Delegation
- Senate
- Senior Senator: Mitch McConnell (R)
- Junior Senator: Rand Paul (R)
- House of Representatives
(2 Democrats, 4 Republicans)
- KY-01 Rep.: Ed Whitfield (R)
- KY-02 Rep.: Brett Guthrie (R)
- KY-03 Rep.: John Yarmuth (D)
- KY-04 Rep.: Geoffrey C. Davis (R)
- KY-05 Rep.: Hal Rogers (R)
- KY-06 Rep.: Ben Chandler (D)
- Congressional Delegations from Kentucky (Wikipedia)
Kentucky State Government
- Executive Branch
- Governor: Steve Beshear (D)
- Lieutenant Governor: Daniel Mongiardo (D)
- State Treasurer: Jonathan Miller (D)
- State Auditor: Crit Luallen (D)
- Secretary of State: C.M. “Trey” Grayson (R)
- Attorney General: Jack Conway (D)
- Legislative Branch
- Judicial Branch
- Kentucky Constitution
Kentucky Cities & Counties
- Kentucky Counties (University of Kentucky)
- Kentucky Cities and Counties (State of Kentucky)
- Kentucky County Selection Map (U.S. Census Bureau)
- Kentucky Counties (National Association of Counties)
Kentucky Elections
- Kentucky State Board of Elections (State of Kentucky)
- Election Results (State of Kentucky)
- 2008 Elections
- 2007 Elections
- 2006 Elections
- Kentucky election results
- see U.S. elections
Political Blogs
- An Angry Bleeding Heart's Diary
- Bluegrass Report
- Bluegrass Roots
- Bluegrass
- Kentucky Blog
- Kentucky Democrat
- Pol Watchers
See also
Kentucky
Congress: KY-Sen, KY-01, KY-02, KY-03, KY-04, KY-05, KY-06
State: KY-Gov, Kentucky Senate, Kentucky House, Kentucky elections, 2008, Kentucky election results
Counties: Adair, Allen, Anderson, Ballard, Barren, Bath, Bell, Boone, Bourbon, Boyd, Boyle, Bracken, Breathitt, Breckinridge, Bullitt, Butler, Caldwell, Calloway, Campbell, Carlisle, Carroll, Carter, Casey, Christian, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Crittenden, Cumberland, Daviess, Edmonson, Elliott, Estill, Fayette, Fleming, Floyd County, Franklin, Fulton, Gallatin, Garrard, Grant, Graves, Grayson, Green, Greenup, Hancock, Hardin, Harlan, Harrison, Hart, Henderson, Henry, Hickman, Hopkins, Jackson, Jefferson, Jessamine, Johnson, Kenton, Knott, Knox, LaRue, Laurel, Lawrence , Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Lewis, Lincoln, Livingston, Logan, Lyon, Madison, Magoffin, Marion, Marshall, Martin, Mason, McCracken, McCreary, McLean, Meade, Menifee, Mercer, Metcalfe, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Muhlenberg, Nelson, Nicholas, Ohio, Oldham, Owen, Owsley, Pendleton, Perry, Pike, Powell, Pulaski, Robertson, Rockcastle, Rowan, Russell, Scott, Shelby, Simpson, Spencer, Taylor, Todd, Trigg, Trimble, Union, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Webster, Whitley, Wolfe, Woodford
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110th United States Congress (composition) | Senate Committees | House Committees | List of Congressional Districts
Democrats: DNC, DSCC, DCCC, Young Democrats of America, College Democrats of America
Activist organizations: Democracy for America, USDemocrat Network, Progressive Democrats of America, Progressive Majority
Important U.S. elections: United States presidential election, 2004, United States elections, 2008