Rep. Ben Chandler (D) Elected Feb. 2004, 1st full term
Born:	Sept. 12,1959, Versailles
Home:	Versailles
Education:	U. of KY, B.A. 1983, J.D. 1986
Religion:	Presbyterian
Marital Status:	married (Jennifer)
Elected  Office:	KY Auditor, 1991-95; KY Atty. Gen. 1995-2004.
Professional Career:	Practicing atty., 1986-91.
DC Office	1504 LHOB20515, 202-225-4706; Fax: 202-225-2122; Web site: www.house.gov/chandler
State Offices	Lexington, 859-219-1366.
Additional Info
Committees · Ratings · Key Votes · Election Results District Demographics
More On Kentucky
At A Glance · State Profile District Map Redistricting · Almanac Home
Recent News Coverage
Search the CongressDaily, Hotline, House Race Hotline, National Journal and Technology Daily archives using the form above:
[an error occurred while processing this directive]

With its white picket fences, horse farms and Georgian brick house-filled small towns, the rolling plateau of the Bluegrass country almost plumb in the middle of Kentucky is the part of interior America longest settled by English speakers: Lexington was founded in 1775; the town of Hopewell was renamed Paris in 1789 out of gratitude for French help during our Revolution and in a salute to theirs (though the county name remained Bourbon even after Louis XVI was guillotined). Tobacco farming started here in the 1770s, horse racing in 1787, and the first whiskey distillery, in Bourbon County, was built in 1790. Tobacco, whiskey and racehorses remained the staples of the Bluegrass economy for six generations until 1956, when IBM built its typewriter plant in Lexington. IBM's arrival "really was the beginning of Lexington's industrial revolution," as University of Kentucky historian Carl Cone put it. But capitalism, as Joseph Schumpeter wrote, is a process of creative destruction. The PC eventually outclassed the typewriter, and the IBM plant was put on the block. The big employer here became Lexmark International, an independent IBM spinoff that makes inkjet and laser printers. Another mainstay of the local economy is the Toyota plant, built in the 1980s, in Georgetown, a town with early 19th century houses and lush countryside, just one county north of Lexington and west of Paris; auto parts and suppliers have naturally moved in nearby as an adjunct to the Georgetown plant, which can produce 500,000 cars annually. The engineering school at the University of Kentucky has created additional manufacturing job opportunities. Lexington, which includes all of Fayette County, grew by a sprightly 18% between 1990 and 2004, and the 2000 Census showed it the largest city in Kentucky, just ahead of Louisville. But Louisville voters decided to merge the city and Jefferson County, and in January 2003 Louisville became number one again.

The 6th Congressional District of Kentucky includes Lexington and the surrounding counties--a natural unit, unlike some other Kentucky districts. Lexington casts 40% of the votes. It was the home base of the Whig Party's great leader Henry Clay, but in the 150 years after his death, the Bluegrass country was mostly Democratic. In the 1990s the area became more Republican, and George W. Bush carried the district in 2000 and 2004.

The congressman from the 6th District is Ben Chandler, a Democrat who won a special election in February 2004. He grew up in Versailles, in the horse country just west of Lexington, the grandson of A.B. "Happy" Chandler, the former governor and senator who for five years was commissioner of baseball before eventually serving another term as governor. His father owned a local newspaper. Ben Chandler got his bachelor's and law degree from the University of Kentucky and practiced law for five years. In 1991 he was elected state auditor and in 1995 and 1999 attorney general. In that job he made a name for himself by prosecuting corrupt politicians. But he, like other Kentucky Democrats, was hurt in 2002 when Governor Paul Patton admitted an extramarital affair with a woman who owned a nursing home and who was given preferential treatment by the state. In 2003 Chandler ran for governor and beat Speaker Jody Richards in the Democratic primary by a 50%-47% margin. But he lost the general election to 6th District Congressman Ernie Fletcher 55%-45%. Fletcher resigned the 6th District House seat on December 9.

Chandler quickly decided that if he could not defeat Fletcher, he would try to succeed him. He won the Democratic nomination without opposition, and Republicans picked low-profile state Senator Alice Forgy Kerr, whose brother Larry Forgy was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for governor in 1995. Both candidates supported the war in Iraq and a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage and opposed amnesty for illegal aliens, but they disagreed on state and national taxes. Chandler attacked Republicans for not supporting reimportation of prescription drugs from Canada, promised to fight for additional veterans benefits and to defend a local VA hospital from efforts to close it. Although he was glad to accept House Democrats' fundraising help, Chandler kept his distance from Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi; "It's a lie to say that I'll do what she wants." Kerr ran as a solid supporter of George W. Bush. Chandler scored an unexpectedly easy victory, 55%-43%, carrying 14 of the 16 counties, with a 55%-43% margin in Fayette County. Kerr won only two exurban counties south of Lexington. Polls showed that Chandler won back the support of many traditionally Democratic older voters who had supported Republican candidates in recent years. The biggest change from his November defeat, said a Chandler adviser, was that the special election was not a referendum on Paul Patton. This was the first time since 1991 that Democrats captured a Republican seat in a special election; national Democrats celebrated Chandler's victory as a good omen for their hopes of recapturing the House in November 2004. National chairman Terry McAuliffe said it was a sign of Bush's unpopularity in the South. But Republicans credited the outcome to Chandler's smart campaign and high name recognition. Out-party candidates tend to do well in special elections, since they can argue that they will serve local interests and their opponents cannot plausibly claim that their victories will result in a change of party control. Democrats did not win any Chandler-like victories in House seats in November 2004.

In the House, Chandler had a moderate voting record, which was a bit more liberal on economic issues. In November, he was challenged by state Senator Tom Buford, who supported Bush on nearly every issue. Chandler won again, 59%-40%. He has seats on the Agriculture, International Relations, and Transportation and Infrastructure committees. His victories in 2004 kept alive Kentucky's record of electing at least one Democrat to Congress every year since Andrew Jackson founded the party in 1828.

Committees

• Agriculture (21st of 21 D): General Farm Commodities & Risk Management; Specialty Crops & Foreign Agriculture Programs.
• International Relations (22d of 23 D): Europe & Emerging Threats; Middle East & Central Asia.
• Transportation & Infrastructure (30th of 34 D): Aviation; Highways, Transit & Pipelines.

Group Ratings (More Info)
	ADA	ACLU	AFS	LCV	ITIC	NTU	COC	ACU	NTLC	CHC
2004	70	18	83	100	100	14	55	--	19	--	--
2003	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--

National Journal Ratings (More Info)
	2003 LIB	--	2003 CONS		2004 LIB	--	2004 CONS
Economic	*	--	*		69%	--	30%
Social	*	--	*		51%	--	49%
Foreign	*	--	*		52%	--	48%
For National Journal's complete 2004 Vote Ratings, as well as previous ratings dating back to 1995, please click here.

Key Votes Of The 108th Congress (More Info)
1. Drilling in ANWR * 2. Approve Bush Tax Cuts * 3. Medicare/Rx Bill * 4. Bar Overtime Pay Regs. Y 5. DC School Vouchers * 6. Ban Human Cloning *		7. Restrict Gun Liability *  8. Ban Partial-Birth Abortion *  9. Ban Same-Sex Marriage Y 10. Fund Iraq War * 11. Bar Cuba Embargo Funds N 12. Intelligence Reorg. Y

Election Results (More Info)
	Candidate	Total Votes	Percent	Expenditures
2004 general	Ben Chandler (D)	175,355	59%	$1,623,086
	Tom Buford (R)	119,716	40%	$137,072
	Other	4,146	1%
2004 primary	Ben Chandler (D)	unopposed
2004 special	Ben Chandler (D)	84,168	55%
	Alice Forgy Kerr (R)	65,474	43%
	Other	2,592	2%
2002 general	Ernie Fletcher (R)	115,622	72%	$1,238,265
	Gatewood Galbraith (I)	41,753	26%	$18,697
	Other	3,313	2%

2004 Presidential Vote Bush (R) 182,787 (58%) Kerry (D) 128,967 (41%)

2000 Presidential Vote Bush (R) 145,606 (55%) Gore (D) 109,602 (42%)

For 1992 and 1996 presidential results in the Sixth District, please see the Almanac 2000 online. Please note that these older returns reflect district lines as they existed prior to 2002 redistricting.

• Cook Partisan Voting Index: R + 7
• District Size: 3,775 square miles
• Population in 2000: 673,626; 71.3% urban; 28.7% rural
• Median Household Income: $37,544; 13.2% are below the poverty line
• Occupation: 25.8% blue collar; 58.8% white collar; 15.4% gray collar; 11.7% military veterans
• Race/Ethnic Origin: 87.1% White, 8.2% Black, 1.2% Asian, 0.2% Amer. Indian, 0.0% Hawaiian, 1.1% Two+ races, 0.1% Other, 2.1% Hispanic origin
• Ancestry: 15.3% USA, 9.5% English, 9.3% German
• Click here for statewide demographic data.