Ken Lucas (politician)
Kenneth Ray Lucas (born August 22, 1933) is an American politician. Lucas, a Democrat, was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky's 4th congressional district from 1999 until 2005.
Ken Lucas
Mary Lucas
Kenneth Lance Lucas
Lucas did not run for reelection in 2004, honoring a promise to serve only three terms. However, he made a bid for his old congressional seat in 2006 against Geoff Davis, the Republican who won the seat in 2004. Lucas narrowly defeated Davis in 2002, even as popular Republican Senator Mitch McConnell breezed to a fourth term in a big midterm cycle for Republicans.
On February 2, 2009, he was appointed as Commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs by Governor Steve Beshear.[1]
Run for Congress 2006[edit]
Local and national Democratic Party leaders recruited Lucas to make a run for his old seat. He formally announced his candidacy on January 30.
Lucas' entry made the race competitive, despite the 4th's Republican bent. Historically, among the Commonwealth's districts, only the 5th district has been more Republican. The influence of the heavily Republican Cincinnati suburbs kept the district in Republican hands from 1967 until Lucas won the seat in 1998. In August Congressional Quarterly rated the race as "Lean Republican." In late July, the Washington Post also rated the race as a toss-up.[2] A SurveyUSA poll released on July 25, 2006, showed Lucas leading 50% to 41%,[3] although Davis has a decisive lead in fundraising.[4]
Lucas ended up losing to Davis by nine points: 43% to 52%. To date, this is the last time that a Democrat has managed even 40 percent of the vote.
A "Blue-Dog" Democrat[edit]
Lucas was one of the most conservative Democrats in the House, as reflected by National Journal rankings. He had a lifetime American Conservative Union rating of 72, the highest of any Democrat in the 108th Congress. However, he shared most Democrats' wariness about privatizing Social Security. He was asked several times to switch parties and become a Republican, but rebuffed these overtures each time.
In a district with a strong social conservative bent, Lucas won his three terms by stressing his conservative social views. He is anti-abortion, pro-gun and against gay marriage. He supported President Bush's tax cuts while in Congress and also voted in favor of going to war in Iraq. He identified as a "Blue Dog Democrat." This comes from the old (Southern) phrase of "Yellow dog Democrats" — people who would vote Democrat even if a yellow dog was the nominee. To distance themselves from attacks (such as being too liberal), they formed the coalition.