2004 Congressional Campaign
Clooney ran as a Democrat in the 2004 election for a seat in the House of Representatives representing Kentucky's 4th Congressional District. His opponent for the open seat was Republican Geoff Davis. Clooney was recruited to run by Ken Lucas, the outgoing Democratic congressman who had held onto the conservative district with his moderate views. With his name recognition and well-publicized endorsement from Lucas, Clooney was a big favorite to keep the seat in Democratic hands.
Early in 2004, Davis fought through a (sometimes rough) three-way Republican primary. Despite a commanding early lead, when the national media began to report on the electoral contest (due to his famous son George Clooney), the local and regional press began to use the phrase "Heartland vs. Hollywood" to describe the race. Clooney's lead began to disappear and he was dealt a blow when both The Kentucky Enquirer and the Community Press newspapers endorsed Davis.
Clooney lost 44% to 54%. During his concession speech, he said his short career in politics was over. He went back to writing a column for The Cincinnati Post three times a week, covering a wide range of topics, until the Post's discontinuation in 2008.
Read more about this topic: Nick Clooney
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“The winter is to a woman of fashion what, of yore, a campaign was to the soldiers of the Empire.”
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