Mike Ward (Kentucky Congressman)

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Michael Delavan "Mike" Ward is a former member of the United States House of Representatives. He was a Democrat from Kentucky.

Ward was born in White Plains, New York on January 7, 1951. He attended the University of Louisville, from which he earned a marketing degree. Before entering politics, he served as a sales executive. From 1989 to 1993, he was a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives.

Ward was a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives representing the Highlands area of Louisville, Kentucky when he was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1994. Ward won Kentucky's Third Congressional District seat that was being vacated by Romano L. Mazzoli. Ward was one of few Democrats to win an open seat in the heavily Republican year of 1994. Ward narrowly defeated a field of candidates including Charlie Owen in the primary and defeated Republican nominee Susan Stokes, a fellow member of the Kentucky House of Representatives, in the general election.

In 1996 Ward lost his seat in the general election to Republican Anne Northup. Louisville's gay community was urged to boycott the congressional election due to Ward's support of the Defense of Marriage Act, which may have been a contributing factor to his narrow loss to Northup. Ward did not run again for the seat. Ward was the associate director for volunteer support for the Peace Corps during the second term of Bill Clinton. Ward hosted a talk radio show in Louisville from 2001 to 2005 that was a liberal counterweight to generally conservative talk radio programming.

Preceded by Romano L. Mazzoli

U.S. Congressman, Kentucky 3rd District 1995-1997

Succeeded by Anne Northup