FLORENCE — U.S. Rep. Ken Lucas, the only Democrat in Kentucky's Washington delegation, easily defeated Republican Don Bell Tuesday and two other candidates to hold on to the 4th Congressional District seat.

        Mr. Lucas coasted to reelection, capturing 55 percent of the vote. Voter News Service, a vote tabulation service that tracks voting nationwide, called the race in Mr. Lucas' favor just 28 minutes after the polls closed.

        “We anticipated it would be something like this, but we didn't want to be overconfident,” Mr. Lucas said during his victory party at the Commonwealth Hilton Hotel.

        “The thing that is so heartwarming is that with Kentucky going so strong for George Bush, to get people to split their ticket is very encouraging to me,” Mr. Lucas said.

        “We've worked very hard to be an independent voice and to be who we are, and it seems like that resonated with a lot of folks.”

        Mr. Lucas finished ahead of Mr. Bell, who had 43 percent; Green Party candidate Ken Sain of Covington, 1.5 percent; and Libertarian candidate Alan Handleman of Carter County, 0.5 percent.

        Mr. Lucas said his priorities in the next term of Congress will be passing a Patients Bill of Rights, a prescription drug benefit for senior citizens, education and paying down the federal debt.

        Two years ago, the 4th District race was one of the most watched Congressional races in the country. In that 1998 race, Mr. Lucas pulled an upset over Boone County Republican Gex (Jay) Williams, winning the seat for the Democrats for the first time since the Johnson administration.

        But this time, many people in both parties felt this race was over after the late January filing deadline, when Northern Kentucky Republicans failed to attract a local GOP candidate.

        Mr. Bell has run twice for statewide office. He lives in the far western edge of the 22-county 4th District and was never able to build a strong base of support in Northern Kentucky, where about half the district's voters live.

        Mr. Lucas raised about $1 million for the race and was able to advertise on television stations in Cincinnati, Louisville and Huntington, W.Va., a move that allowed him to reach most of the district's television viewing audience.

        Mr. Bell raised less than $100,000 and could not match Mr. Lucas when it came to money, campaign organization or name recognition.

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