Elizabeth Tori
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Tori is an American politician from the Republican Party
. Tori represented the 10th state Senate district of Kentucky
from 1995 until 2011.
Tori attended the University of Kentucky
and Western Kentucky University
. Tori began her political activism with the creation of the North Hardin Republican Women's Club. Tori was also active in the congressional campaigns of her late husband, Martin, who ran for Kentucky's 2nd district U.S. House seat in 1988 and 1990. Tori made her first run for political office in 1992 with a failed bid for the Radcliff, Kentucky
City Council. Two years later, Tori filed for the 10th district state Senate seat held by Democratic incumbent Tom Smith. Using the slogan "the man for the job is a woman", Tori ran a hard campaign that focused on veterans' issues, a highly appealing topic to the district that includes Fort Knox
. Tori defeated Smith on election night, becoming the first woman and first Republican to represent the district.
Tori was elected Senate Minority Whip in 1997. Tori earned a second term when she defeated Hardin County, Kentucky
Magistrate Charles E. Wise by a wide margin in 1998. When the Republican Party gained control of the Kentucky Senate in January 2000, Tori was elevated to Majority Whip, making her the highest ranking woman in the legislature. In 2002, Tori defeated activist Janey Fair in the general election to win a third term. Following the 2004 election, Tori stepped down from her party leadership position to take the chairmanship of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee. On November 7, 2006, Tori won a fourth term in the Kentucky State Senate by defeating Hardin County Magistrate Doug Goodman by a wide margin. In 2010, Tori narrowly lost a bid for a fifth term to Dennis Parrett, who used a series of questionable attack ads that painted Tori negatively, including an ad that accused her of taking $505,000 from state government, though that was the total of her legislator salary for the previous 16 years.
Tori is the mother of four and grandmother of eleven.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. Tori represented the 10th state Senate district of Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
from 1995 until 2011.
Tori attended the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
and Western Kentucky University
Western Kentucky University
Western Kentucky University is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA. It was formally founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a quarter-century earlier....
. Tori began her political activism with the creation of the North Hardin Republican Women's Club. Tori was also active in the congressional campaigns of her late husband, Martin, who ran for Kentucky's 2nd district U.S. House seat in 1988 and 1990. Tori made her first run for political office in 1992 with a failed bid for the Radcliff, Kentucky
Radcliff, Kentucky
Radcliff is a city in Hardin County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 21,961 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Elizabethtown, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area....
City Council. Two years later, Tori filed for the 10th district state Senate seat held by Democratic incumbent Tom Smith. Using the slogan "the man for the job is a woman", Tori ran a hard campaign that focused on veterans' issues, a highly appealing topic to the district that includes Fort Knox
Fort Knox
Fort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The base covers parts of Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade counties. It currently holds the Army Human Resources Center of Excellence to include the Army Human Resources Command, United States Army Cadet...
. Tori defeated Smith on election night, becoming the first woman and first Republican to represent the district.
Tori was elected Senate Minority Whip in 1997. Tori earned a second term when she defeated Hardin County, Kentucky
Hardin County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 94,174 people, 34,497 households, and 25,355 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 37,673 housing units at an average density of...
Magistrate Charles E. Wise by a wide margin in 1998. When the Republican Party gained control of the Kentucky Senate in January 2000, Tori was elevated to Majority Whip, making her the highest ranking woman in the legislature. In 2002, Tori defeated activist Janey Fair in the general election to win a third term. Following the 2004 election, Tori stepped down from her party leadership position to take the chairmanship of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee. On November 7, 2006, Tori won a fourth term in the Kentucky State Senate by defeating Hardin County Magistrate Doug Goodman by a wide margin. In 2010, Tori narrowly lost a bid for a fifth term to Dennis Parrett, who used a series of questionable attack ads that painted Tori negatively, including an ad that accused her of taking $505,000 from state government, though that was the total of her legislator salary for the previous 16 years.
Tori is the mother of four and grandmother of eleven.