Will Kentucky's influence wash away with the Democratic tide?

Last month, Kentucky was the 11th most influential state in the nation's capitol, according to one group of independent analysts. Now the state’s power may be washed away by the Democratic tide.

“What this means for Kentucky is that the jury is completely out. It completely depends on what happens in the Senate,” said Brad Fitch, CEO of Knowlegis, which runs Congress.org. “If the Senate stays Republican, Kentucky reaps the benefits.”

In October, Congress.org released their 2006 Power Rankings, which weigh such factors as influence on fellow members of Congress, committee assignments, tenure, legislative activity and media attention. The researchers also calculated potential positions if the Republicans lost their majorities.

According to the website’s analysis, GOP Majority Whip Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Louisville, had the state’s top power score and ranked as the fourth most powerful person in the Senate.

A shift in that chamber would push him down the list to an estimated 14^th. McConnell had been set to move up to majority leader. “Even if he’s minority leader, you will still have a very powerful legislator in Senator McConnell,” Fitch said.

Sen. Jim Bunning, who has seats on three influential committees, likewise would slip from 69^th to 87^th.

Kentucky will lose some power in the newly Democratic House, Fitch said. Kentucky’s top member of the House, Rep. Hal Rogers, drops from 14^th most influential to 30^th.

Although Rogers will no longer be a “cardinal” of the heavy-weight House Appropriations Committee, he will still be ranking member of a subcommittee that controls billions in Homeland Security money. He will still have some flexibility to “earmark” funds, a method he’s used to ship pork-barrel projects to his Somerset district.

Kentucky's other Republicans suffer as well, with Rep. Geoff Davis of Hebron dropping from 100 to 267; Rep. Ron Lewis of Cecilia from 202 to 336; and Rep. Ed Whitfield of Hopkinsville from 252 to 369. All are senior enough that they will likely maintain their seats on some very powerful committees, but now as less influential minority members.

The most dramatic change could be that of Rep. Ben Chandler, D-Versailles, who had been ranked a lowly 381 out of 436. As the delegation’s only Democratic incumbent, his power ranking floats up 206 points to 175^th.

As a junior minority congressman, Chandler had seats on the House Agriculture, International Relations, and Transportation & Infrastructure committees. But he will likely be jockeying for a better position, possibly on Appropriations.

“He might have a shot,” Fitch said, simply because the majority party gets a lot more seats on the committee.

- Janet Patton