Bunning not ready to endorse Fletcher

UPDATES BELOW, INCLUDING AUDIO

This today from the Associated Press.

U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning said he's not ready to support Gov. Ernie Fletcher's re-election bid because "not all the players are in the game."

Bunning, R-Ky., said Republicans need the best candidate to hold on to the governor's mansion and it may not be Fletcher. Instead, Bunning said, he's waiting for decisions by some members of Kentucky's congressional delegation.

"I want the best person that's available to win the governor's race. Until I know who all the players are I won't know who the best person is," Bunning said. "I'm not going to support an incumbent Republican governor unless I know whether Anne Northup might run or Hal Rogers might run."

Northup, of Louisville, lost her re-election bid last month. Rogers represents much of eastern Kentucky. Neither has said if they will run for governor. [...]

Bunning said he's talked with Fletcher about the race.

"He's not happy with me, but I didn't expect he would be," Bunning said.

COMPLETE STORY

This follows a non-endorsement of Fletcher by U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell last week and this comment from Republican political consultant Ted Jackson over the weekend:

"Ernie Fletcher is the David Koresh of Kentucky Republican politics," Jackson said. "He's boarded the windows and locked the doors and said, 'Take it from us, we'll burn it to the ground.'"

UPDATE: Listen to an excerpt of U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning's conference call with reporters earlier today. This audio was acquired from Bunning's Web site earlier today. The version now on his Web site no longer contains his comments regarding Gov. Ernie Fletcher.

UPDATE 2: This is what Bunning had to say about U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler's decision to stay in Congress and avoid the governor's race:

If he thinks he's going to advance the cause of Kentucky more by being a congressman from the 6th District than he could by being the governor of the Commonwealth, that's different from 99 and 9/10ths of the people who might want to be governor. They think they can do more by being governor and making executive decisions rather than being one of 435. His statement was kind of different than I'd ever seen a statement from a sitting congressman.

Here's what Bunning, who is 75, said about possibly running for governor himself:

Give me 20 years less and I would have jumped in and became governor of the Commonwealth, but I can't do that anymore. That's for other people.

UPDATE 3: Here's Bunning's take on some potential Democratic candidates for governor:

So far from the candidates that I have heard from the other side, I think it's an open shot for anybody to be elected right now. ... The former Lt. Gov. (Steve Henry)? My goodness, he's got more problems than Ernie Fletcher. The former Governor (Brereton Jones), who put in a health care system that drove health care out of Kentucky. My goodness. And on down the line. An Attorney General (Greg Stumbo) that I'd rather not talk about. ... What about Jody Richards? Wasn't he a candidate last time? And I don't hear anybody mentioning his name this time. ... How about (former Lt. Gov.) Steve Beshear, one of the biggest lobbyists in Kentucky running for governor.

UPDATE 4: Finally, Bunning had this to say about his personal and professional relationship with Fletcher:

I've had a good relationship before he became governor and then it became strained because of his Chief of Staff (Daniel Groves, who later resigned). We couldn't get access. We couldn't even get an official letter on official stationary acknowledged by the Governor of the Commonwealth. Somehow, the staff stopped our correspondence.

When Jim Host (former Commerce Secretary) got there, I had direct access through Jim Host to the governor. That's the only way I had direct access and then when he left I had no direct access. ... I don't think his first chief of staff served him well. But that's water over the dam. That's looking back. Let's look forward. ...

My personal relationship with Ernie Fletcher has been good from the very beginning and still remains that way. (Professionally) It's been difficult. That's as nice as we can put it. ...

There's some making up to get done. There's no bridges burnt, but they're severely jarred.

UPDATE 5: Fletcher's press secretary, Jodi Whitaker, just released this statement regarding Bunning's comments:

Mary and Jim have been supportive of us in the past and I hope that when the time is right they will be supportive again.

UPDATE 6: One last nugget from Bunning regarding his thoughts on Fletcher's re-election:

My senior senator (Mitch McConnell) said it better than anyone else. He said he isn't going to support him either. Didn't he?

UPDATE 7: U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers' new communication's director, Jim Pettit, is remaining mum about the Somerset Republican's gubernatorial ambitions. "We're just not talking about it," Pettit said. "We're just not weighing in on that."

UPDATE 8: Daniel Groves, Fletcher's former Chief of Staff, responds to Bunning's assertions:

It's categorically false. There's never been a time that I've prevented Sen. Bunning or a member of his staff from communicating with the governor.

Groves said he had "no clue" about what document Bunning was referring to. "I did not and would not have prevented he and the governor from communicating."

UPDATE 9: Western Kentucky University political science professor Scott Lasley, a registered Republican, says Fletcher must bring his approval ratings, which have hovered near 30 percent for some time, into the 40 to 45 percent range if he hopes to withstand a serious challenge from within his own party.

He has to start mending these bridges at some point. ... I think if Northup runs, she wins, both in the primary and the general election. I would think she would be the optimal candidate.

Read more on this story in Thursday's Herald-Leader.

- John Stamper

Comments

[john stephenson]

Amen! Keep your powder dry and see who get in the race from all parties. Republican, Democrat and Independent.

John Stephenson
Former Superintendent of Public Instruction
Commonwealth of Kentucky
www.Godsindependents.com