Pol Watchers

Bunning says he's runnin' in '10; Grayson vs. Beshear '11?

Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning insisted again that he will seek a third term in 2010, which could divert GOP Secretary of State Trey Grayson onto the track of running for governor.

Grayson, who hails from Northern Kentucky along with Bunning, has long been tagged by Republican officials as a top contender for the U.S. Senate or higher state office -- most notably governor.

"I would strongly consider a run," Grayson said Saturday before the Fancy Farm picnic. He later added:  "That's a likely path. A lot of it is timing and opportunity. We'll just see."

Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear, meanwhile, wouldn't commit to seeking a second term in 2011.

"We're going to be doing that as we move along. It's way too early to talk about 2011," he said.

He shrugged off the notion that Grayson was looking at taking over his office.

"I'm going to be very happy in 2011 if I choose to run again to run against any of them," he said. Of Grayson's Fancy Farm remarks, he added: "I thought Trey did a good job. I look froward to having the same kind of atmosphere next year."

This comes as Beshear, who has conceded to having a "rocky start" to his term, had attempted to reach out to Kentuckians through a statewide tour with 13 town hall meetings. He did, however, take some criticism for chartering a plane and flying both state planes to take his cabinet with him to the first event last month in Pike County at a cost of more than $7,000.

Grayson has picked up on that.

"He's vulnerable but I also think there's a lot of time left," he said of Beshear. "The listening tour is a good example. It's smart politics but executed poorly because of the flying issue."

During Grayson's Fancy Farm speech, he took a couple jabs at Beshear. "In Frankfort, frequent flier miles are up, approval ratings are down."

Republican official criticizes Democrats' use of the Mansion

FRANKFORT — State Republican Party Chairman Steve Robertson is criticizing Gov. Steve Beshear and other Democratic Party officials for hosting the inaugural event of a new group called “The Capitol Club” at the Governor’s Mansion.

“The people of Kentucky should be outraged. It’s apparent that the good old days of misusing the people’s house are back,” Robertson said about an invitation from the state Democratic Party about formation of the group “to strengthen and solidify Democratic base and agenda.”

The invitation, a copy of which was obtained by the Herald-Leader, says the club is for “folks who live and/or work(ed) in the greater capital area” and will involve “networking, fellowship, activities, information and fund raising.” Click here to view a copy of the three-page invitation.

The inaugural event for the club is to be 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. June 24 at the Mansion with Beshear.  A “Beshear Golf Open” is optional.

Annual dues to join are $300. A fee of $500 includes playing in the Beshear Open.

The invitation to join the group is from Beshear and first lady Jane Beshear, Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo, Attorney General Jack Conway, State Auditor Crit Luallen, Treasurer Todd Hollenbach, state Democratic Party Chair Jennifer Moore and party vice chair Nathan Smith.

Founding Committee members listed on the invitation are Stephanie Bell, Dawn Michele Bellis, Mark S. Brown, Sandra Noble Canon, Janet Cantrill, Ted Collins, Jeff Derouen, Geoffrey F. Dunn, Adam Edelen, Courtney French, Chuck Geveden, Virginia E. Graves, Joe Graviss, Aaron Horner, Kim Jenkins, Lori Kidwell, Gene Kiser, Hank List, Tim Longmeyer, Mark Mangeot, Richard Moloney, Carol Palmore, Laurent Rawlings and Stephanie Stumbo.

The GOP’s Robertson said he will hold a news conference later today to discuss “this outrage.”

In 1996, U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Louisville, and two GOP legislators -- Sen. Dan Kelly of Springfield and Rep. Danny Ford of Mount Vernon held a news conference in front of the Mansion, urging the end of the use of the Mansion as a site for political fund-raising events.

McConnell said then-Democratic Gov. Paul Patton "seems to want to turn the Governor's Mansion into an automatic teller machine for his favorite political cronies.”

 The Mansion "should not sit behind a `For Sale' sign," said the Republicans.

Ford said he would draft legislation to ban political fund-raising events in the governor's residence, but it never got anywhere.

McConnell raised the subject of Mansion fund-raising events that year while running for re-election to the U.S. Senate. He expressed concern that Patton would host a fund-raiser in the Mansion for his opponent that year, Beshear.

He noted that  Beshear wrote an opinion as attorney general in 1983 that said it was inappropriate to charge fees to the public to visit the Mansion just east of the Capitol and that Beshear said the Mansion is "the people's house."

 McConnell acknowledged that it is not illegal to hold fund-raising events in the Mansion but said there should be a state law similar to a federal law that outlaws political fund-raising events on federal property.

The state Democratic Party was not immediately available today for comment.

UPDATE AT 2:04 P.M. Democratic Party Chair Moore issued a statement, “I'm sure the Republican Party chair is hurt that he is no longer invited to the mansion. This is simply an event for supporters of the governor at his private residence.”

Party spokesman Thom Karmik said the money will go to the party's general fund. He said several hundred invitations were sent out statewide.

--Jack Brammer

Beshear's low approval rate signals short honeymoon

Download full poll results for Gov. Beshear's approval rating

By Ryan Alessi
ralessi@herald-leader.com

Gov. Steve Beshear’s approval rating has dipped under 40 percent after his first session dealing with the state legislature and just six months after winning a landslide election, according to the Herald-Leader/WKYT Kentucky Poll.

Thirty-nine percent of the 600 likely Kentucky voters surveyed between May 7 and May 9 said they approved of the way Beshear has handled the job so far, while 55 percent frowned on his performance.

“It’s a pretty short honeymoon for any governor,” said Scott Lasley, who teaches political science at Western Kentucky University. “It reflects a lot of overall frustration with what went on in Frankfort.”

In addition, a majority of respondents said Beshear hasn’t come through on his pledge to restore integrity to state government — the central argument he made on his way to defeating Republican Gov. Ernie Fletcher in November by 17 points.

The telephone survey was conducted by Research 2000 of Olney, Md., and has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.

Beshear responded with a statement attributing his low numbers after five months in office to a tumultuous General Assembly session that ended with agreement on an austere state budget but little else.

“We are coming off a legislative session that was disappointing to everyone and people are worried about the economy and high gas prices,” he said. “Polls go up and polls go down, and we will not be guided by polls in our efforts to move the state forward.”

Continue reading "Beshear's low approval rate signals short honeymoon"

Mrs. Beshear will speak out on underage drinking

FRANKFORT — First lady Jane Beshear will become the spokesperson for the Kentucky State Police efforts to fight underage drinking in Kentucky.

Mrs. Beshear will record underage drinking public service announcements that will begin airing on radio later this month.  In addition to the radio spots, the first lady also will participate in public events advocating the prevention of underage drinking as her schedule permits.

“Teenagers face pressure in every aspect of their lives – from which friends to choose to whether or not to drink alcohol,” Mrs. Beshear said in a statement.

“As adults, we have a responsibility to help them make the right choices, and enforce the law when they don’t.  That is why I am happy to be a part of this program, because nothing is more important than protecting Kentucky’s most valuable resource – our children.”

Recently, Mrs. Beshear joined ‘Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free,’  a coalition of  gubernatorial spouses that advocates efforts for the prevention of alcohol use by children ages nine to 15.

Last year, there were 3,108 driving under the influence charges for 16- to 19-year-olds in Kentucky. The National institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that over 5,000 persons die under the age of 21 as a result of underage drinking.

State Police Commissioner Rodney Brewer oversees the state underage drinking program and invited Mrs. Beshear to serve as spokesperson.

The state police administers a federal grant of about $350,000 a year for the program.  Organizations receive awards for trying to prevent underage drinking.

For more information about Kentucky’s underage drinking prevention programs,  visit www.kentuckystatepolice.org/hsp/eudl.htm

--Jack Brammer

Beshears plan to attend premiere in Maysville of new Clooney movie

FRANKFORT —  Gov. Steve Beshear and his wife, Jane Beshear, plan to attend the premiere Monday night in Maysville of the new George Clooney movie.

Mrs. Beshear said today that she is “excited” about the premiere of “Leatherheads” at the Washington Opera House in downtown Maysville. The comedy movie with a football theme  stars Clooney and Renée Zellweger.  Clooney directed it.

“I’m starstruck, too,” Mrs. Beshear said about the event.

--Jack Brammer

Democrats win both House seats, concede 30th

Although dealt a political blow in the Eastern Kentucky state Senate race, Kentucky Democratic Party Chairman Jennifer Moore trumpeted the results in two House races as  signals that the party is "well on our way to turning the Bluegrass State blue once again."

Former attorney general and longtime Democratic House majority leader Greg Stumbo won his old seat back, defeating Republican Larry D. Brown by an unofficial vote total of 3,591 to 801 in the heavily Democratic 95th House District that covers most of Floyd County.

"His constituents know he will bring extensive knowledge and strong leadership to his District and to the legislature," Moore said of Stumbo.

Meanwhile, Will Coursey, a Symsonia banker and former aide to House Speaker Jody Richards, won the open 6th House District seat in western Kentucky over Republican Marvin Wilson, an Eddyville lawyer. Coursey will replace longtime Democratic Rep. J.R. Gray, whom Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear hired in December as his labor commissioner. Coursey was leading 5,029 votes to Wilson's 2,537 in Marshall and the district's part of McCracken counties. UPDATE at 9:57 p.m.: Lyon County's precincts showed Coursey winning 1,101 to 961 for Wilson, giving Coursey an overall win of 6,130 to 3,498.

Of Coursey's win, Moore's statement said:

"Having served for five years as Executive Assistant to House Speaker Jody Richards, Representative-elect Coursey is familiar with the legislative process and able to begin the hard work of governing on day one of his tenure. He ran a great race as is evidenced by his two-to-one victory."

Added Richards, the Democratic House Speaker in a separate statement: "There aren’t two people who could represent their districts better.”

But the biggest race of the night remained the 30th Senate District. Democrat Scott Alexander, a former state representative from Hazard, lost the race to Republican Rep. Brandon Smith of Hazard, despite strong efforts by Beshear and Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo on Alexander's behalf.

That district -- composed of Bell, Harlan, Leslie and Perry counties -- also has an overwhelming 2-1 advantage in registered Democrats with 43,708 compared to 26,882 Republicans and 1,677 "others."

Smith won Bell County, which is evenly split in registration, by about 800 votes. Smith won Leslie County, which has nearly an 8-1 advantage for Republicans, by another 800 votes. And Smith and Alexander essentially split the votes in Harlan County, with Alexander winning by 72 votes.

Alexander won in Perry County, where Democrats outnumber Republicans 16,441 to 4,175, by about 1,150 votes, according to unofficial results pending the final count of the last precinct.

That gave Smith a 401 vote win overall.

Moore, the Democratic Party chairman, downplayed the defeat in the Senate district.

"Scott Alexander fought a tough race and rallied Democratic voters in Bell, Leslie, Harlan and Perry counties to turn out in record numbers. We can all be proud of Scott's performance in this race," Moore said.

Smith, speaking to reporters in his House office in the Capitol Annex, complimented Alexander for his work ethic in the race. "One thing he's shown me is he's not a quitter," Smith said. "I admire him."

- Ryan Alessi

Smith wins 30th District, deals Beshear a setback

Republican Brandon Smith captured the open state Senate seat in Eastern Kentucky in a raucous, politically charged race that commanded the attention of key party leaders and is rife with implications in Frankfort.

Smith, a state representative from Hazard, defeated former Democratic Rep. Scott Alexander of Hazard by 401 votes, according to unofficial results. It was the third time in eight years Smith beat Alexander in elections. 

Smith’s win — a pick-up for Republicans in a district with an overwhelming majority of Democrats — comes as Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear attempts to marshal support for a controversial proposal to allow casino gambling in Kentucky, an issue opposed by most Republicans senators and Smith.

And it puts the chamber further out of reach of Democrats. Republicans will control the Senate 22 to 15, with one independent.

In addition to the political intrigue surrounding the race, the 30th Senate District —  covering Bell, Harlan, Perry and Leslie counties — produced allegations of voter fraud Tuesday. The Kentucky State Police and attorney general’s office both confirmed separate investigations.

“There was an allegation that either someone was buying votes or trading beer for votes in Perry County. We’re looking into that allegation,” said Lt. Phil Crumpton, spokesman for the state police. He said he couldn’t confirm whether arrests were made.

And Becky Blevins, the Bell County clerk, said she had to call police after an unidentified operative entered polling locations posing as a clerk’s office official to review Democratic voter rolls to see who had voted and who hadn’t. 

Smith will replace Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo for the remainder of the term, which ends 2010. The seat was the marquee prize on a special election day that saw two Democrats, including former House Democratic majority leader Greg Stumbo, win open state House seats.

But the Senate seat drew the most attention as Mongiardo feverishly campaigned with Alexander and Beshear made several trips to headline Alexander campaign rallies and raise funds.

Smith said he had no hard feelings toward Beshear and is “glad the governor knows how to get to Hazard.”

“I knew he was going to wade into the battle. I was surprised he waded as deep as he did,” Smith said of Beshear. “I’m OK with that. We survived it.”

Smith, whom Republican leaders will appoint to a coveted seat on the Senate budget committee, complimented Alexander on the race and said he hopes to work with Beshear for the district, adding that he expects he’ll agree with the administration on many issues.

The Democratic Party nomination process also may have been a factor in the race, as former Rep. Roger Noe of Harlan County openly complained that Beshear and Mongiardo “fixed” it for Alexander, an allegation the administration has denied. 

Meanwhile, Republican Senate President David Williams stumped for Smith and helped him raise money in Frankfort for the race. But Smith’s biggest endorsement came from U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Somerset.

Casino gambling emerged as a key issue in the race with Smith saying Alexander would be a ‘Yes’ vote on Beshear’s plan and Alexander responding that he wants to give voters the chance to approve or turn down the proposal on the ballot.

Smith’s opposition to casinos bolsters Williams blockade of Beshear’s constitutional amendment, which needs 23 votes to pass the chamber.

Even before the election, at least one Democrat was wavering on supporting casinos.
State Sen. Ray Jones, D-Pikeville, said he wants to see the details of the bill when Beshear’s administration rolls it out as early as the end of this week. But he said his background as the grandson of a Baptist preacher makes it difficult to back a casino bill.

“The Baptist in me causes me reservations,” Jones said. “It’s hard to overcome.”

- Ryan Alessi

Beshear meets with House Democratic leaders, 'generally' speaking

FRANKFORT -- On the morning after his broad state of the Commonwealth Address, Gov. Steve Beshear huddled with House Democratic leaders in his Capitol office for 35 minutes.

House Speaker Pro Tem Larry Clark, D-Louisville, said Beshear "just wanted to get us together and get a working relationship going."

Clark said specifics about a casino gambling proposal and Beshear's ethics legislation were not discussed.

Beshear, while walking out of the Capitol, wouldn't say what specific issues did come up. 

When asked what was the thrust of the meeting, he responded as he was getting into his SUV, "We just had (pause) a general conversation about (longer pause) the General Assembly."

--Ryan Alessi

Casino, horsy set gave heavily

By Janet Patton And Ryan Alessi
JPATTON@HERALD-LEADER.COM

• Read the full list of donors

Donors from the horse and casino industries -- including the co-owners of the Island View Casino of Gulfport, Miss. -- pumped about a half-million dollars into a little-known Democratic Party fund-raising committee last fall.

Nearly 40 people connected to those interests accounted for about 28 percent of the money raised by the Kentucky Victory 2007 committee. The Democratic National Committee set up that fund-raising entity with the Kentucky Democratic Party in June.

Federal Election Commission reports show that $117,000 of the Victory Committee's money went directly to the Kentucky Democratic Party, which was supporting Gov. Steve Beshear's campaign in the 2007 election.

Throughout last fall, casino, racetrack officials and horse owners and breeders gave heavily, shelling out at least $489,500 to the Kentucky Victory Committee, according to a Herald-Leader analysis.

CONTINUE READING STORY

Bluegrass Freedom Fund resurfaces

A political group that urged changes to Kentucky's ethics laws during the 2007 gubernatorial campaign resurfaced Thursday with a news release calling on Kentuckians to pressure lawmakers for change during the upcoming legislative session.

The Bluegrass Freedom Fund's re-emergence comes days after the Herald-Leader reported that Gov. Steve Beshear may not propose a constitutional amendment limiting a governor's pardoning powers during the session of the General Assembly that begins Tuesday.

Beshear said he still supports such a measure, but may wait until 2009 to push the proposal.

During the gubernatorial campaign, Beshear pledged to lead an effort to pass and put on the ballot a constitutional amendment that would prohibit governors from pardoning individuals who haven't yet been convicted of a crime.

The Bluegrass Freedom Fund ran at least $3 million worth of television ads last fall pounding former Gov. Ernie Fletcher for pardoning members of his administration and invoking his constitutional protection against self-incrimination during an investigation of state hiring practices.

Fletcher issued a blanket pardon for his entire administration, even though no one had been convicted of a crime.

The Bluegrass Freedom Fund's news release called on lawmakers to take six actions:

• "end pardon abuse"
• "protect whistleblowers"
• "reduce delays in releasing government records"
• "increase penalties for elected officials, staff and appointees who abuse the merit system"
• "increase penalties for violating the code of ethics"
• "make the Executive Branch Ethics Commission independent and non-partisan"

Beshear pledged support for most of those proposals during the campaign and plans to push for some of them during the upcoming legislative session.

The Bluegrass Freedom Fund is an independent political organization formed under rule 527 of the Internal Revenue Code.

UPDATE 5:31 p.m.: Achim Bergmann, a consultant for the Bluegrass Freedom Fund, said some of the organization's founders, whom he wouldn't name, haven't yet decided what different approaches the fund would take to continue pushing the reforms during the General Assembly session.

Bergmann said the group isn't disappointed with the Beshear administration's lukewarm enthusiasm for some of the reforms, such as curbing pardon power.

"Gov. Beshear set the right tone during his inaugural address," Bergmann said, referring to Beshear's Dec. 11 pledge that an executive ethics proposal will be among his first suggested bills. "We hope the budget mess doesn’t sideline the ethics reform or any other meaningful legislation."

- John Stamper