Pol Watchers

Meade challenges Stumbo for nomination

Attorney General Greg Stumbo has some competition for the Democratic Party's nomination to replace state Rep. Brandon Spencer, D-Prestonsburg, who abruptly announced his resignation this week.

Charles "Chuck" Meade, who has previously held the 95th House District seat, issued a statement today asking party officials in Floyd County to place him on the ballot for a special election to replace Spencer.

Regardless of their decision, Meade said he plans to continue campaigning for the seat, which will be up for election again in the May 2008 primary.

"I am in it and I am in it to win," Meade said.

Stumbo announced yesterday that he wants the seat, which he held for more than two decades before becoming Attorney General in 2004.

"I would like the people of Floyd County to know that Spencer and Stumbo’s decisions have in no way affected my decisions to run for the office," Meade said.

Meade runs a wholesale company in Allen.

- John Stamper

Stumbo will seek seat in state House

Attorney General Greg Stumbo will seek his old seat in the state House, he told listeners to WHAS radio in Louisville this morning.

Freshman Rep. Brandon Spencer, D-Prestonsburg, decided yesterday to resign immediately after "prayerful consideration," he said in a letter to Gov. Steve Beshear.

Stumbo said he has spoken to Democratic Party officials in Floyd County and told them he would accept the party's nomination for a special election to fill Spencer's spot in the 95th House District.

"I think I have a pretty good chance of winning that seat back," Stumbo told radio host Francene Cucinello. "What I bring to the table is my 24 years in the General Assembly."

Stumbo spent 19 of those years on the House leadership team.

Stumbo had been considering a possible run for U.S. Senate against Republican incumbent Mitch McConnell. He had said he would likely challenge McConnell if polling done by an exploratory committee showed him within 10 percentage points of McConnell.

Gov. Steve Beshear has not offered Spencer a job in his administration, "but he has been recommended to the governor by his supporters," said Vicki Glass, spokeswoman for Beshear.

She did not know what job he had been recommended for.

Spencer, an executive with a regional ambulance company, had said earlier this month that he planned on running for a second term. He is a vice chairman of both the House health and welfare committee and the natural resources and environment committee.

Also, the man unseated in the 2006 Democratic primary, Charles E. "Chuck" Meade, announced earlier this month he would run in the 2008 primary to try to represent the Floyd County district again. Meade runs a wholesale company in Allen.

- John Stamper

Stumbo delays decision on possible U.S. Senate bid

FRANKFORT -- Democratic Attorney General Greg Stumbo said he doesn't expect to decide until the end of the year whether he will challenge Republican incumbent Mitch McConnell next year for the U.S. Senate.

Stumbo, interviewed after today's public swearing-in ceremony for Gov. Steve Beshear, had said he expected to make a decision by mid-December.

Stumbo said he first needs to talk to the Democratic Senatorial Committee.  He has asked for a meeting with its members next week in Washington.

He acknowledged that the committee's response will play a big part in his decision.  He wants to get a feel of their interest and possible financial support.

--Jack Brammer

Full house for Eastern Kentucky seat?

Yes, the presidential primaries will likely be over -- and thus boring -- by the time Kentuckians vote in May 2008. But Floyd County, Kentucky, could be the most exciting place in politics that month.

There's a possibility that all three men who have represented the 95th House district in Eastern Kentucky over the last five years might face off against each other in the Democratic primary.

First, state Rep. Brandon Spencer, the 32-year-old incumbent from Prestonsburg, says he's running for a second term.

Spencer, an executive with a regional ambulance company, is a member of the active freshman class of lawmakers who were elected in 2006. He is a vice chairman of both the House health and welfare committee and the natural resources and environment committee.

Then on Friday, the man Spencer unseated in the 2006 Democratic primary, Charles E. "Chuck" Meade announced he would run in the 2008 primary to try to represent the Floyd County district again.

Meade, who runs a wholesale company in Allen, said in a statement that encouragement for him to run again has been "so strong that my wife and I are humbled beyond belief." 

"I need the good people of this county to stand with me, to stand for me, and to help send a loud and strong message of their strength," Meade's statement e-mailed to reporters said. "Last election, so many said they just thought we were okay. This time we must take a much different attitude."

Meade held the 95th House seat for a little less than three years after winning a special election in February 2004 to replace long-time state Rep. Greg Stumbo, who left that post after being elected attorney general in the November 2003 election. Stumbo, during his 12 terms in the state House, became Kentucky's longest-serving House majority floor leader.

Now, Stumbo is saying publicly that he'd consider trying to get his old job back. He didn't seek re-election as attorney general this year because he ran as the lieutenant governor candidate on Louisville businessman Bruce Lunsford's gubernatorial ticket that finished second in the May Democratic primary to eventual Gov.-elect Steve Beshear's slate.

Stumbo opened an exploratory committee to look into running for the U.S. Senate. But he's currently reviewing polling numbers to determine whether he could hold his own against well-funded Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell.

But Stumbo told the Herald-Leader last week that returning to the state House is "an option."

"I've had a lot of people in my home district to ask me to consider that," he said.

- Ryan Alessi

Next crop of Democrats mull run against McConnell

As one potential Democratic U.S. Senate candidate officially bowed out of the race, several other prospective contenders stepped up yesterday at the same time their target, Republican incumbent Mitch McConnell, launched his latest TV ad.

State Auditor Crit Luallen ignited a flurry of activity on the Democratic side this week as she began making calls to key Democrats to say she would decline getting into the race so as to keep "a balance in my life."

Now, Andrew Horne, a Louisville lawyer and Iraq war veteran, and two wealthy Louisville businessmen -- Charlie Owen and Greg Fischer -- have emerged as the next likely Democratic challengers. Bruce Lunsford, the millionaire Louisville businessman who has twice run for governor, also is still in the mix.

Attorney General Greg Stumbo, who started an exploratory committee for the Senate in August, hasn't officially stepped out of the race, but has begun talking more about seeking his old state House seat from Floyd County.

Democratic leaders are insisting that the party isn't panicking to find someone to take on McConnell, the U.S. Senate Republican leader who has shown some vulnerability in recent polling.

"There's no question the Democratic Party will have a strong candidate in the race," said U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler, D-Versailles, who took himself out of the party's Senate sweepstakes weeks ago. "Who runs, I don't think, is nearly as much of an issue as the political atmosphere and climate that exists."

He said Kentuckians' angst over the war and general frustration at Washington work against McConnell.

McConnell's camp has been well aware of the danger of residual toxicity from Washington politics and started early to try to protect against it.

Known as a prolific fund-raiser, McConnell has collected more than $10 million so far for his re-election bid. He began spending it a month ago on television commercials that tout his leadership position and what he says are his biggest accomplishments.

Yesterday, he began showing two new ads. The one on Central Kentucky's airwaves shows three farmers praising McConnell for his work on the 2004 tobacco buyout bill that paid millions to growers to end the quota price system.

CONTINUE READING

U.S. Senate race losing potential Democratic candidates?

Two high-profile Democratic officials who had considered taking on U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell next year are signalling that they're less likely to take the plunge after all.

State Auditor Crit Luallen, in addition to losing key advisers to incoming Gov. Steve Beshear's administration, has told party leaders in Washington that she's decided against running, and that word has filtered back to Kentucky.

And outgoing Attorney General Greg Stumbo, who started an exploratory committee to consider the race, is saying that he's now looking at getting his old job back as state representative from Floyd County.

"I represented that district for over 20 years and still live there. They have a representative up there now who is doing a good job," he told the Herald-Leader this week. "But I love the state House. It's an option."

He would have to win the seat back first through a primary against freshman state Rep. Brandon Spencer, D-Prestonsburg, who has said he plans to run for a second term.

Stumbo hasn't officially ruled out the U.S. Senate. He said he plans to "talk to some folks in Washington" before announcing his decision after Beshear's Dec. 11 inauguration.

Meanwhile, Luallen's spokesman, Jeff Derouen, wouldn't comment when asked about Luallen's phone calls this week to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chairman Sen. Charles Schumer of New York and to U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler of Versailles.

"We don't have anything to say about that today," Derouen said yesterday about the calls.

Derouen will be announced as a top aide to incoming Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo as early as today, confirmed Vince Gabbert, who has served as the state Democratic Party's political director but who will be named Beshear's deputy chief of staff today.

Derouen is the second key defection from Luallen's staff, joining Ellen Hesen, who last month became Beshear's general counsel.

Both Chandler and Matt Miller, spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, declined to comment as well.

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Stumbo will decide soon whether to run for U.S. Senate; bid for state House an option

FRANKFORT -- Democratic Attorney General Greg Stumbo plans to announce by mid-December whether he will run for the U.S. Senate next year in hopes of ousting Republican incumbent Mitch McConnell.

Another political option, he acknowledged today, is to run for his former state House seat from Floyd County.

Stumbo said in an interview in his Capitol office that he is not ready to make public the results of a recent survey he took on his chances in running for the U.S. Senate.

"I haven't shared the poll numbers with my supporters yet. I can say they really didn't give us any surprises," he said.

"The numbers look very promising for the primary election of the potential candidates out there we tested. It appears I have the best chance of unseating Sen. McConnell but it obviously would be a pretty formidable task."

Stumbo said earlier this year that he likely would run against McConnell if his poll showed him within 10 percentage points of him.

"The number is on the bubble," he said. "The number is a little bit skewed because of the television campaign the senator has been running.  That has probably helped him three to five points."

He said he plans to "talk to some folks in Washington" before announcing his decision after Gov.-elect Steve Beshear's inauguration on Dec. 11.

Asked if running for his former state House seat is an option, Stumbo said, "I've had a lot of people in my home district to ask me to consider that.

"I represented that district for over 20 years and still live there. They have a representative up there now who is doing a good job," he said.

"But I love the state House. It's an option."

State Rep. Brandon Spencer, D-Prestonsburg, said earlier this week that he plans to run for re-election next year for the 95th House District seat.

Asked if he has heard that Stumbo might run for the legislative seat, Spencer said, "You hear all kinds of rumors."

--Jack Brammer

Stumbo says he's the Democrat to beat for Senate

Outgoing Attorney General Greg Stumbo said in an interview Friday that he's received polling numbers that shows he would "have a distict advantage" in a Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.

Stumbo, who formed an exploratory committee in August to raise money to consider whether to run, said his preliminary poll results show him running ahead of state Auditor Crit Luallen and Iraq War veteran and Louisville lawyer Andrew Horne. Stumbo also said the poll gave registered Democrats the option of a yet-unnamed Democrat.

"The primary numbers are extremely flattering," said Stumbo, who declined to provide the figures because they "are still preliminary" and he promised to let his top fund-raisers know the results first.

Stumbo says he won't decide whether or not run until he gets the rest of the figures back that show how he would match up against Republican U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell.

"We don’t really know whether its something that's do-able or not," he said.

Still, Stumbo said he's pressing ahead to line up big-dollar donors in case he does make the leap against McConnell.

"You'll never believe what I’ve been doing today," he said to start the conversation. "I’ve been calling some of the wealthiest people in the entire world. I’m asking them to invest in me."

He said by 5 p.m. Friday he had made 41 calls to set up meetings with wealthy Democratic donors in New York and Washington, D.C. -- party supporters whose phone numbers were provided by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Meanwhile, Stumbo continued to argue that Luallen would be making a mistake to get into the race.

"Even if I were not interested in this race, I would not advise her not to run," he said. "I would think it would be very difficult to get sworn in one week for a four year term and turn around two weeks later and file for a different position. I think people think that’s too opportunistic."

Stumbo made similar comments earlier last month to the Associated Press. Luallen's spokesman Jeff Derouen, at the time, responded that Kentucky Democrats need "the best possible challenger to Mitch McConnell next year."

But Luallen's camp has remained publicly quiet about the Senate race since then.

But Kentuckians can look for things to start happening soon.

Gov. Steve Beshear and other party leaders have made it clear that the party doesn't have the luxury to wait too long into December before a potential big-name challenger emerges.

So far, only Democrats have officially filed paperwork to run: Michael Cassaro, an Oldham County doctor, and David L. Williams, a perennial candidate from Glasgow who is just coming off a loss in the 2007 agriculture commissioner race.

- Ryan Alessi

Fletcher puts up display with Ten Commandments in Rotunda

FRANKFORT —  On the day before Election Day in Kentucky, a King James version of the Ten Commandments is on display for public viewing in the state Capitol Rotunda, along with other historic documents Gov. Ernie Fletcher calls the “Foundations of American Law and Government” display.

The 10 framed documents on easels around the Rotunda were put on display by an order from Fletcher late this morning after a federal judge ruled that it is not covered by a previous injunction.

“The ‘Foundations’ display contains a variety of historically significant documents which are meant to educate our citizens about the foundations of our law and government,” Fletcher said in a statement, adding that he is “pleased” that U.S. District Judge Joseph M. Hood said the previous injunction does not apply to this display.

Hood, however, did not rule on the constitutionality of the display.

Fletcher’s press secretary, Jodi Whitaker, has said the governor’s motion in federal court was not related to Tuesday’s election.   Asked today how long the display will stay in the Rotunda, she said, “They’re there.”

She later added:  "We have no plans to take them down."

Fletcher, a Republican, is seeking re-election Tuesday in a race against Democratic challenger Steve Beshear. Several media polls show that Fletcher is trailing in the race.

UPDATE:  Beshear's campaign press secretary, Vicki Glass, said in a statement this afternoon that Beshear "will abide by the law and by the courts' decisions regarding the display of historical documents.

"It's obviously panic time for the Fletcher camp. He is pulling out all of the stops in an attempt to distract voters from his four years of failed leadership and from the real issues of bringing honesty and integrity back to the people of Kentucky.

"If Ernie Fletcher had been living by the Ten Commandments these last four years he wouldn't be in the mess he's in today."

Glass did not say if Beshear will keep this display in the Capitol Rotunda if he is elected governor.

Fletcher asked the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky last week to clarify a 2006 order pertaining to the display of a Ten Commandments monument on the Capitol Grounds.

The motion asked the court to stipulate that a previous order enjoining the display of the monument does not apply to the “Foundations” display, noting that the “Foundations” display has a predominately secular purpose.

The display was donated by the Rev. Herschel Walker of Laurel County. Besides a King James version of the Ten Commandments, the display includes a copy of the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, the Magna Carta, the lyrics of the Star Spangled Banner, the national motto, “In God We Trust,” the preamble to the Kentucky Constitution, the Bill of Rights and a picture of Lady Justice.

The documents in the “Foundations” display are all of the same size and each is accompanied by a statement describing its historical and legal significance. The display is identical to the displays posted in the Mercer and Rowan County Courthouses that were upheld as constitutional.

In March 2006, Fletcher signed a bill into law that directed the Historic Properties Advisory Commission to retrieve a Ten Commandments Monument donated by the Fraternal Order of Eagles and relocate it to the Capitol grounds.

But in June 2006, the federal court entered an order preventing the display of the monument until it reviewed the state’s plan for the display and determined that it complies legally.

Last week, Democratic Attorney General Greg Stumbo accused Fletcher of playing politics with the Ten Commandments.

Stumbo questioned the timing of Fletcher's announcement that he was seeking to clarify a 2006 federal court order.

"I offered to clear the way for posting the Ten Commandments a year and a half ago." Stumbo said in a statement. "Obviously, this issue was not important to the governor until he could play politics with it."

Fletcher said he had no confidence in the attorney general’s ability to competently represent the Commonwealth’s interests in this matter.

--Jack Brammer

Suspect gave FBI a story, no proof, on Stumbo

By Cassondra Kirby
ckirby@herald-leader.com

A convicted drug dealer told FBI agents that she knew about vote fraud involving Attorney General Greg Stumbo but couldn't produce evidence to back up her claim, court records show.

According to transcripts filed in federal court this week, Pamela Justice, who had served as campaign treasurer for Stumbo, tried to offer FBI Special Agent Donnie Kidd information about Stumbo, apparently in an attempt to lessen the drug charges against her.

In a November 2006 recorded conversation, Justice, 50, told the FBI that Stumbo and former Floyd County Judge-Executive Paul Hunt Thompson illegally used campaign funds by paying people for campaign work that wasn't done.

Yesterday, spokesmen for Stumbo and Thompson said they were "shocked" by the allegations Justice made in the transcripts, as well as the FBI's handling of the matter.

"They did absolutely nothing wrong," Gerald Derossett, an attorney for Thompson, said yesterday. "I think that's evident by the fact that there were no charges filed. It would appear that Miss Justice was looking to get herself out of trouble but didn't have anything to do it with."

Justice was treasurer for Stumbo, a Democrat, when he ran for state representative in 2002. In 2003, he won the race for attorney general. It was not clear from the transcript which campaign Justice meant. Stumbo is not running for re-election this year.

Attempts to contact Justice were unsuccessful yesterday.