Pol Watchers

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

Big name Republicans helping KY GOP raise $

In addition to presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain's joint fund-raiser with the Kentucky GOP later this month, other national figures will be in the Bluegrass to help raise money for that party's candidates.

 U.S. House Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio will headline an event for GOP state Sen. Brett Guthrie's congressional bid. That fund-raiser is set for Friday night at the Prospect home of longtime Maker's Mark president Bill Samuels.

Guthrie is running against Democratic state Sen. David Boswell in the 2nd congressional district in west-central Kentucky. That seat is being vacated by retiring Republican Rep. Ron Lewis. Guthrie, who ran unopposed in the GOP primary, has raised more than a half-million dollars already.

On Wednesday, former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, who took the helm of the Republican leadership organization GOPAC after losing the 2006 U.S. Senate race in Maryland, will help Anne Northup stock her  campaign fund in her bid for the 3rd congressional district. The event, at the Seelbach Hilton Hotel in Louisville, starts at 11:30 a.m. on June 18, said Scott Will, Northup's campaign manager. Northup is challenging Democratic U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth for the Louisville congressional seat that she held for 10 years before losing to Yarmuth in 2006.

But by far the biggest upcoming fund-raising event remains the joint event between McCain's campaign and the Kentucky Republican Party.

The state GOP created a committee called the Republican Party of Kentucky's Victory effort, which will serve as the financing for its get-out-the-vote effort this fall to benefit the full GOP ticket. McCain and U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who is up for re-election in November, will headline the joint fund-raiser for McCain's campaign and the Victory committee in Louisville June 28.

"We are going to do our part to ensure that John McCain goes to the White House and that Mitch McConnell is returned to the U.S. Senate," said Cathy Bailey, chairwoman of McCain Victory Kentucky, in a statement.  "We've seen an outpouring of support. Kentuckians want to show the world that this is a bright red state and that we are proud to have Sen. Mitch McConnell take care of business for Kentucky in Washington, D.C."

- Ryan Alessi

GOP pounces on Lunsford's EKU-UK slip-up

The Kentucky Republican Party rushed to point out an odd mistake in Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Bruce Lunsford's campaign blog in which he referred to Eastern Kentucky University as a regional campus of the University of Kentucky.

Lunsford, who had spent Tuesday morning pumping gas at a Richmond filling station as the latest stop on his "On the Job" tour, wrote about his experience on his campaign Web site's online journal. Here's his first paragraph of that entry:

"Today I spent a very warm early summer day working at a gas station/food mart (the “College Food Mart”) in Richmond, Kentucky near the Eastern Kentucky campus of U.K."

Eastern Kentucky University is based in Richmond and is, of course, its own university separate from the University of Kentucky, which is 30 minutes north on I-75 in Lexington.

"It was a typo, and we're changing it immediately," said Lunsford's spokeswoman Allison Haley. She noted that Lunsford knows the difference between EKU and UK.

While Lunsford manages his blog, campaign staff sometimes "transcribes the diary" from Lunsford's verbal account from the road, Haley said.

The state GOP issued a statement Wednesday calling Lunsford "not ready for prime time" after making "an an astonishing show of ignorance about Kentucky's universities."

Republican Party Chairman Steve Robertson then used the error as a chance to paint Lunsford, a wealthy businessman from Louisville, as a carpetbagger for owning property in Arizona and Chicago.

"I was initially outraged by this ignorance, but what do you expect from a guy who lives in Arizona and Chicago," Robertson said in the statement. "I guess we should cut him some slack. There are probably not too many out-of-state folks who could answer such detailed questions about Kentucky's universities."

Lunsford is taking on U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell in the fall election. McConnell, the Republican Senate Leader, has played up his work in providing federal funding for Kentucky universities in his past TV ads.

Haley, from Lunsford's campaign, accused the Republicans and McConnell of having misplaced priorities, noting that the nation faces $4-a-gallon gasoline. That was one of the points of Lunsford's field trip to the gas station Tuesday.

"This is all they have to complain about?" Haley asked. "It's nitpickiy and their time would be better spent trying to address the energy crisis."

- Ryan Alessi

Republicans pick some well-known delegates

Kentucky Republicans are sending some prominent officials to Minneapolis to serve as delegates to the GOP's national convention that will formally coronate U.S. Sen. John McCain as the party's presidential nominee.

Below is the full delegation selected Saturday at the Republicans' Kentucky convention in Bowling Green:

At Large Delegates:

• U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield of Hopkinsville
• State Sen. David Williams of Burkesville
• State Rep. Jeff Hoover of Jamestown
• Faith Mercke of Louisville
• Hardin County Judge-Executive Harry Berry
• Dr. Michael Harris of Elizabethtown
• State Sen. Brett Guthrie of Bowling Green
• Robin Mercer of Owensboro
• DeAnna Brangers of Louisville
• U.S. Rep. Anne Northup of Louisville
• U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell of Louisville
• Scott Jennings, former deputy political director of the White House from Louisville
• U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning of Fort Wright
• U.S. Rep. Geoff Davis of Fort Mitchell
• Kevin Sell of Alexandria
• Secretary of State Trey Grayson from Walton
• U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers of Somerset
• Cynthia Rogers of Somerset
• Nelda Barton-Collings of Corbin
• Kelly Knight, a United Nations delegate, of Lexington
• Lois Ann Disponett-Hyatt of Lawrenceburg, the 6th Congressional District Republican chairwoman
• Ellen Williams of Lawrenceburg, the former state GOP chairman
• Michael Goins of Georgetown, a former spokesman for Gov. Ernie Fletcher
• Lexington-Fayette Councilman Jay McChord

District Delegates:

• Wilma Cooper of Hopkinsville
• Richard Grana of Paducah
• Dailey Wilson of Eddyville
• Tommy Adams of Bowling Green
• Greg Burkot of Bardstown
• Theresa Padgett of Brandenburg
• Harold Heiner of Louisville
• Kevin Kramer of Louisville
• Glen Stuckel of Louisville
• Millie Bush of Brooksville
• John Mocker of Union
• State Rep. Addia Wuchner of Burlington
• Jean Dorton of Paintsville
• Jo Marshall of Somerset
• John Triplett of Inez
• Laura Owens of Frankfort
• Carol Rogers of Lexington
• Shirley Wiseman of Lexington

Members At Large:

• RNC Member Gail Russell of Louisville
• RNC Member (and Chairman) Robert Duncan of Inez
• State Party Chairman Steve Robertson of Harrodsburg

- Ryan Alessi

Two GOP groups cry foul at Republican covention

Two delegations of Central Kentucky Republicans are upset at the state party for what they say were snubs during the weekend’s meeting to decide, among other things, several delegates to this summer’s GOP National Convention.

Several Franklin County Republican activists walked out of the 6th Congressional District organizing convention in Frankfort on Saturday to protest that county party’s chairman, Stuart Victor, being left off a list of delegates to the national convention in Minneapolis in early September.

“It looked to us like higher ups made the decisions and ignored those of the little people who do all the work,” said Christy Vaughan, a Franklin County GOP activist.

Republican Party Chairman Steve Robertson, who presided over the convention, said he compiled a list of names — three delegates and three alternates from the 6th District to participate in Kentucky’s group at the national convention — after talking with Republicans across the region.

A nominating committee of 10 approved that slate of names by a 9-1 vote with Victor the only opposition, Robertson said.

The delegates named were Laura Owens, the former Education Cabinet secretary from Frankfort; Carol Rogers, the Fayette County GOP chairman; and Shirley Wiseman, a former official with the National Homebuilders Association from Lexington. The three delegates are: Andy Barr, a Lexington lawyer and former legal aide to Gov. Ernie Fletcher; Colleen Chaney, former governor’s office of local development director under Fletcher; and Kevin Williams of Lexington, Robertson said.

“The district convention can only bring six people forward and there were more than six people who wanted to go,” Robertson said

The Kentucky GOP will send a total of 45 delegates to Minneapolis in September.

Victor, who at one point had advocated that Fletcher not seek re-election last year, said only that "I applied to be a delegate and I was unsuccessful." He can still seek to be selected as an at large delegate in the June 7 statewide Republican convention.

Vaughan said she and others also were upset that Franklin County’s representative in the delegation, Owens, hadn’t been active in local grassroots politics.

“They put someone on to represent us who never comes to meetings. We expected someone who had been with us in the trenches,” she said.

Myrtle Hopkins, a former aide to Republican Gov. Louie Nunn, said the process was “a joke as far as I was concerned.”

“I think it makes our party look bad when all these things are cut and dried beforehand.”
Robertson said he understood the Franklin County activists passion for supporting their chairman but argued that Owens, daughter of former GOP gubernatorial candidate Tom Emberton, has been active in state politics.

The Madison County Republican delegation also protested being left out of voting during the convention.

Robertson said the group failed to submit required paperwork to the state party.

“It sounds like someone dropped the ball,” he said.

Mark Gailey, a former Libertarian from Berea who switched to the GOP to support Texas U.S. Rep. Ron Paul in the presidential race, said he hoped the snub was unrelated to the fact that seven of the nine county representatives who showed up Saturday are Paul supporters. He said he is still looking into why the county group failed to turn in the paperwork.

- Ryan Alessi

ADVERTISEMENT

State GOP shows more cash than Dems in federal account

The Republican Party of Kentucky is showing more than $400,000 more cash available in its federal bank account than the Kentucky Democratic Party, which now boasts a governor to help in fund-raising efforts.

The latest reports to the Federal Election Commission covering the month of February shows that the state GOP has $479,285.81 available compared to the Democrats' $34,121.07.

Both parties spent more than they raised. That's not too surprising considering Feb. 5 featured three special elections, including the hotly-contested battle for the 30th Senate seat.

The Democratic Party spent $107,058 in February and collected $43,601 for its federal account that is overseen by the FEC. The Republican Party dished out $178,955 and brought in $160,140.

So far from the federal accounts, Kentucky Democrats have spent more than $358,000 in 2008 while Republicans have spent more than $286,000. Both parties also raise and spend money out of state bank account, monitored by the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance. Financial reports for those accounts aren't due until the end of June.

- Ryan Alessi

Kentucky GOP accuses Bluegrass Freedom Fund

The Republican Party of Kentucky filed a complaint to the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance raising questions about whether the Bluegrass Freedom Fund went out of bounds with its ads in last year's governor's race.

To view the complaint, click here.

Steve Robertson, the Kentucky GOP chairman, said recent comments in the press by representatives of the Democratic Governors Association and casino company owner Bill Yung -- both of whom donated to the Bluegrass Freedom Fund -- indicate that the group's purpose was to help Democrat Steve Beshear get elected.

"They made it clear that they were giving big money to this fund to help Steve Beshear get elected," Robertson said in an interview. "Last time I checked they weren't saying they were giving to improve ethics in Kentucky."

The Bluegrass Freedom Fund ran several TV ads during the governor's race that touted ethics reform in Kentucky government. All of the spots focused on ethics problems that dogged former Republican Gov. Ernie Fletcher, whom Beshear soundly beat in the November election.

UPDATE 7:34 p.m.: Jim Lamb, a Washington-based attorney for the Bluegrass Freedom Fund, charged that the Republican party's complaint "misstates the law and is factually wrong."

Lamb said the issue ads calling for ethics reforms were consistent with a June 2007 U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Here's part of his statement:

The BFF acted completely independently of any campaign. And while we appreciated the support of our donors, they played no role in the independent decision making of our organization. RPK's complaint is legally and factually wrong.

In contrast, Gov. Fletcher was a member of and personally raised money for the Republican Governors Association, which then ran character attack ads against Steve Beshear last year.  A complaint was filed against the RGA in the Fall of 2007.

The RPK's facts about BFF are wrong, but if their legal argument is correct, then they just indicted the RGA and their member, Gov. Fletcher.

The Bluegrass Freedom Fund was set up under Section 527 under the IRS code that allows groups to advocate on behalf of issues but forbids coordination with candidates or campaigns.

Both Brian Namey, spokesman for the DGA, and Yung have been quoted as saying they supported Beshear's efforts to get elected. Namey said in August the group was "doing everything we can to support Steve Beshear." And Yung told the Associated Press last month that he exercised his First Amendment right to give money to support Beshear. Neither explicitly said contributions to the Bluegrass Freedom Fund was their main avenue of support.

Robertson said even though the complaint comes months after the governor's race results, he said the Republican Party wants to ensure that future 527 groups are more tightly regulated.

Republican Sen. Damon Thayer of Georgetown, has sponsored a bill that would require certain 527 groups weighing in on constitutional amendment issues to reveal their donors to the Registry of Election Finance frequently. Currently, 527 groups that operate in Kentucky only have to file annually with the IRS.

"We've got to send a message to groups like this that if they're going to participate in elections in Kentucky, they need to participate the right way," Robertson said.

- Ryan Alessi

McConnell promises misery for eventual opponent

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell riled up the crowd of several hundred at Saturday night's Republican Party of Kentucky Lincoln Day Dinner in Lexington when he promised misery for his Democratic opponent in the fall.

"Whoever runs against me is going to have a perfectly miserable experience," McConnell promised.

The state's senior senator said he expects his opponent to argue that Kentucky needs a "fresh face" in the Senate. "I'm going to argue that I give us a competitive edge in a highly competitive environment."

To drive home the point, McConnell played a lengthy video highlighting his efforts to bring back big bucks for tobacco farmers, universities, parks, the Bluegrass Army Depot and workers sickened at Paducah's uranium enrichment plant.

Louisville Democrats Bruce Lunsford and Greg Fischer are the two leading contenders to challenge McConnell.

McConnell started his speech by noting that "spirits are a little bit higher this year," a clear reference to the group's contentious gathering in Louisville a year ago when former Gov. Ernie Fletcher faced a primary challenge from former congresswoman Anne Northup.

He said he spoke recently with Fletcher, who is adapting well to his private life and following recent news accounts about Gov. Steve Beshear with "some detached amusement."

McConnell pointed to Secretary of State Trey Grayson's ability to draw 51 percent of the vote last November as "the first indication that Republicans weren't going to fold their tent or go away."

Then came "a game changer" earlier this month when Republican Brandon Smith won the Eastern Kentucky state Senate seat formerly held by Democratic Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo.

"I couldn't go to sleep I was so excited about it," McConnell said. "I thought it was enormously significant."

State Senate President David Williams, R-Burkesville, emceed the event. He took the opportunity to throw a few barbs at Beshear and noted that the Democratic governor's approval rating took a tumble this week, particularly in Eastern Kentucky.

As for Beshear's proposed constitutional amendment allowing casinos in Kentucky, Williams offered this advice: "He can stick a fork in it. It's done."

Congressman Ron Lewis, KY-2nd, used his time at the podium to promise he will do "everything I can" to get state Sen. Brett Guthrie, R-Bowling Green, elected to the seat he is vacating.

"I'm leaving, but we have a fine and wonderful young man in Brett Guthrie to carry on the work," Lewis said.

He also pledged to turn over "most" of his campaign war chest, which stood at more than $400,000 at the end of 2007, to the state party.

Lewis has repeatedly apologized to the party in recent weeks after secretly attempting to have his chief of staff, Daniel London, be the lone GOP candidate to replace him. London dropped out of the race earlier this month.

- John Stamper

Louisville GOP chair to leave, one successor emerges

Jack Richardson IV, who has served as the Jefferson County Party Chairman for nearly a decade, announced he'll be stepping down after the May primary, the Courier-Journal (Louisville) reports.

Meanwhile, the first possible replacement for Richardson emerged early Wednesday morning.

At 1:24 a.m., Bradford Cummings, who helped run Secretary of State Trey Grayson's successful re-election campaign last year, says he's gunning for the job.

Here's part of his statement:

“The Jefferson County Republican Party, above all else, should be there to aid campaigns as they march on to victory in November. My recent Louisville track record and focused passion for the core values of the Republican Party will help push our first-class slate of candidates over the top on Election Day 2008.”

Cummings, 30, said he wants to unify the Jefferson County GOP -- the largest Republican county group in the state. It suffered some fracturing last spring during the Republican primary for governor in which Richardson and many Louisville Republicans openly backed Anne Northup's challenge to incumbent Gov. Ernie Fletcher.

- Ryan Alessi

Kentucky Dems' superdelegates: 3 Clinton, 1 Obama

Half of the eight named superdelegates that the Kentucky Democratic Party will send to the Denver Democratic National Convention in August along with 59 regular Democrats are still undecided.

Of the other four, Hillary Clinton has a 3 to 1 edge over Barack Obama.

Here's the breakdown:

• Gov. Steve Beshear                 Undecided
• U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler             Undecided
• U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth            OBAMA
• Jennifer Moore, party chair        Undecided
• Nathan Smith, vice chair           Undecided
• Terry McBrayer                       CLINTON
• JoEtta Wickliffe                             CLINTON
• Moretta Bosley                             CLINTON
• (One add-on delegate to be named at the state Democratic Party convention June 7 also will have superdelegate status and will be free to support the candidate of their choice without having to consider Kentucky's May 20 Democratic primary election results)

As a result, the undecided superdelegates should expect big phone bills over the next few months as prominent surrogates for both camps burn up the lines to lock up support.

Click here to read all about it in the Herald-Leader.

- Ryan Alessi