Archive
Voters' thoughts on Senate race match the polls
McConnell touts clout, Lunsford says he's been there too long
MOREHEAD — Bruce Lunsford says Mitch McConnell has been in the U.S. Senate long enough. McConnell counters that his 24 years of seniority allow him to do things for Kentucky that a freshman senator couldn’t do.
Some Democrats haven’t forgiven Lunsford for abandoning the 2003 Democratic primary for governor and endorsing Republican Ernie Fletcher in the general election. And some Republicans may still be annoyed over what they think was McConnell’s insufficient support for Fletcher when he was under attack in a hiring scandal.
Judging from comments from voters and political observers across the state, all those things may play a role in the race between Lunsford, the Democratic challenger, and McConnell, the six-term Republican incumbent.
“I feel McConnell’s been in there long enough – we need a change,” said Caroline Franzini, 59, a registered Democrat and a retired Morehead State University educator who now works at the Fuzzy Duck, a coffee shop and book store in downtown Morehead.
McConnell invariably tells crowds he directed $500 million in federal funding to Kentucky last year while Pennsylvania’s first-term Democratic Sen. Bob Casey delivered only $16 million to the Keystone State.
Chip Dooley, 47, is a registered Republican from Owensboro and Ashland native. He’s going to vote for John McCain for president but might vote for Lunsford because he likes his business background. But he understands McConnell’s pitch.
“McConnell’s main plug is his clout and that does have some merit,” Dooley said while visiting Ashland this week. “But I actually haven’t made up my mind.”
Down the street, Ted Robinson who does the morning news for WLGC-FM Radio thinks McConnell has a point.
“I interviewed Lunsford when he was here in Ashland,” said Robinson, a registered Independent. “I think he’s got Kentucky’s best interests at heart. But how do you trade out 24 years of influence?”
The indecision by people like Robinson and Dooley is reflected in recent polls. Following the financial crisis and the Wall Street rescue passed by Congress, McConnell’s early lead in polls shrank dramatically. Part of it, people said, is the financial mess, but the race may come down to the argument about McConnell’s tenure and Lunsford’s bona fides as a Democrat.
“I think McConnell has his hands full,” said Rowan County Sheriff Jack Carter. “But Lunsford – this thing where he quit the governor’s race and supported the Republican – that’ll hurt him up here.” Rowan County registered Democrats outnumber Republicans almost 3-1.
Dean Johnson, county clerk in heavily Republican Laurel County, thinks any fall off in support for McConnell among Republicans is more likely tied to his long tenure than to any perceived lack of support for Fletcher. McConnell will win Laurel County and the Republican Fifth District, Johnson said, but maybe not as easily as in the past.
“He’ll run pretty well down here,” Johnson said of McConnell. “But not as well as he has before.”
Johnson said McConnell’s ability to secure federal funds for Kentucky is appreciated in the Fifth District, represented by Republican Rep. Hal Rogers of Somerset who is also known for bringing home the federal bacon. He said if Rogers campaigns openly for McConnell, it will increase McConnell’s margin.
And, Johnson said, he’s heard from Democrats in heavily Democratic counties in nearby southeastern Kentucky who aren’t enthusiastic about Lunsford.
“I think it’ll be tough for Lunsford in some of those counties,” Johnson said.
Barren County Sheriff Chris Eaton, a Democrat, sees the same thing in southern Kentucky.
“A lot of Democrats are just not that high on Lunsford,” Eaton said because of the 2003 governor’s race. “I think Mitch will probably win in the end. But Lunsford has been coming on and he might win.”
That’s pretty much what the polls have been saying.
RONNIE ELLIS writes for CNHI News Service and is based in Frankfort. He can be reached by e-mail at rellis@cnhi.com.
