FRANKFORT — Despite recent sniping between Republicans over whether Jim Bunning should seek a third U.S. Senate term, Bunning was “very pleased” by his reception Saturday night at the state Lincoln Day Dinner.

“I thought it went extremely well,” Bunning said Tuesday during his weekly teleconference with Kentucky reporters. “I thought my speech and the following reception I got from the 400 or 550 people was very good.”

Bunning has been struggling with his fundraising and polls show him with diminished support among voters. He’s considered perhaps the most vulnerable incumbent Republican Senator on the 2010 ballot and he’s complained party leaders – including Kentucky’s other U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell – are trying to undermine his fundraising ability.

Meanwhile, his friend, state Secretary of State Trey Grayson, formed an exploratory committee for the race – with Bunning’s blessing – and former ambassador to Latvia, Cathy Bailey, and Bowling Green ophthalmologist Rand Paul openly talk of entering the race. Grayson was emcee for Saturday’s event, Bailey was on hand, and McConnell spoke. Several times he praised Bunning’s voting record on federal spending measures.

But the two did not speak, according to Bunning.

“There was no occasion for that,” Bunning said. “The only persons I really got to speak with were Cathy Bailey and Trey Grayson – I mean of the candidates.”

State Senate President David Williams, who has also been mentioned as a possible candidate for Bunning’s seat, bluntly said during his speech that the “only question about Senator Bunning is whether he can be re-elected” because of the “scar tissue” he’s built up over the years “by standing up for us.”

Tuesday, Bunning said, “I thought he spoke very well.”

Bunning said many in the crowd urged him to continue seeking a third term.

“Goodness gracious. I don’t know how many people came up and said: ‘You run. We need your good conservative vote in the U.S. Senate,’” Bunning said.

Bunning said he has several fundraisers scheduled in upcoming days and weeks, including events in Memphis, Miami, Washington D.C., Lexington, Somerset and Williamsburg. But he wouldn’t share any details about times or sponsors.

Bunning said the entire Kentucky congressional delegation has signed a resolution supporting a federal declaration of emergency in flood ravaged eastern Kentucky in anticipation of a formal request from Gov. Steve Beshear who was touring the area Tuesday.

He and Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow are co-sponsoring legislation which seeks to place trade sanctions on Chinese products because the Chinese government has manipulated the value of its currency to make Chinese exports less expensive and American products more expensive in China.

Bunning said Republicans will offer several amendments to Democrats’ health care legislation but he doesn’t expect them to receive much consideration from the majority.

“It looks like it’s going to be a partisan bill,” Bunning said.

The Baseball Hall of Famer said he thinks some major league baseball players continue to use performance enhancing substances and anyone proven to have used steroids “should not be inducted into the Hall of Fame and all their records should be expunged.”

Bunning said the use of such substances may have decreased with testing and the identification and punishment of some players, but such substances as human growth hormone aren’t detectable by current testing methods.

“I still think people are using it,” Bunning said of HGH.

RONNIE ELLIS writes for CNHI News Service and is based in Frankfort. Reach him at rellis@cnhi.com.