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An internal poll conducted for the gubernatorial ticket of Senate President David Williams and Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer gives the slate the lead in the GOP primary with 47% of the vote
The poll places Jefferson County Clerk Bobbie Holsclaw and her running mate Bill Vermillion in second place with 10%. Louisville businessman Phil Moffett and his running mate, state Representative Mike Harmon, trail with 9%.
CN2 has the response from the Holsclaw and Moffett campaigns. Both criticize the numbers, either by dismissing them or pointing out that Williams and Farmer have support from less than half of those polled.
On the Democratic side, incumbent Steve Beshear is running unopposed with Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramsonsharing the ticket.
Independent Gatewood Galbraith is also running with Dea Riley as his running mate.
Secretary of State Trey Grayson has started his new job at Harvard. He talked about his decision and his possible return to electoral politics on WFPL.
Third District Congressman John Yarmuth discussed his appointment to the House Oversight and Government Reform committee last week. Yarmuth said he was hoping chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) would back off from his aggressive plans to investigate the administration. Yarmuth also said oversight is necessary; the committee can’t be a rubber stamp for the administration, but a repeat of the mid 90s or glutting the system with subpoenas isn’t the way to do that.
Yarmuth was not as outspoken on the issue as the committee’s ranking Democrat, Elijah Cummings of Maryland. Cummings sent Issa a letter earlier this month, encouraging the chairman to restrain himself and not issue subpoenas unilaterally.
Cummings also accused Issa of withholding documents, which Issa denies. It all adds up to observers calling this a “terrible start” for the powerful and important committee.
Jefferson County Clerk Bobbie Holsclaw says she will run for governor. Holsclaw previously told reporters she was considering entering the race, but had not found a suitable running mate. She has tapped retired Navy master chief Bill Vermillion of Grayson County to share the ticket, and the two plan to file their paperwork Tuesday.
Holsclaw will be the third Republican to enter the governor’s race. She will face State Senate President David Williams and Louisville businessman Phil Moffett in the primary. Democratic incumbent Steve Beshear is seeking re-election. Perennial candidate Otis Hensley is expected to challenge Beshear in the Democratic primary.
Independent Gatewood Galbraith is also in the race.
The first candidates forum in this year’s gubernatorial race will be held next week in Louisville. Republican candidates David Williams and Phil Moffett will be there. So will independent Gatewood Galbraith. Democratic incumbent Steve Beshear, however, will not attend.
[Campaign spokesperson Bill Hyers] pointed to the contested Republican primary and how, so far, no other Democrat has filed to challenge Beshear in the primary. There will be plenty of time to discuss the issues once the Republican nominee is set, Hyers said.
“(Beshear) needs to be governor,” Hyers said in a phone interview. “It’s January for a November election. There will be plenty of times after the primary.”
Lawmakers will soon begin to redraw legislative districts based on new census data. Many pundits have said this year’s elections have given Republicans an edge in redistricting, because the party has been voted into power in many areas.
But the Fix says the GOP’s wide majority in the House is evidence of the opposite:
In fact, they’ve got their work cut out for them in even keeping their current majorities in many states.
The Republican majority, which will be 47 seats when the new Congress is sworn in next month, will be bigger than at any point in the last 60 years. That means the party is already stretched pretty thin when it comes to the districts it holds.
Adding seats to that map is very difficult — even in many of the states where Republicans control the redistricting process and will be drawing the lines.
Jefferson County Clerk Bobbie Holsclaw is reportedly considering running for Governor on the Republican ticket.
If she decides to run, she will face State Senate President David Williams and businessman Phil Moffett (and anyone else who enters the race) in the primary.
From the Herald-Leader:
Holsclaw, who easily won re-election Nov. 2 to her fourth four-year term as clerk of the state’s most populous county, said she is getting encouragement from various people to enter the race for Kentucky’s highest elective office.
“I have this wonderful job, but I have to decide whether to give the people of this state another choice,” she said during a telephone interview.
[edit]
Holsclaw said she only met Moffett once but has worked with Williams’ office in her role with the state clerks’ association.
“I think I would have an advantage in the race because of my administrative experience,” she said.
On the Democratic side, Governor Steve Beshear is seeking re-election.
A Daily Kos/Public Policy Polling survey shows Republican Senate candidate Rand Paul leading Democratic rival Jack Conway 49% to 42%.
Paul leads Conway in every age group except 18-to-29-year-olds. Paul also leads Conway in every geographic area except the Louisville Metro area.
The poll also asks about next year’s gubernatorial race. Incumbent Democrat Steve Beshear has a 47% approval rating, and his 2011 ticket leads both Republican tickets. He tops state Senate president David Williams 44% to 39% and Phil Moffett 46% to 28%.
Beshear announced his gubernatorial ticket with mayor Jerry Abramson last year. Williams and Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer made their candidacy official this month. Moffett and state Rep. Mike Harmon announced their candidacy in July.
State Senate president David Williams and Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer announced their gubernatorial ticket today.
Tony McVeigh will have more soon. In the meantime, here’s a clip from the official announcement.
The campaign will not hold any fundraising events until after November’s election out of deference to Dr. Rand Paul and the entire slate of GOP candidates. Williams and Farmer will focus on helping retain the U.S. Senate seat held by Jim Bunning, preserving and expanding the GOP majority in the Kentucky Senate, and on helping Republicans win as many races as possible at all levels.
Former Kentucky State Adjutant General Donald Storm will serve as the campaign chairman.
“Williams and Farmer offer proven leadership for Kentucky, and I look forward to helping them campaign across the state with a bold, positive agenda for Kentucky’s future,” Storm said.
At the annual Kentucky Farm Bureau ham breakfast, Agricultural Commissioner Richie Farmer said he and Senate President David Williams. are (still) considering putting together a gubernatorial ticket.
He said he “will be running for something” next year but that his “dream job” would be athletic director at the University of Kentucky.
Farmer, a star basketball player at UK in the 1990s, said he has talked to Williams about a possible slate next year and that they have discussed who would be at the top of ticket.
Told that Farmer has not ruled out a bid for governor, Williams said Farmer and he have been in contact and that they will announce “the right decision soon.”
“I think Secretary of State, or some of the other constitutional offices may be an option, but would be leaning toward running for one of the top spots, ” Farmer said prior to the annual Kentucky Farm Bureau ham breakfast at the Kentucky State Fair Thursday.
Farmer says he’ll make a decision after consulting with his family.
And Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo told CN2 that Democratic Senate candidate Jack Conway isn’t the best candidate, but he is better than Republican Rand Paul.
The Edit: WFPL's Gabe Bullard blogs the news 