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It’s official. The gloves are off. For the first time in modern Kentucky history, three Republicans are seriously vying to be the nominee for the seat currently held by Senator Jim Bunning. Past GOP candidates may have been ordained by party leadership. This election cycle, two of the three candidates didn’t get the memo. Or if they did, they are ignoring the message from the godfather of GOP politics, Senator Mitch McConnell.
Saturday afternoon in Paducah, anointed heir to Bunning’s throne Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson faced a crowd of seven hundred West Kentuckians who also seemed not to have gotten the memo. At the candidate forum co-sponsored the McCracken County Republican Party and McCracken County Grassroots Group, a tea party organization, Grayson looked slightly queasy. And well he might. Despite moderator Ron Beaton’s instructions to the contrary, the crowd burst into applause several times. Only once did they spontaneously applaud a remark of Grayson’s.
Grayson’s bearing and reputation as a GOP insider which have served him so well in the past, worked against him before the crowd of very white, very conservative West Kentuckians. Grayson had to know what he was getting into when he agreed to come. He tried hard to woo the crowd. When asked whether the bank bailout was a mistake, he said he told Mitch McConnell that he made a mistake. Still unable to desert his mentor, he hastened to add that it was okay because McConnell was right on so many other things.
Grayson agreed with his opponents that Republicans spent too much money when they were in power. But he would not promise not to bring home projects to Kentucky if elected. Kentucky should get its fair share of projects, he said. He praised Rep. Ed Whtifield, (1st District R) for voting against the bank bailout.
Secretary Grayson’s most uncomfortable moment came toward the end of the program. A question from the organizers seemed tailor made to highlight his opponents’ strengths and denigrate his. The question asked what nongovernmental experience fits the candidate to be senator. Grayson went back to his days as a tax attorney and business adviser.
His experience running an efficient government office didn’t count. Grayson’s claim to get things done by working with everyone was not what the partisan crowd wanted to hear. Grayson told the crowd that his office ran better on half the money the previous secretary of state enjoyed. Grayson told the crowd he took away the cell phones and blackberries from his staff. He even told the crowd that he was responsible for the law that kept ACORN out of Kentucky. Nothing seemed to register.
Trey Grayson told the crowd he has the support of First District State Senator Ken Winters and First District Representative Steven Rudy. He didn’t have to tell them he had the support of the Minority Leader of the Senate, Mitch McConnell.
They already knew that. And they weren’t impressed.
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