State Sen. Brett Guthrie continued to show that he is the preferred candidate of the state and national Republican establishment on Tuesday when he picked up the endorsement of Sen. Jim Bunning (R) in his race to replace retiring Rep. Ron Lewis (R).

Guthrie was recruited by the National Republican Congressional Committee at the 11th hour after party officials realized that Lewis was pulling out of his re-election bid and attempting to hand the Republican nomination to his longtime chief of staff, Daniel London, with a late-day filing maneuver last Tuesday, the final day to file in Kentucky.

London has begun to circulate his own endorsement list around the district, but Guthrie won the most coveted prize in state GOP politics when Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell released a statement last Tuesday noting that he was “delighted” to learn that Guthrie had thrown his hat into the race.

But perhaps more telling is the fact that McConnell’s Bluegrass Political Action Committee cut Guthrie’s campaign a $10,000 check last week.
— John McArdle