Kentucky: Chandler, Yarmuth to Fete Conway Today
Reps. Ben Chandler and John Yarmuth — the only Democratic Members of the Bluegrass State delegation — are headlining a fundraising reception today in Washington, D.C., for Senate candidate and state Attorney General Jack Conway (D).
The $250-per-person event is taking place just off Capitol Hill and will also feature the state Speaker Greg Stumbo and state Auditor Crit Luallen.
Conway faces stiff competition in the Democratic primary against Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo, who has the endorsement of Gov. Steve Beshear.
It’s unclear who the winner will face in the general election. With his poor polling numbers and lack of support from the national party, Sen. Jim Bunning (R) may not make it through the primary. He has also indicated he may reconsider running again if his fundraising continues to go poorly.
Meanwhile, other Republicans haven’t been shy about expressing their interest in the Senate race.
Secretary of State Trey Grayson (R) — the preferred candidate of many national party insiders — has been hard at work raising money for his exploratory committee, as has Rand Paul (R) a physician and the son of Texas Rep. Ron Paul (R).
Grayson and Paul have said they won’t run unless Bunning opts out of the race, but Kentucky political insiders say they expect both men to stay in the race regardless of what Bunning does.
On Monday, Paul’s exploratory committee announced that he was the first Senate candidate to sign the Americans for Tax Reform’s Taxpayer Protection Pledge. Conservative activist and Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist is scheduled to join Paul on Monday at a ceremony in Lexington to discuss the pledge.