Scott Jennings

DENVER – Republican strategist Scott Jennings, a Dawson Springs native, believes Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s addition to Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) presidential ticket will “play very well in Kentucky.”

“She’s pro life, pro-Second Amendment, is a sportsmen herself and certainly can relate to many Kentuckians who share those values and attributes,” Jennings told PolitickerKY.com.

Jennings, who served as a special assistant to President Bush and as a deputy to White House political strategist Karl Rove, contrasted Palin’s background to that of the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, U.S. Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware.

“This was an attention-grabbing selection for McCain versus Obama’s rather conventional, boring pick,” said Jennings. “I also find it interesting that on the first major decision made by these candidates as nominees of their party, Obama looked to a Washington insider and McCain chose a decidedly out-of-Washington person.”

Secretary of State Trey Grayson (R-Richwood): Politicker photo

HARDIN -- With fellow party members visiting from around the state in advance of Saturday's festivities, Republicans in Marshall County hosted a Fancy Farm-eve rally Friday night where several elected officials practiced their chops and hinted at what may lie ahead.

Consider it a mere sharpening of the tongues in advance of the real rhetorical contest.

About seventy were in attendance at the ampitheatre at Kenlake State Resort Park in Hardin to hear a brief program of speeches keynoted by Secretary of State Trey Grayson (R-Richwood).

Scott Jennings, political strategist and former special assistant to President Bush, introduced Grayson as "the future of the Republican Party," noting he would play a central role in the party's Fancy Farm appearance.

"He's going carry the banner for us tomorrow at Fancy Farm," said Jennings.

Technically a bar-b-que cookout, Fancy Farm has evolved into a unique political tradition in Kentucky. At an afternoon political forum, prominent politicians deliver fiery speeches usually targeting the opposing party in front of a crowd historically known for heckling and political theatrics.

Grayson got things started early with an assessment of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's chances in Kentucky. Obama lost the Commonwealth's May 20 presidential primary by about 35 points to U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.). Clinton ran an active and competitive campaign in the state, though many analysts argued Obama had already essentially locked up the Democratic nomination by the time Kentucky voted.

"We had a record turnout in the primary. A record number of voters came out to vote against their nominee for president," said Grayson. "It was so clear that Barack Obama was the nominee. And they had to have known how embarrassing it would be for their nominee to lose so badly on election night."

"So tomorrow when they start talking about Barack Obama and how excited they are that he is their nominee, they're faking it," added Grayson."

The first indication of the climate in Kentucky's 2nd Congressional District may offer a boost to Democrats holding out hope of picking up the seat left open by the retirement of U.S. Rep Ron Lewis (R-Cecilia).

A new poll by the New Jersey-based firm SurveyUSA gives state Senator David Boswell (D-Sorgho) a 47 to 44 percent advantage over his colleague, state Senator Brett Guthrie (R-Bowling Green).

Nine percent of the 545 "likely" voters polled indicated they were undecided in the race, while the poll's margin of error is plus or minus 4.3 percent.

The results come after Guthrie's camp dispatched a memo yesterday saying any public polling done now would be "unreliable."

State Senator Brett Guthrie's (R-Bowling Green) bid for Kentucky's open 2nd Congressional District will be bolstered by the help of an ally with proven success in the Commonwealth and the district.

The campaign announced last week that Jan van Lohuizen, founder of the Texas-based Voter Consumer Research firm, will serve as pollster for their efforts. van Lohuizen is also the long-time pollster incumbent U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Louisville), and had previously worked with the retiring 2nd District incumbent, U.S. Rep Ron Lews (R-Cecilia), since he was first elected in 1994. Most significantly, van Lohuizen also was regarded as the "personal pollster" for President George W. Bush.

Guthrie's team will also be joined by Brad Todd, a media strategist who co-founded the firm OnMessage. According to the campaign, Todd will handle television and radio advertising for the race.

2nd District Congressional candidate Brett GuthrieKentucky native Scott Jennings is working back in his home state as a consultant for the 2nd District Congressional campaign of state Senator Brett Guthrie (R-Bowling Green).

Jennings appeared with Guthrie at the 4th Congressional District Lincoln-Reagan dinner on April 12. He will serve as a political consultant for Guthrie. While requests for comment on specifics were unreturned, Jennings will join the Guthrie campaign with considerable political experience.

The message from the speakers at Friday’s Legacy Dinner in Louisville to the assembled College Republican crowd was simple: we’ve got a fight coming.