US Senate

U.S. Senate candidate Bruce Lunsford: Politicker PhotoDemocratic U.S. Senate nominee Bruce Lunsford will release his energy plan at a press conference tomorrow in Louisville.

The plan, entitled "Do More, Talk Less: Bruce Lunsford's 8 Point Plan for Energy Independence," will be unveiled at a local Louisville UAW headquarters at 3pm.

Lunsford has been embroiled in a fight over energy policy with his opponent, U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Louisville), since the start of the general election campaign.

U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Southgate): Getty Images PhotoU.S. Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Southgate) will appear on the Fox Business channel at 7pm ET this evening to discuss the proposed federal rescue plan for the troubled mortgage finance lenders, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.

Bunning has emerged as a chief critic of the bailout plan currently before Congress, recently classifying it as "socialism" because of the extensive proposed government investment in the lenders.

The two firms are the subject of considerable worry given well-publicized troubles in the mortgage market. In recent weeks, shares in the two have undergone significant fluctuation, leading to President Bush's proposal of a rescue plan.

The plan - supported principally by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson - would allow Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to borrow from the Treasury and also permits the government to buy equity in the lenders.

"The Treasury Secretary is now asking for a blank check to buy as much Fannie and Freddie debt, or equity, as he wants," said Bunning last week.

Declaring that "the reviews are in," the campaign of Democratic Senate nominee Bruce Lunsford continued to respond to its opponent's recent television ad by circulating negative editorial responses to the spot.

Sampling from one editorial each from today's editions of the Commonwealth's two largest newspapers, Lunsford's camp again derided the attack ad from the campaign of Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Louisville) as a "political smokescreen."

"Mitch McConnell's first ad in this year's Senate campaign in Kentucky is so silly and pointless that it seems like a spoof from a political satirist," reads an editorial cited by Lunsford's campaign from today's Louisville Courier-Journal.

While some national political analysts seem to be taking longer looks at Kentucky's U.S. Senate race between incumbent Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Louisville) and businessman Bruce Lunsford (D-Louisville), others are speculating another potentially competitive race in the Commonwealth may be done before it has really started.

In an article posted on Roll Call today, political analyst Stuart Rothenberg said Kentucky's 2nd Congressional District race "is over," unless state Senator David Boswell's (D-Owensboro) effort receives a major financial boost.

"Kentucky 2nd district hopeful David Boswell was promoted by some Democrats as a strong contender for retiring Rep. Ron Lewis' (R) open seat. Yes, said Democrats about the Owensboro-Bowling Green district, it's conservative, but the Democratic state Senator is a good fit for it," wrote Rothenberg today. "Well, Boswell's June 30 cash-on-hand total of $45,000 should end that talk. Republican nominee Brett Guthrie's $661,000 in the bank means that, barring a total turnaround of finances, this race is over."

Kentucky AFL-CIO President Bill Londrigan rejected new radio ads launched against Democratic Senate nominee Bruce Lunsford as the product of "anti-labor" forces, in a brief interview with PolitickerKY.com today.

The one-minute radio spots paid for by the Employee Freedom Action Committee started airing late last week. They target Lunsford, of Louisville, for his support of so-called "card-check" legislation - a major issue standing between organized labor and business interests.

"Card-check" policy provisions would remove an employer's option to call for a secret ballot vote during union certification efforts and allow certification when a majority of employees in a workplace have signed union membership cards.

Such provisions were formalized in the Employee Free Choice Act of 2007, which failed to pass the U.S. Senate in June of last year.

"This campaign is being put forth by anti-labor politicians and associated groups spending money to lie and discredit the Employee Free Choice Act," said Londrigan.

In a further sign that Kentucky's U.S. Senate race will feature extensive campaigning from special interest organizations, a new one-minute radio ad began airing late last week targeting candidate Bruce Lunsford (D-Louisville) for his support of so-called "card-check" legislation.

The Employee Freedom Action Committee - a 501 (c) (4) group based out of Washington, DC - is the organization behind the newest salvo in the increasingly active Senate competition between Lunsford and incumbent U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Louisville).

"Union bosses have new scheme that makes it easier for them to harass and intimidate workers into paying costly union dues," says the ad.

"Outraged? You should be. Because Bruce Lunsford supports their new scheme meaning you and millions more may be pressured into a union against your will," it continues.

The ad also hammers on past embezzlement and racketeering charges against labor leaders and says the policy will "take away your right to a private vote."

The ad is an effort by Employee Freedom to target advocates of policy related to union certification in workplaces. "Card-check" legislation - which was formalized in the failed Employee Free Choice Act of 2007 - would remove an employer's option of calling for a secret ballot vote on unionization and permit certification when a majority of employees have signed union membership cards.

On the most eventful day in the race in weeks, the candidates for Kentucky's U.S. Senate seat continue to jab at each other today in the wake of incumbent Sen. Mitch McConnell's (R-Louisville) release of the first television ad of the general election campaign.

This afternoon, McConnell's campaign dispatched a retaliatory response to Lunsford's earlier critique of the ad.

The ad attacks Lunsford for his work in 1980, supporting a restructuring of Kentucky's gas tax system that tied tax rates to wholesale prices. The ad also accuses Lunsford of wanting to "pump taxpayers for even more," but bases that accusation on an article referencing Lunsford's support of the windfall profits tax on oil companies.

After Lunsford's campaign levelled a series of charges about McConnell's energy policy in response, the McConnell campaign questioned why the substance of the ad wasn't addressed.

"I have read the Lunsford campaign's response to our ad three times. Nowhere do they deny that Bruce Lunsford fought for an ever-increasing gas tax, which is remarkable," said McConnell's campaign manager, Justin Brasell, in an afternoon statement.

Minutes after the campaign of U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Louisville) announced the launch of its first ad of the general election race, the campaign of the ad's target - Democratic nominee Bruce Lunsford, of Louisville - released a statement deriding the spot as a "ridiculous negative attack" and attempted to pin responsibility for the "energy crisis" on McConnell.

The McConnell ad, first aired Friday, attributes responsibility for Kentucky's gas tax - which adjusts according to the wholesale price of oil - to Lunsford's "lobbying" for that structure as a member of former Gov. John Y. Brown's administration in 1980
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"McConnell's ridiculous negative attack is nothing more than a desperate political smokescreen," said Lunsford's spokesperson, Allison Haley, in a statement.
While not explicitly addressing the charges of McConnell's ad beyond that sentiment, Lunsford's response threw the blame for high gas prices upon the incumbent McConnell and President Bush.

The ad war between U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Louisville) and his Democratic opponent, businessman Bruce Lunsford, of Louisville, kicked off in earnest this morning, when McConnell launched his first ad - a 30-second slam accusing Lunsford of contributing to higher gas taxes.

"Nearly 30 years ago, Bruce Lunsford lobbied for automatic gas tax increases," says the ad's narrator.

McConnell's campaign points to Lunsford's work in 1980 as a member of former Governor John Y. Brown's cabinet. Then, he was part of an effort to tie the rate of the gas tax in the state to the wholesale cost of gasoline - rather than set a flat rate per gallon.

Interestingly, the ad features footage of Lunsford speaking in Bowling Green and providing some explanation for the changing taxes on gasoline.

"We changed the way we tax gas in this state that gave us a budget that could grow," says Lunsford in the McConnell ad's sampled film.

After funding requested by U.S. Rep John Yarmuth (D-Louisville) for a new Veteran's Administration hospital was approved in a Senate subcommitee today, Yarmuth praised an unlikely ally on the other side of the aisle -Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Louisville).

"This is great news," said Yarmuth in a statement. "I was happy to have secured funding in the House for a new VA hospital in Louisville, and with the Senate now on board, we can confidently say that Louisville's veterans will have a new, state-of-the-art hospital very soon. I thank Senator McConnell for working with me to make sure that the veterans in our community get the care and treatment they deserve."

$75 million in funding for a hospital in Louisville - hometown to both Yarmuth and McConnell - was approved by the U.S. Senate subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, upon which McConnell sits.

Yarmuth had initially secured $45 million for the project in the House, but the amount passed by the Senate was raised to "maximum the VA can obligate in 2009," according to a release from McConnell's Senate office.