KY-3: Thieneman says he ran 'honest race'

LOUISVILLE -- Louisville developer Chris Thieneman lost his bid to win the Republican nomination in Kentucky's 3rd Congressional district this evening to former Congresswoman Anne Northup, but he remained upbeat in an interview with PolitickerKY.com on election night.

"I knew it was going to be an uphill battle," said Thieneman.

With 99 percent of precints reporting, Northup took 76.9 percent of the vote to Thieneman's 21.4 percent.

Thieneman pointed to the results as a point of pride, as they showed an improvement over month-old poll numbers that showed him either farther behind then he finished.

"When I got into this a month ago, I only had 11 percent," said Thieneman. "Right now I have 20."

In late January, Thieneman dropped out of the race and said he would endorse the 3rd District's Democratic incumbent John Yarmuth. He alleged he was pressured to quit by allies of Northup and incumbent Republican Senator Mitch McConnell.

Thieneman then revived his campaign in late April. Since then, Northup's campaign ran a series of ads and sent out direct mail pieces.

"I ran an honest race," said Thieneman. "If anything, I can say she considered me a serious candidate."

Thieneman said that although his temporary endorsement of Yarmuth "wouldn't have been enough to make a difference" in the KY-3 race, he would be more careful in the future.

"I'm never going to say something without thinking about it again," said Thieneman. "The majority of people didn't understand why I said what I did and I never got a chance to explain myself."

When asked where he stood with Northup, Thieneman said the two would soon meet.

"I am ready to meet up with her and talk to her and figure out where we are going to go," said Thieneman.

Thieneman said he planned to stay involved in politics as well, but not necessarily as a candidate.

"I don't know if I am politically correct enough to be a politician," said Thieneman. "But I will always be involved. I like being an activist."

The candidate noted he would hope to work on projects similar to his work opposing the Jefferson County library tax in the future.