BY PATRICK CROWLEY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
FORT MITCHELL -- Washington political operatives are calling Kentucky's U.S. Senate race between Republican Jim Bunning and Democrat Scotty Baesler one of the hottest contests in the nation.
"This is one of the top races in the country, and we feel good about it," said Steven Law, executive director of the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, an organization that works to elect Republicans to the Senate.
"Bunning and Baesler will face off in what is being billed as one of this cycle's most competitive races," wrote Roll Call, the Washington-based political publication.
The pundits and pols give plenty of reasons why the race between the congressmen is targeted by both national parties:
The seat will be open with the retirement of U.S. Sen. Wendell Ford, the Owensboro Democrat who has served in Congress for 24 years. "Open seats always attract a lot of interest from both parties," said Michael Tucker of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. The Republican Senate campaign committee chairman is U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell of Louisville, who not only wants the party to grab the open seat but also does not want to lose a race in his own back yard, according to leading Northern Kentucky Republicans. If the Republicans can pick up the Senate seat, hold the 4th District congressional seat and capture the 6th District seat, they can make Kentucky the only state east of the Mississippi with its entire congressional delegation in the hands of the GOP.
The Democrats see the Senate seat as one they must hold.
"Right now you won't find a stronger Democratic Party in the South than in Kentucky," Mr. Tucker said. "Scotty Baesler is coming out of a spirited primary, where he got a lot of press and attention, with a united front.
"The Democrats are clearly getting ready to clean Jim Bunning's plow, and I can't think of a better candidate to do that than Scotty Baesler," he said.
An early strategy of the Democrats appears to be attempting to align Mr. Bunning's stand on tobacco with Mr. McConnell's, who recently proposed doing away with the federal price support program for tobacco, the leading crop in Kentucky.
The agriculture community says doing away with the program would allow foreign tobacco to flood the market and drive small farmers out of business.
"Jim Bunning has to distance himself from Mitch McConnell, because what Mitch McConnell has done to tobacco is very unpopular back in his home state," Mr. Tucker said.
But Mr. Bunning pointed out that he and Mr. Baesler are on record supporting the program.
"And Scotty Baesler is running against me, not Mitch McConnell," Mr. Bunning said.
"Mitch and I have our own separate ideas about a lot of things. I happen to strongly believe we need to keep the program in place," said Mr. Bunning, who has been supported by tobacco farmers and growers' associations.
Mr. Baesler, however, is a tobacco farmer and is expected to try to gain a political advantage through his farming background.
Bunning's money
According to federal election law, the Democratic and Republican senatorial committees can help their candidate with money -- about $360,000, according to Mr. Law -- as well as with staff, technical support, research, polling and joint advertising expenditures.
Mr. Law said that Mr. Bunning is starting the Senate general election campaign with $1.4 million in the bank, and that Mr. Baesler must practically start from scratch when it comes to raising money. "We have a clear advantage with money, and it's one we'll keep," he said.
"Scotty Baesler is financially crippled at this point." Mr. Baesler defeated Louisville businessman Charlie Owen and Lt. Gov. Steve Henry in last Tuesday's Democratic primary. Mr. Bunning beat State Sen. Barry Metcalf in the GOP primary.
