Wednesday, August 25, 1999
Ky. GOP gains ground
Voter trends show shift
BY PATRICK CROWLEY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
FORT MITCHELL — Kentucky statehouse and county officials have made news in recent weeks by switching from Democrat to Republican.
Now, voter-registration trends in Northern Kentucky show that the Republican Party is easily outdistancing the Democratic Party when it comes to attracting members.
According to figures from the secretary of state's office in Frankfort, 1,243 people in Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties registered Republican between May 25 — when the spring primary was held — and Aug. 1.
That compares to 735 new registrations for the Democrats.
While Democrats still out-number Republicans across Northern Kentucky 89,110 to 76,488, the momentum is clearly moving in the direction of the GOP.
“Voters are sending a resounding message that they want conservative leaders on all levels,” said State GOP Vice Chairman Damon Thayer of Grant County.
“And in Kentucky, that's the Republican Party.”
Just this week the GOP took over control of the state Senate for the first time ever when Sen. Bob Leeper, a Paducah Democrat, switched parties to give the Republicans a 20-18 edge in the General Assembly's upper chamber.
Less than two months ago Sen. Dan Seum of Louisville made a similar switch.
And in Northern Kentucky last month two Boone County officials — Sheriff Mike Helmig and Commonwealth Attorney Willie Mathis — made the switch from Democrat to Republican.
Campbell County Republican Party Chairwoman Sam Smith said the GOP is presenting candidates and platforms this region's conservative voters want.
In the days of Democratic rule in Northern Kentucky — a period that ran through the 1980s — even some of the most conservative voters registered Democrat so they could participate in the process, Mrs. Smith said.
“There weren't a lot of Republican candidates at one time, so to actually vote in contested races people had to register Democrat so they could be involved and make their vote count,” she said.
But with the region's growth, which brought in many outside and affluent voters who leaned toward the GOP, the party began to field candidates for more races.
“Once we started getting more candidates, more people registered Republican,” Mrs. Smith said.
Republicans have also made an effort to register more voters, she said.
State Rep. Tom Kerr, D-Taylor Mill, said the conservative nature of Northern Kentucky makes the Republican Party appealing to voters.
“The Republican Party platform more closely resembles the political philosophy of most Northern Kentuckians,” said Mr. Kerr, recognized as a conservative-to-moderate Democrat who often breaks party ranks to vote with the Republicans in Frank fort.
“But I don't think party affiliation is as important as it once was,” he said. “Voters look at candidates more than party, particularly on the grass-roots level of statehouse and local politics.”
Local voters also take into account social and moral issues that Republican candidates and officials often make part of their platforms, said state Rep. Joe Fischer, R-Fort Thomas.
“I think a lot of voters don't look at how many projects or political favors they obtain from an elected official,” Mr. Fischer said, “but how faithful they are to their principles.”
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