By BERRY CRAIG
AFT Local 1360
At least Kentucky Republicans are consistent.
For the umpteenth time, they're trying to nationalize an election for the Kentucky legislature--this one just two weeks from today.
Democrat Darrell Pugh and Republican Phillip Wheeler are battling for the open 31st District Senate seat in eastern Kentucky.
Ray Jones had to give up the seat because he was elected Pike County judge-executive last November. Hence, a special election was necessary.
Pugh, Wheeler and Jones are from Pikeville, the county seat.
Historically, most elections for the General Assembly have focused on state or local legislative district issues. After all, what happens in our statehouse has a more direct impact on Kentuckians that doings in Congress.
But for at least 40 years, Bluegrass State Republicans have tried to make state races about Washington, not Frankfort.
"They are so afraid of having a real conversation about the issues that they put Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton on a mail piece, or in a commercial, and use words like ‘Liberal Values’ to try to scare voters. It’s pathetic, and we can’t let them get away with it,” urged a recent fund-raising email on behalf Pugh, the Kentucky State AFL-CIO-endorsed candidate.
“Over the last week voters in the district have been receiving deceptive attack mail pieces about…Pugh,” advised the email from Marisa McNee, state Democratic Party deputy director. “Now they’re up on the air with a commercial full of lies.”
Added the KDP bigwig: “It’s the same old, tired attacks that we’ve come to expect from Matt Bevin and the Republican Party of Kentucky. No substance, no new ideas, no details about what they plan to do for the hardworking families of Kentucky."
McNee said Pugh doesn’t know the Democratic U.S. House speaker or the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee. (I'd bet the farm Wheeler isn't acquainted with President Trump either, but he wants the voters to know he's a MAGA guy.)
“This election isn’t about [Pelosi, Clinton]...or any other national politicians," McNee wrote. "Darrell’s running for State Senate and he’s focused on policies to help his fellow Kentuckians right here at home."
Doubtless, Wheeler's commercial crafters read the polls. They know that while Trump is still riding high in Kentucky, Bevin’s about as popular as a wet dog at a wedding. So they want the electorate to read W-h-e-e-l-e-r as T-r-u-m-p.
McNee charged that Wheeler "is clearly hand picked by Matt Bevin" and that he and the governor "are working with out of state millionaires and national donors to put a thumb on the scale in Kentucky."
The district includes Elliott, Lawrence, Martin, Morgan and Pike counties.