Tag: Jim Bunning

No surprises here: Kentucky Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo is seriously considering a rematch against creaky GOP Sen. Jim Bunning:

“I’m considering the race. I think at this stage, being less than two years away, anyone running against an incumbent will have to start the fundraising process.” […]

Now, though he continues to mull a bid, Mongiardo sounds like he wants a second shot at Bunning.

“I got involved in politics out of frustration for where healthcare was headed. And that will largely determine what I do and where I go,” Mongiardo said. “It’s interesting how the stars are lining up right now with [President-elect] Obama and the incoming administration talking about reforming healthcare.”

Mongiardo added he will consider whether he’s done all he can to help improve Kentucky’s healthcare situation, but that his expertise could help his party.

“I think the Democratic Party needs a physician” in the Senate, he said. “We need more people that understand healthcare from the inside to help change it.”

I like Dr. Dan a lot, and if he wants a rematch against Bunning (who insists that he’s running for another term despite his advanced age and notoriously, uh, sloppy campaign style), I’d be happy to let him take it. But fortunately, Mongiardo isn’t the only option we have — both state Auditor Crit Luallan and state Attorney General Jack Conway are also considering the race. Any one of them could give Bunning a serious scare in 2010.

Update: Somewhat amazingly, I neglected to mention Rep. Ben Chandler’s name as a potential candidate. Okay, so we have four strong possibilities here, although I haven’t heard Chandler express his interest lately.

Christmas seems to be coming a few days early for Kentucky Democrats: Jim Bunning, who barely won re-election in the Republican year of 2004 against a little-known state senator (after several campaign trail incidents that called into question his mental faculties), plans to run for a third term. The Louisville Courier-Journal is reporting today that Bunning has formed a steering committee to begin fundraising for 2010. (H/t RandySF.)

Given how red Kentucky is, at least at the presidential level, this has to be one race where we’d do better running against a crazy incumbent rather than against a generic R (especially in an off-year election where there won’t be presidential coattails to help Bunning over the finish line). As we discussed in our Kentucky recruitment thread a few weeks ago, Rep. Ben Chandler would probably be the best bet on the Dem side (although he’d leave behind a pretty red district to fill). Other names include Auditor Crit Luallen (who, perhaps unwisely, turned down the opportunity to go after Mitch McConnell this year) and Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo (who lost to Bunning in 2004 while still a state senator).