Tough news for those of us hoping that Democrats would field a top-tier challenge to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell:
Two high-profile Democratic officials who had considered taking on U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell next year are signalling that they’re less likely to take the plunge after all.
State Auditor Crit Luallen, in addition to losing key advisers to incoming Gov. Steve Beshear’s administration, has told party leaders in Washington that she’s decided against running, and that word has filtered back to Kentucky.
And outgoing Attorney General Greg Stumbo, who started an exploratory committee to consider the race, is saying that he’s now looking at getting his old job back as state representative from Floyd County.
“I represented that district for over 20 years and still live there. They have a representative up there now who is doing a good job,” he told the Herald-Leader this week. “But I love the state House. It’s an option.”
He would have to win the seat back first through a primary against freshman state Rep. Brandon Spencer, D-Prestonsburg, who has said he plans to run for a second term.
Stumbo hasn’t officially ruled out the U.S. Senate. He said he plans to “talk to some folks in Washington” before announcing his decision after Beshear’s Dec. 11 inauguration.
Who else do we have on tap? Andrew Horne, who lost the 2006 KY-03 Democratic primary, is still thinking about it:
Should Luallen and Stumbo both officially bow out in the coming weeks, that will shift the party’s attention to Andrew Horne, a Louisville lawyer and Iraq war veteran who ran second in the 2006 Democratic primary for Congress in Louisville.
Horne said yesterday that he told Luallen that he wouldn’t run for U.S. Senate if she did, but is now “starting to gear up again” for a bid of his own. “It appears that Crit is not going to do it, but I haven’t heard it first-hand from her,” he said. “There was kind of this informal deadline earlier this week.”
Democrats may turn their hopes to a wealthy self-funder — there have been a few names tossed around of this sort in recent months, but if Luallen backs out, it’s clearly a blow to Democratic hopes.
I could certainly support Horne if he steps up, but I’m wondering if Stumbo’s hesitation is a ploy to secure better funding from the DSCC than he was offered in private talks.
Their failure to provide meaningful support to Mongiardo’s bid against Bunning is surely still regarded by staffers around their office as one of the most painful mistakes in recent memory. Do they want to miss twice, in the same state?
In other news, I read this morning that GOP incumbent Roberts (R-KS) has drawn a low-profile Democratic challenger. It’s good to have someone file. It was shameful to let Lugar run unopposed last cycle. How sharp would the regrets have been, if scandal or some health crisis had made the incumbent suddenly vulnerable, right before the election? There has to be at minimum a place-holder in every important race. Or so I think.
Any chance of persuading Chandler to change his mind?
Horne might be a stronger canidate then either Stumbo or Lullen would have been. All I hope is some ultra rich Republican doesn’t jump in.
…but I think it’s more likely that he waits until 2010, when he can go for Bunning’s seat. (And who would blame him for that?)