Did the much-anticipated meeting between Sen. Mitch McConnell and Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes change the course of their U.S. Senate race?
Not really, according to the panel on this weekend’s Comment on Kentucky. Despite the hype leading up to last Monday’s forum on KET, and the spin afterwards, Ronnie Ellis of CNHI News Service says the 133,000 viewers who watched the program didn’t learn anything new from either of the candidates.
Ellis says he thinks liberal Democrats were disappointed that Grimes again refused to answer the question of who she voted for in recent presidential elections. But Ellis says those Democrats will likely hold their noses and vote for Grimes, much like Tea Partiers will hold their noses and vote for McConnell.
Boosting Voter Turn-Out
Since the race continues to be close, voter turn-out is vital for both candidates. Amanda Van Benschoten of The Kentucky Enquirer says McConnell has appeared in northern Kentucky to boost Republican voting in the region. She says she expects Grimes to launch a Democratic turn-out campaign as well.
How the urban-rural divide plays out in this election will be especially interesting, according to Nick Storm of cn|2. He says statewide candidates used to have to win in Louisville and Lexington. But in this contest, Storm says he thinks McConnell can lose Louisville and still win reelection. Grimes, on the other hand, will have to take both of those cities and do well in rural parts of the state to win the election.
Ellis adds that Grimes will need to perform better in the eastern Kentucky coal counties than she did in the primary. Ellis says Grimes should do well in Knott, Letcher, and Magoffin counties, where Democratic state Rep. John Short has campaigned for her. But he contends success for Grimes is far less certain in Floyd County (the home of state House Speaker Greg Stumbo) and Pike County (another traditional Democratic stronghold).
A new Bluegrass Poll about the Senate contest will be released tonight.
Money for Final Advertising Blitz
Fundraising figures for the third quarter show Grimes secured $4.9 million in donations compared to McConnell’s $3.2 million. But the incumbent has more cash on hand to carry him through the final weeks of the campaign.
Ellis says McConnell is using his money on ads that seek to humanize him as a candidate. Two recent spots depict the senator helping a Morehead woman regain custody of her child, and explain how McConnell advocated for DNA testing in sexual assault cases. Ellis says the ads are designed to counter the argument made by Grimes that McConnell has lost touch with ordinary Kentuckians.
Despite the good fundraising report for the challenger, Nick Storm says Grimes was hurt when the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) decided last week to end their ad buys in the Kentucky race. While Grimes has sufficient cash to carry her through Election Day, Storm says the DSCC decision creates the impression that national party officials think there are problems with the Grimes campaign.
Judges Rule on Electioneering Case
Last week, Federal District Court Judge William Bertelsman struck down a Kentucky statute banning electioneering within 300 feet of polling places. He ruled the law violated the First Amendment rights of private property owners to display campaign signs even if they lived next to a voting location.
That decision essentially eliminated the buffer zone around polling places and would have allowed campaign representatives to approach citizens as they go to cast their ballots.
Then on Friday, an appeals court panel reversed part of Bertelsman’s ruling. Ronnie Ellis says the appellate judges maintained the buffer zone on public property to prevent electioneering at polling places, but allowed individuals to continue their political activities on private property.
–The opinions expressed on Comment on Kentucky and in this program synopsis are the responsibility of the participants and do not necessarily reflect those of KET.
