KY-SEN

Mongiardo Calls Off Recanvass Effort In Kentucky Dem Senate Primary

Eric Kleefeld | May 19, 2010, 10:39PM

KY-SEN candidate Daniel Mongiardo (D)

Kentucky Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo announced today that he is not seeking a recanvass of the votes in the Democratic primary for Senate, which he lost by a margin of 0.68% to state Attorney General Jack Conway, after having previously indicated that he would seek one.

"This was a difficult decision. Many of our supporters have poured their hearts and souls into this campaign and they are heartbroken today," Mongiardo said in a statement released in the late afternoon. "However, upon further reflection, I realize that despite their being less than a 1% difference in the vote, a re-canvass is extremely unlikely to change the outcome. It would only delay the healing process that needs to take place. I want to express my sincere thanks to the thousands of Kentuckians who worked on our campaign and the 225,000 Kentuckians who supported our efforts with their vote."

As we learned earlier today from a state election official, a recanvass was highly unlikely to change the outcome of the race.

KY-SEN

Mongiardo Seeks Recanvass In KY-SEN Dem Primary -- But Outcome Unlikely To Change

Eric Kleefeld | May 19, 2010, 11:37AM

KY Sen. candidates Daniel Mongiardo (D) and Jack Conway (D)

Kentucky Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo has announced that he will seek a recanvass of the votes in the Democratic primary for Senate, in which he has come up short against state Attorney General Jack Conway. However, the Secretary of State's office tells TPMDC that a recanvass would be unlikely to change the outcome.

From the Mongiardo campaign's press release:

Mongiardo trails Conway by 3,542 out of 520,412 votes cast, a razor thin margin of 0.68 percent.

Mongiardo campaign spokesman Kim Geveden said, "Make no mistake, Daniel accepts the results and congratulates Jack Conway on his hard-fought race. But Daniel also believes, in a race this close, he owes it to his supporters across the Commonwealth who gave so much of their time, energy and money to our cause, to make sure the results are accurate. With only 3,542 votes between the candidates, let's be sure the votes have been accurately reported."

"While it is unlikely there are sufficient errors to reverse the outcome, this re-canvassing process is quick and simple and will give the nominee of our party the ability to move forward into the fall against Rand Paul," said Geveden.

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KY-SEN

Conway Wins KY-Sen Democratic Primary

Rachel Slajda | May 18, 2010, 10:10PM

KY-SEN candidate Jack Conway (D)

CNN and the AP call it: Attorney General Jack Conway has won the Democratic primary in the Kentucky Senate race, beating Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo in a vote of 44% to 43%, with 98% of precincts reporting.

Conway has 224,756 votes to Mongiardo's 217,768. The winner will face Rand Paul this November.

Recent polls showed the race in a dead heat, with the final poll showing Mongiardo leading Conway by just three points. Conway spent more money, using TV ads to accuse Mongiardo of charging a New York steakhouse dinner to the state, but Mongiardo fought back. He used 15-second spots to attack Conway for accepting money from utility companies.

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KY-SEN

The Nastiest Primary You Haven't Been Watching

Evan McMorris-Santoro | May 18, 2010, 12:25PM

KY Sen. candidates Daniel Mongiardo (D) and Jack Conway (D)

Tucked safely out of national view behind the white-hot Senate primaries in Pennsylvania, Arkansas and, uh, Kentucky is a nasty fight to the finish between the Democrats vying to run for the retiring Sen. Jim Bunning's (R-KY) seat. The race pits two of top state officials -- Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo and Attorney General Jack Conway -- who are running neck-and-neck in the homestretch. That's generally the perfect environment for a campaign to go negative, and this one has been no exception.

In a nutshell, Mongiardo says his past experience as a Senate Democratic nominee (he narrowly lost to Bunning in '04) gives him the best chance to flip the seat while Conway says that Mongiardo's got baggage that would end the Democratic chances to win before they got started.

Conway is the progressive choice. Liberals herald, among other things, his decision to fight state Republicans who wanted him to sue the federal government over health care reform. Mongiardo, they say, is too conservative to earn the support of the left.

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KY-SEN

Dem Senate Candidate Opposes Cap-And-Trade In New Ad (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | April 26, 2010, 1:53PM

Lt. Governor Dan Mongiardo (D-KY)

Kentucky Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo, a candidate in the Democratic primary for Senate, has a new TV ad proclaiming his staunch opposition to cap-and-trade -- a prime example of how environmental issues can cut against liberals in a coal state.

"I'll be a champion for Kentucky coal," Mongiardo says, then making an accusation against his opponent in the primary, state Attorney General Jack Conway: "My opponent Jack Conway supported cap and trade, and has invested millions in a Texas natural gas company."

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2010 elections

First-Quarter Fundraising Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | April 16, 2010, 6:25PM

Rep. Tom Perriello (D-VA)

Here are some highlights from the first-quarter political fundraising:

• In the Republican primary to face Rep. Tom Perriello (D-VA), the incumbent Perriello raised about three times more than the entire GOP field combined.

• Businessman Bruce O'Donoghue, who is seeking the Republican nomination to run against Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL), announced that he raised $305,000, plus $50,000 of his own money, and has $308,000 on hand. Grayson, who is well known for his attacks against the Republicans, previously announced that he raised $803,000, and has $1.5 million on hand.

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KY-SEN

Poll: Rand Paul Surges Ahead In Kentucky Senate Race

Eric Kleefeld | March 19, 2010, 1:07PM

Kentucky Senate candidates Rand Paul (R) and Trey Grayson (R)

The new Daily Kos/Research 2000 poll of Kentucky finds that Rand Paul, an ophthalmologist and son of Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), has been succeeding in his anti-establishment, Tea Party-style campaign for the Republican nomination for Senate.

The numbers: Paul 40%, Secretary of State Trey Grayson 28%. In the last Kos/R2K poll, conducted back in late August and early September 2009, Grayson was ahead by 40%-25%. Grayson started the race as the clear choice of the party establishment, but Paul has thus far been able to mobilize conservative activists and bloggers. The TPM Poll Average gives Paul a lead of 42.3%-25.3% in the Republican primary.

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KY-SEN

Poll: GOP Favored To Hold Kentucky Senate Seat

Eric Kleefeld | December 23, 2009, 10:18AM

Senate candidate Rand Paul (R-KY)

A new survey of Kentucky by Public Policy Polling (D) gives Republicans the early advantage to hold on to this state's open GOP-held Senate seat in 2010, with both GOP candidates Rand Paul and Trey Grayson leading the two Democrats.

Paul, a conservative activist and son of Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), leads state Attorney General Jack Conway and Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo by identical margins of 42%-36%. Grayson, Kentucky's Secretary of State, leads Conway by 40%-33% and Mongiardo by 44%-35%. The margin of error is ±2.8%.

A PPP survey released yesterday gave Paul a 44%-25% lead over Grayson in the Republican primary, and Conway a 37%-33% edge over Mongiardo for the Democratic nomination.

PPP's Tom Jensen notes that the candidates are still largely unknown, with 38% having no opinion of Mongiardo, 51% with no opinion of Paul, 63% with no opinion of Conway, and 64% with no opinion of Grayson. "The dynamics of the race could change a lot as the eventual nominees become better known and voters in the state react favorably to them or not," Jensen writes. "For now though in a Republican state in what's shaping up to be a Republican year the Republicans are favored to hold this seat."

Rand Paul

Poll: Rand Paul Has Big Lead In Kentucky GOP Senate Primary

Eric Kleefeld | December 22, 2009, 10:58AM

Senate candidate Rand Paul (R-KY)

The new survey of Kentucky by Public Policy Polling (D) gives Rand Paul, a conservative activist and son of Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), a huge lead over the establishment candidate in the Republican primary for Senate in 2010.

The numbers: Rand Paul 44%, Secretary of State Trey Grayson 25%. Grayson was recruited to run in place of two-term GOP Sen. Jim Bunning, who is retiring. Paul, however, has mobilized his campaign around the Tea Party movement and his outsider conservative message.

From the pollster's analysis: "Paul is winning the votes of conservatives by a 47-20 margin, while Grayson holds a 36-34 lead with moderates. Paul is having a particularly good amount of success with folks who think that the Republican Party in Washington has become too liberal -- his lead with them is 54-18."

The Democratic primary is a tight race with state Attorney General Jack Conway at 37%, and Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo at 33%, within the ±4.2% margin of error.

KY-SEN

Poll: Rand Paul Leads In Kentucky Republican Senate Primary

Eric Kleefeld | November 4, 2009, 12:04PM

Senate candidate Rand Paul (R-KY)

A new SurveyUSA poll in Kentucky finds that Rand Paul, an ophthalmologist and son of Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), has a narrow lead in the Republican primary for Senate against the establishment favorite, Secretary of State Trey Grayson.

The numbers: Paul 35%, Grayson 32%, within the ±4.7% margin of error. Back in August, Grayson was ahead of Paul by 37%-26%. This is a Republican-held open seat, currently occupied by retiring GOP Sen. Jim Bunning.

In the Democratic primary, Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo leads state Attorney General Jack Conway by 39%-28%, with a ±4.1% margin of error, compared to a 39%-31% Mongiardo lead in August.

And here are the general election match-ups: Grayson leads Conway by 43%-39%, and he leads Mongiardo by 48%-38%. Conway leads Paul by 44%-39%, and Mongiardo and Paul are tied at 43%-43%. The margin of error is ±2.4%.

KY-SEN

Rand Paul Dominates Fundraising Race

Evan McMorris-Santoro | October 15, 2009, 4:02PM

Senate candidate Rand Paul (R-KY)

Rand Paul, son of congressman Ron Paul, has picked up a strong head of steam in his bid for Kentucky's open Senate seat. As FEC reports come in, Paul is leading the fundraising race by a considerable margin.

This afternoon, the Paul campaign announced it has raised just over $1 million in the third quarter. The haul is $400,000 more than his chief rival for the GOP nomination, Secretary of State Trey Grayson -- and more than double the fundraising total claimed by the leading Democrat, Lieutenant Gov. Dan Mongiardo.

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KY-SEN

Poll: A Close Senate Race In Kentucky For 2010

Eric Kleefeld | October 5, 2009, 2:21PM

Senate candidate Rand Paul (R-KY)

A new Rasmussen poll in the open Senate race in Kentucky, where incumbent GOP Sen. Jim Bunning is retiring, shows a potentially close race in this red state, with high undecideds all around.

There are currently two Republican candidates, Secretary of State Trey Grayson and Rand Paul, an ophthalmologist and son of Ron Paul. Competing for the Democratic nomination are Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo, who narrowly lost as the Senate nominee against Bunning in 2004, and state Attorney General Jack Conway.

Grayson leads Mongiardo by 44%-37%, and Paul leads Mongiardo by 43%-38%. Conway ties with Grayson at 40%-40%, and Conway narrowly leads Paul by 42%-38%. The margin of error is ±4.5%.