Matt Gunterman August 13th, 2007

The Lexington Herald-Leader’s Ryan Alessi asked a very ornery question of Governor Ernie Fletcher (R), and he features it in this week’s installment of his column Political Notebook. It was the same one that Senator Mitch McConnell (R) was getting asked a lot this time last year, when Secretary of State Trey Grayson (R) took the plunge at Fancy Farm and announced that he was considering a challenge to scandal-plagued Governor Fletcher. McConnell remained mum on Grayson’s move, but he did soon after attend a fundraiser for Grayson that Fletcher’s goons were demanding be boycotted.

When you’re only the second Kentucky U.S. Senator in history to lead his party in the chamber, when you like to frame yourself as the architect of the state GOP apparatus, when you cultivate a reputation as a grand schemer and tactician in the nation’s capital, you would think that the first Republican governor in a generation — who handily won his election in no small part due to your maneuvering and your machine — would endorse you, especially considering that this governor is facing his own tough reelection battle in 2007 and needs a unified base, for your own reelection in 2008.

You would think that, yes, but you’d be wrong because this is Kentucky, and the party that Senator Mitch McConnell built is falling apart, and Governor Ernie Fletcher is not going to play by the polite rules that McConnell nurtures in public. Fletcher’s one vindictive son-of-a-gun, and you put him together with the Nunn family and Larry Forgy branch of the Republican party and you’ve got some serious, old-fashioned grudge holding.

[...]

Payback is …

While Fletcher says that he and Republican U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell are friends again, the governor has stopped short of saying that he’ll endorse McConnell for re-election in 2008.

“I don’t know any reason why I wouldn’t,” he said, dodging the question similar to the way that McConnell, last year, refused to say whether or not he would back Fletcher for the Republican nomination for governor this spring.

“Mitch has done a great job,” Fletcher added. “We in Kentucky are lucky to have someone of that stature in the U.S. Senate.”

He later added, “I expect we’ll go forward and be endorsing him and be working to make sure he gets elected. But that’s all speculation.”

Fletcher said doesn’t think McConnell will draw primary opposition from another Republican, even with at least one person trying to stir up interest in Larry Forgy challenging McConnell. A Web site, www.draftforgy.com, was started anonymously.

Fletcher wouldn’t say whether he’ll discourage other Republicans from challenging McConnell.

“I don’t anticipate a primary against Sen. McConnell,” Fletcher said. “He’s out there. He’s done a tremendous job. He’s got a tremendous amount of influence.”

It should be noted that Fletcher also said he didn’t expect to draw a GOP challenger for his re-election and ended up with two.

Justin Brasell, McConnell’s general consultant for his re-election bid, said whether Fletcher endorses or not is up to the governor. But he said reports of any animosity between the two GOP leaders are exaggerated.

“No, there’s no source of frustration at all,” Brasell said. “I think the governor and the senator are getting along just fine.”

• 2008 KY U.S. Senate Race , Ernie Fletcher , Mitch McConnell
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