KENTUCKY 8 Electoral Votes
Bush-Cheney Gore-Lieberman
Campaign Campaign
Bush-Cheney Chairman: Sen. Mitch McConnell
Bush-Cheney Exec. Director: Scott Douglas
...worked on Sen. McConnell's 1996 campaign, political director for Jim Bunning's 1998 campaign, finance director for McConnell's campaign committee and his leadership PAC; executive director of Victory 2000 from May to mid-August, 2000  when he started on the campaign.
Political Director: Scott Jennings
Office: 3258 Ruckriegel Parkway, Louisville

Victory 2000 Exec. Dir.: Dawn Riley

Republican Party of Kentucky
Chairman: Ellen Williams
Exec. Dir.: Ellen Willliams
Office: Capitol Avenue at Third Street, Frankfort

 Gore-Lieberman Chairman: Charlie Owen
...Louisville businessman who unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in 1998.
Gore-Lieberman State Director: Nick Allard
...started in late August.  On leave from position as partner at Latham & Watkins in Washington, DC; served as minority staff counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee and legal counsel to Sen. Edward Kennedy from 1984-86, and AA and Chief of Staff to Sen. Patrick Moynihan in 1986-87.  A Rhodes scholar.
Political Director: David Tandy
Press Secretary: Jonathan Beeton
Office: 190 Democrat Dr., Frankfort (KDP headquarters)

Coordinated Campaign Director: Harry Carver

Kentucky Democratic Party
Chairwoman: Nicki Patton
Exec. Dir.: Harry Carver
Office: 190 Democrat Dr., Frankfort
Candidate Travel (Aug. 1-Nov. 7)
GWB: 2 visits
DC: 3 visits		 Candidate Travel (Aug. 1-Nov. 7)
AG: 1 visit
JL: 1 visit
Oct. 5 -- DC and LC airport welcome at Lexington Blue Grass Airport, Lexington, DC participates in CPD debate with JL in Danville, post-debate rally in the gymnasium at Kentucky School for the Deaf, Danville. Oct. 1 -- JL rally TAC Air Tarmac, Lexington Blue Grass Airport, Lexington.  Debate prep. at Arlington House at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond (Washington lawyer Robert Barnett was the Cheney stand-in ). Oct. 5 -- JL participates in the vice presidential debate, Center College, Danville.
Sept. 19 -- GWB and LB hold One-on-One discussion with students, parents and educators, Henry Clay High School, Lexington.
Sept. 14 -- DC, accompanied by LC, discusses Governor Bush's plans for the economy at Paducah Information Age Park, Paducah.
Sept. 4 -- "American Workathon" AG addresses supporters at Louisville Motor Speedway, Louisville. (final stop of five -city round-the-clock Labor Day tour)
Aug. 31 -- GWB airport arrival at Louisville International Airport, 101st school visit, Butler Traditional High School, Louisville.
Aug. 10 -- DC and LC visit Anderson County High School in Lawrenceburg.
A Sampling of More Campaign Activity A Sampling of More Campaign Activity
Oct. 31-Nov. 2 -- RNC Leave No One Behind bus tour, including Senators McConnell and Bunning, NASCAR driver Darryl Waltrip, and others.  Started in Louisville each morning and traveled through different parts of the state.

Oct. 26-27 -- Lynne Cheney in Owensboro.  Oct. 26 p.m. Daniel Pitino Shelter.  Oct. 27 Newton Parrish Elementary School.

Oct. 25 -- Farmers for Bush tobacco tour.  Five prominent farmers travelled in a van through Madison, Shelby, Washington, Barren, Warren, Davis and Christian counties, stopping at farms and warehouses to emphasize that "for tobacco farmers the clear choice is Bush."  Gore had a short time earlier released a budget which called for 25-cent tax on tobacco products, contrary to what he had said in his visit to Louisville in September.

Oct. 23 -- "Barnstorm for Reform" -- Govs. Sundquist (TN), Gilmore (VA) and Geringer (WY) and Texas Democrat former state Rep. Mark Stiles at Atlas Machine and Supply Inc. in Louisville and Almost Family Inc. in Lexington.

Oct. 19 -- Gov. Jim Gilmore (VA) meet and greet at the courthouse in Paducah, appearance at Bowling Green-Warren County Regional Airport, appearance at the airport in Owensboro.

Oct. 19 -- Bo Derek campaigns in Lexington and Louisville.

Sept. 10 -- Adrian Cronauer (portrayed by Robin Williams in "Good Morning Vietnam") speaks at American Legion in Oak Grove, right near Hopkinsville (Fort Campbell).

 [Oct. 31 -- President Clinton campaigns for 3rd congressional district candidate Eleanor Jordan at Manual High School in Louisville].

Oct. 23 -- Gov. Patton (KY) introduces the DNC video in Frankfort, one of dozens of such events around the country.

Oct. 11-12 --Rev. Jesse Jackson and labor leaders speak in support of the Gore-Lieberman ticket and Democratic candidates.  (Tour started Oct. 11 in West Virginia, Eastern Kentucky; Oct. 12 Lexington and Louisville).

Sept. 26 -- Tipper Gore speaks at a early evening rally outside City Hall in Paducah.

Sept. 6 -- Karenna Gore Schiff speaks at the World Peace Bell in Newport; addresses students at the University of Kentucky in Lexington.

Also 
Former Sen. Wendell Ford actively campaigned for Gore in the final two months of the campaign. 

Members of the "Gore Corps" came over from neighboring Tennessee to help out.
Television Television
Kentucky is covered by at least eight media markets, including Lexington ("a great buy" as it is Kentucky only and relatively inexpensive), Louisville, Cape Giradeau, MO, Evansville, IN, Huntington, WV, and Cincinnati, OH.  Kentuckians did see some advertising, both in Lexington and from some of the other markets.
Some Newspaper Endorsements Some Newspaper Endorsements
Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer --10/29/00 
Kentucky Daily News (Bowling Green)
Kentucky New Era (Hopkinsville)		 Louisville Courier-Journal --10/22/00
Lexington Herald-Leader
Newspapers that did not Endorse in the Presidential Race
Paducah Sun --generally doesn't endorse, although exceptions made
The Daily Independent (Ashland) --the six-member editorial board divided three to three.  Opinion page editor John Cannon said that the board voted several times but remained "hopelessly split."  The paper ran a non-endorsement on Oct. 22; this was the first time it had not made a presidential endorsement in at least three decades.
Miscellaneous Notes Miscellaneous Notes
Bush-Cheney Executive Director Scott Douglas said Bush benefited from "an early and strong message." Governor Bush paid a lot of attention to the state early on," he said.  Coal, tobacco, auto and timber are major industries in Kentucky; Douglas said all had come under fire during the Clinton administration and "Al Gore [had] led the charge."

Coal is important in Eastern Kentucky as it is in neighboring West Virginia.  In the fall a "Kentucky Bush-Cheney Balanced Energy Coalition" was formed, headed by Mike Templeman of Alliance Coal in Lexington.  (A similar coalition was announced in West Virginia in August.)  As an example of coalition activity, when Bush spoke on energy coalition members conducted a conference call with reporters to explain what it meant for Kentucky.

Kentucky is the leading producer of Burley tobacco in the United States, with an output of 380.1 million pounds in 1999 (second to North Carolina in production of all tobacco 448.9 to 408.4 million pounds).  The value of Burley production in Kentucky in 1999 was $772.9 million.  Barren County in south central Kentucky was the leading county, producing 11.9 million pounds of Burley in 1999.

Although Democrats have a huge registration advantage, Republicans have both U.S. Senators, five of six members of the congressional delegation, and a recently-gained majority in the State Senate.

 Former Sen. Wendell Ford observed after the election that major issues in Kentucky cut against Gore: coal, tobacco, horse racing, guns, and abortion.  "I wondered why Bush came [to Kentucky] so much," he said.  Gore's state director Nick Allard noted that Gore did not fare well in the entire Ohio River Valley and that guns were a significant wedge issue.

Having Joe Lieberman prepare for the VP debate in state was a big coup; it put him in the state for five days; in contrast Dick Cheney came in the day of the debate.

Nader
Ralph Nader held a press conference at Jefferson County Courthouse and spoke at Clifton Center in Louisville on Oct. 11.  On Oct. 4, Green Party vice presidential candidate Winona LaDuke did a news conference/met with students at University of Kentucky, and she held a fundraising dinner at Helios Restaurant, also in Lexington.  On Oct. 5 she was in Danville in connection with the vice presidential debate, doing media and delivering a speech in the speakers park area.  Many Greens were among the 300 or so protesters at the debate.

Greens started collecting petition signatures (5,000 required) to put Nader on the ballot on March 19.  The Green Party of Kentucky formally came into existence with adoption of a constitution and by-laws on April 9, 2000.  [Nader visited Lexington on April 20.  He spoke to the editorial board of the Herald-Leader and gave a speech at Singletary Center, University of Kentucky].  On Aug. 28 Greens submitted petition signatures at the Secretary of State's office in Frankfort; the Secretary of State certified 7,767 signatures. Nader State Coordinator: Ken Sain  --also was the Green Party congressional candidate in the 4th CD and the first Green to run for office in Kentucky.

Browne
Harry Browne was in Louisville on Oct. 23, doing interviews during the day and an evening rally.  Art Olivier, the Libertarian vice presidential nominee was in Danville on Oct. 5, tieing in with the vice presidential debate.

Other Candidates
Dr. J. Curtis Frazier, the Constitution Party vice presidential nominee, was in Danville on Oct. 5, tieing in with the vice presidential debate.
 

Copyright 2000, 2001  Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action.