Politics: It's in the numbers
Sunday, June 28, 1998 BY PATRICK CROWLEY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Numbers -- votes, money, precinct lists -- are as much a part of politics as stump speeches, candidates and campaign signs.
Like all numbers and - or statistics, they can be digested, manipulated, presented and analyzed in any number of ways.
Here's a quick look back at some of the numbers still lingering from the May 26 primary.
One: The number of votes Fort Thomas attorney Jim Kidney received in Robertson County in the May 26 Fourth District congressional primary.
5,654: The number of votes Campbell County Sheriff John Dunn received in his Democratic Primary win over Lee Schoulthies, who finished with 1,699 votes. With 76.8 percent of the vote Mr. Dunn had the most votes of any candidate running in the county's courthouse elections.
4,514: The number of votes Kenton County Coroner Dr. David Suetholz received in his Republican Primary win over Jim Ward, who finished with 1,590 votes. With 73.9 percent of the vote Dr. Suetholz had the most votes of candidates running in the county's courthouse elections.
2,260: The number of votes Boone County Fiscal Court candidate Kim Patton received in his Democratic Primary win over Jean Scheben Kimmich, who finished with 1,908 votes. With 54.2 percent of the vote Mr. Patton had the most votes of candidates running in the county's courthouse elections. No mandates out in Boone, at least not in the primary.
93.2 percent, 91.3 percent, 92.3 percent, 92.5 percent and 90.3 percent: The percentage of votes U.S. Rep. Jim Bunning of Southgate received respectively in Boone, Campbell, Grant, Kenton and Pendleton counties in beating Richmond State Sen. Barry Metcalf in the state's U.S. Senate GOP primary. Nothing like home cookin'.
2,137: The votes cast in eastern Kentucky's Elliott County in the Fourth District congressional Democratic primary between Ken Lucas and Dr. Howard Feinberg. Dr. Feinberg won the county, 1,208 votes to 929 votes.
11: The votes cast in the Republican primary in Elliott County. Fort Mitchell attorney "carried" the county with a whopping six votes, followed by Jim Kidney with three and Gex Williams with two. Not exactly GOP territory.
Six: The number of Congressional districts Jim Bunning carried in winning the U.S. Senate GOP primary. By the way, Kentucky only has six Congressional Districts.
One: The number of Congressional districts Scotty Baesler carried in winning the U.S. Senate Democratic Primary. He won his own, the Third District.
1,322: The spread in May's Covington City Commission primary between top vote-getter Commission Butch Callery, who finished with 1,622 votes, and Richard D. Smith, who finished last in the field of eight with 300 votes.
And now, some of the numbers to chew on as we roll fast and hard into the November elections.
$50,000: The estimated amount of money Republican Gex Williams' congressional campaign raised last week from Political Action Committees, or PACs, in Washington. Not bad, but also not the $80,000 to $100,000 some in the campaign were hoping to pocket in the capitol.
$10,000: The contributions the leadership PACs of House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia and House Majority Leader Dick Armey of Texas made to Mr. Williams' campaign -- $5,000 each for primary debt, $5,000 each for his general election run against Boone County Democrat Ken Lucas.
$5,000: The contributions the PACs of Ohio Congressman John Boehner and Texas Congressman Tom DeLay -- also members of the Republican's House leadership -- made to the Williams camp.
26: The number of candidates and local elected officials expected at tonight's Celebrate America musical at Florence Baptist Church. Let's see, a mix of religion, patriotism and politics in Northern Kentucky. You'd need a cattle prod and a barbed wire fence laced with shards of glass to keep the pols away.
400: The number of people who showed up at a June 17 fund-raiser for Justin Verst of Cold Spring, the Democratic candidate for Campbell County attorney. Four hundred would be a good crowd for a congressional fund-raiser, but it's downright astounding for a county attorney's race.
Patrick Crowley covers Kentucky politics for the Enquirer. He can be reached at 578-5581, or (502) 875-7526 in Frankfort.
CROWLEY ARCHIVE
