Mitch making the pitch:
U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell continues to help Northern Kentucky's GOP congressional candidates with money, advice and staff members.
Mr. McConnell heads the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, a Washington-based political group that works to elect Republicans to the Senate.
Mr. McConnell, for obvious reasons, is all over Republican Jim Bunning's race against Democrat Scotty Baesler in the U.S. Senate contest.
For one, as chairman of the Senate campaign committee it's Mr. McConnell's job to work for Republican candidates.
But Mr. McConnell wants to show his buddies back in D.C. that he can deliver his home state when it comes to bulging the GOP's ranks in Congress' upper chamber, particularly since he plans to run for re-election as committee chairman later this year.
To that end Mr. McConnell, the last Republican to win a statewide race in Kentucky, has offered staff, resources and money to Mr. Bunning.
In addition to the $360,000 that Mr. McConnell's committee can contribute to Mr. Bunning under federal election laws, Mr. McConnell is lending members of his U.S. Senate staff to the Bunning campaign.
Some Senate committee staffers have already been working with Mr. Bunning at his Fort Wright campaign office.
And now Mr. McConnell's chief of staff Kyle Simmons has joined Mr. Bunning's campaign as the overall campaign head. Another McConnell staffer, Scott Douglas, is serving as the campaign's political director.
Mr. Douglas, by the way, played "Hunt Man" in the '96 Senate race. Mr. McConnell created the character to tease Democrat Steve Beshear about his membership in an exclusive Lexington hunting and game club.
Hunt Man would wear full fox hunting garb, including a hot pink coat, and dog Mr. Beshear on the campaign trail with a chant of "tally ho."
The assistance from Mr. McConnell isn't spooking Mr. Baesler, mainly because he doesn't believe Mr. Bunning is very good at taking advice.
"I've known Jim Bunning for a long time," Mr. Baesler said. "Jim Bunning is not going to let somebody run his campaign."
In addition to helping Mr. Bunning, Mr. McConnell said he also plans to take an active role in the campaigns of two Republicans running for the U.S. House: Boone County state Sen. Gex "Jay" Williams, who is running for the 4th District against Boone County Judge-executive Ken Lucas and Ernie Fletcher of Lexington, who is running in the 6th District against Democratic State Sen. Ernesto Scorsone of Lexington for the seat Mr. Baesler is leaving.
"I'll be sort of like a general consultant. I'll be advising both of them . . . and be pretty accessible for poll analysis and strategy and that sort of thing," Mr. McConnell said.
Mr. McConnell said his Political Action Committee, or PAC, has already donated $5,000 to Mr. Williams.
Phone calls on hold: The State Democratic Party is hammering Republican congressional candidate State Sen. Gex "Jay" Williams for not releasing all of the phone records The Kentucky Enquirer has requested.
Mr. Williams has denied making a large number of campaign-related calls from Frankfort and he has released the records to the Enquirer for his Senate office line.
The records showed less than $4 in 17 campaign-related calls. Still, it is illegal for state lawmakers or employees to use state funds, personnel or time to campaign for office.
But the Legislative Research Commission (LRC) has refused to release records for calls Mr. Williams made from the Senate Republican leadership office. And The Kentucky Enquirer is going to court to try to win the release of the records.
"Making political calls from state office violates the law regulating legislators' conduct," State Democratic Party Chairman Ron McCloud said in a statement the party put out this week.
"We are troubled by Senator Williams' admission that he has violated the law, and we are particularly disturbed that he has failed to detail additional violations that he has also admitted. We are calling on Senator Williams to make a complete and immediate disclosure of all violations," Mr. McCloud said.
Mr. Williams said he is not going to respond to Mr. McCloud, but said in an interview that he has asked the LRC to release the calls, but the agency has refused.
"I have no objection to the (LRC) releasing the requested record from phones other than my own, and would request that you do so," Mr. Williams said in a letter to LRC director Don Cetrulo.
Mr. Cetrulo has said releasing the records will dissuade contact between lawmakers and their constituents. .
Patrick Crowley covers Kentucky politics for the Enquirer. He can be reached at 578-5581, or (502) 875-7526 in Frankfort.
CROWLEY ARCHIVE