BY PATRICK CROWLEY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
You'll hear lots about "momentum" and "message" in this campaign season.
Politicians want to "gain" the former and "stay on" the latter.
Democrat Ken Lucas' congressional campaign is convinced it has gained lots of "momentum" in the last month, partly because Mr. Lucas has been rolling out endorsements, commenting on issues, placing radio ads, raising money and campaigning in the vast 4th District.
And partly because Mr. Lucas' Republican opponent, fellow Boone Countian Gex "Jay" Williams, hasn't been able to "stay on message" -- that is, talk about his own campaign platform and ideas as much as he would like.
The last four weeks or so haven't been the most stellar period in Mr. Williams' political life.
He's been out-raised, again, by his opponent. Mr. Lucas landed a war veterans' endorsement Mr. Williams wanted.
And Mr. Lucas also beat Mr. Williams to the radio airwaves, unveiling the first campaign commercial of the race last week.
But what really has Mr. Williams hopping, what has kept him "off his message," is the litany of investigations, allegations and innuendo the Republican has had to juggle.
Politicians usually love to get their names in the paper. But over the past several weeks, the press for Mr. Williams has looked like a scandal sheet.
He's been answering questions and dodging partisan political bullets concerning:
Phone calls. Newspapers -- this one and the Kentucky Post -- have gone to court to determine whether Mr. Williams used some state phone lines to conduct his congressional campaign. Making such calls is against the law.
Mr. Williams has actually called for a state investigation of himself, and he has offered reporters a list of 17 calls, totaling less than $4, that were made to people and offices connected to his campaign.
But other calls have not been released by the state, leaving the impression there is something to hide. Mr. Williams went on the offensive by calling for the investigation, and time will tell if that was the right move to make.
His resume. The veterans that endorsed Mr. Lucas and the Lucas campaign were glad to point out, and dredge up, that Mr. Williams once listed in the state legislative directory that he graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy.
While he did attend Annapolis, he did not graduate. Mr. Williams has offered various explanations over the years for how the snafu occurred, including he got it wrong, the legislative staff got it wrong and the media have got it wrong.
The Lucas campaign and the veterans said Mr. Williams has credibility problems and is offering inconsistent answers.
The land deal. Some long-time Democratic foes of Mr. Williams' said he tried a fast one with a piece of the Verona farm he sold last year for $60,000.
A supporter bought the land and is allowing Mr. Williams to continue to use it. Meanwhile, Mr. Williams is using the money to live on while he campaigns for Congress.
"The bottom line here is that if you read Gex Williams' name in the paper in the last month," said John Lapp, Mr. Lucas' campaign manager, "it hasn't been good news."
Whether orchestrated for critical mass, and some of it clearly appears to be, the various controversies have kept Mr. Williams busy talking to reporters and playing damage control instead of raising money and talking issues.
It must be noted that the Democrats are not directly responsible for all of Mr. Williams' problems.
The media are going after the phone records. But a Lucas minion is usually quick to comment or provide perspective to the charges. There does look to be some method and motive to all this madness. The bad press not only keeps the candidate off his message, but it also creates some unflattering news for Mr. Williams through the summer, a key time for pols to schmooze and raise money from the cash-flush political action committees, or PAC's, of Washington, D.C.
While there are plenty of differences between the candidates, both are coming off as conservatives and therefore are going after some of the same PACs.
It will be interesting to see how long the onslaught continues. While clearly distracted, Mr. Williams seems to be willing to concede the summer months as far as getting out front on issues and advertising. "The Democrats are obviously trying to get Gex Williams off course with all these things," said Crestview Hills attorney Eric Deters, a leading Kenton County Republican Party member and a GOP campaign veteran.
"It creates some bad press, but it doesn't have a long-term effect with voters. It creates a splash and then usually goes away." Despite the distractions, Mr. Williams is not forsaking getting out and meeting people, shaking hands and letting voters talk to him.
In fact, both Mr. Lucas and Mr. Williams are hitting the hustings hard this weekend, showing up at more church festivals than a priest. Sooner or later, this campaign should come down to a debate on the issues. That will come after Labor Day, most likely, when the fall campaigns usually kick into high gear.
But until then, Mr. Williams can expect some continued heat during this long, hot political summer.
Patrick Crowley covers Kentucky politics for The Kentucky Enquirer. His column appears Thursdays and Sundays. He can be reached at 578-5581, or (502) 875-7526 in Frankfort.
CROWLEY ARCHIVE