BY PATRICK CROWLEY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COVINGTON -- A team of conservative Republican congressmen -- led by pro football Hall of Famer Steve Largent -- helped Gex "Jay" Williams raise some critical money Monday for his U.S. House campaign.
Mr. Largent of Oklahoma, Joe Scarborough of Florida and Lindsay Graham of South Carolina helped Mr. Williams raise about $20,000 at two events Monday night: a private fund-raiser in Covington and another fund-raiser at Willie's sports bar and restaurant here.
The money will help Mr. Williams, a Boone County state senator, in the final three weeks of his 4th District campaign against Democrat and fellow Boone Countian Ken Lucas.
With polls showing the race about even, Mr. Williams is expected to begin an advertising blitz that will include radio and TV ads. While Mr. Williams has run just one radio ad, Mr. Lucas has been running radio spots since July and put his first TV commercial on the air last week.
Messrs. Largent, Scarborough and Graham were all elected to Congress in 1994, when the GOP took over Congress from the Democrats. Mr. Largent said the three are traveling the country to elect Republicans in 20 key House races where conservatives are running.
"We have a majority in Congress, but we don't have a conservative majority," Mr. Largent told a crowd of about 75 at Willie's.
"We need people like Gex Williams in Congress because he is a fiscal and social conservative, the kind of person the American people want in Congress."
Mr. Graham said that based on his record in the Kentucky General Assembly, Mr. Williams will work to cut taxes and the size of the federal government.
"Gex Williams believes it's better for the American people to decide how to spend their money, not bureaucrats and liberal Democrats in Washington," he said.
Mr. Graham, a member of the House Judiciary Committee that will hear impeachment proceedings of President Clinton, said no member of the committee is making "a rush to judgment."
"We're going to make our decisions based on the evidence, not on what the spin machine says," he said.
Mr. Graham also said many Democrats, including Mr. Lucas, are trying to portray themselves as conservatives in the elections. "But we've seen Democrats in the past who campaign right and then govern left," he said.
Craig Hendricks, Mr. Williams' campaign manager, said the money raised Monday includes money collected during a Northern Kentucky luncheon last month that Mr. Largent was to attend but could not make.
Mr. Lucas spent the day campaigning in Ashland on the far east end of the 22-county 4th District.
