BY PATRICK CROWLEY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
WALTON - Gov. Paul Patton has taken the first formal step to running for re-election.
Mr. Patton, an eastern Kentucky Democrat elected by fewer than 25,000 votes in 1995, announced Monday he has formed a nine-member exploratory committee to determine how much support exists for his candidacy.
Northern Kentuckian Mark Guilfoyle, 38, a Walton attorney and Democratic strategist fresh from helping Ken Lucas of Boone County win a seat in Congress, is chairing Mr. Patton's committee. In fact, Mr. Guilfoyle is one of four members of former Gov. Brereton Jones' administration working on Mr. Patton's exploratory committee. That could be a sign that Mr. Jones does not plan to run against Mr. Patton in the May primary.
Mr. Jones, a Woodford County horse breeder who served as governor from 1991 to 1995, has talked about challenging Mr. Patton in the Democratic primary.
Mr. Jones was out of town on business Monday and could not be reached to comment. Mr. Guilfoyle would not comment when asked about Mr. Jones' plans.
By state statute, an exploratory committee can raise up to $90,000 from individuals and political action committees, or PACs, to test the waters for a candidate through polling, traveling and phone calling.
But while Mr. Patton has not formally announced his candidacy, he has said he intends to run for re-election so the formation of the committee is mainly a formality, though it will give Mr. Patton an opportunity to gauge his strengths and weaknesses among voters. A constitutional amendment on gubernatorial succession passed four years ago will allow Mr. Patton to seek a second consecutive term. In the past, governors have been allowed to serve only one term.
"This committee is a pretty broad-based group from across Kentucky," Mr. Guilfoyle said Monday. "We'll be talking to people, gauging support for the governor and gathering information for him, and then we'll sit down with Paul Patton and share that information with him."
Mr. Guilfoyle is a partner in Deters, Benzinger and LaVelle, a large, politically connected and active law firm in Crestview Hills. In addition to helping Mr. Lucas beat Republican Gex "Jay" Williams in the Nov. 3 4th District U.S. House race, Mr. Guilfoyle also served as one of the key members of Mr. Jones' administration, holding slots as general counsel, budget director and Cabinet secretary.
He said Monday he was approached about chairing the committee after Mr. Lucas' victory in the congressional race.
Thus far only one Republican, Hart County farmer Peppy Martin, has formed an exploratory committee for the Republican nomination for governor. Ms. Martin worked in former Gov. Louie Nunn's administration but was not courted by the state's leading Republicans to run for the office.
Eastern Kentucky banker Mike Duncan, a Republican national committeeman and key player in statewide GOP politics, has talked to some other prospective candidates about running for the office. Mr. Duncan, who ran U.S. Rep. Jim Bunning's winning campaign for the U.S. Senate this year, is also pondering a run.
He will attend a Republican governors conference this weekend "to talk to some of the governors and to try and make a good decision," Mr. Duncan said Monday.
Mr. Duncan said he hopes to make a decision by Christmas. The filing deadline is Jan. 26. But with public financing of governors' elections in Kentucky, announcing early is no longer the advantage it once was, he said.
Gubernatorial candidates receive $1.2 million in taxpayer money if they agree to raise $600,000 for the race. While candidates can refuse public financing and raise and spend as much as they like, Mr. Patton and Mr. Forgy agreed to the limits in the 1995 race, the first time the public financing system was used.
"Six hundred thousand dollars is not a drop in the bucket, but it's not as hard to raise as several million dollars," Mr. Duncan said. "So you don't have to worry about getting out in front and raising money early on like you once did in a governor's race." Mr. Bunning said Mr. Duncan has never spoken to him about running for governor.
"But he is good at whatever he does. I won't get involved if we have a big primary, but I'm going to help bring (Mr. Patton) down. He tried to beat me, he did everything he could to beat me," Mr. Bunning said.
Other Republicans being mentioned as potential candidates are Lexington attorney Larry Forgy, whom Mr. Patton defeated in 1995; Lexington businessman Jim Host; state lawmaker Stan Cave of Lexington; Pikeville attorney Wil T. Scott, who ran unsuccessfully for attorney general in 1995; Mr. Nunn, who was governor from 1967-71; and Steve Nunn, Mr. Nunn's son and a state lawmaker from Glasgow.
