Friday, April 28, 2000
GOP 'David' targets Goliath
Kentucky newcomer has eye on House
By Patrick Crowley
The Cincinnati Enquirer
This is the first in a periodic series of stories on candidates running in the Fourth District U.S. House Republican primary.
FORT MITCHELL — Republican Scott Tooley sees his bid to win the 4th District U.S. House seat held by Boone County Democrat Ken Lucas as a struggle of biblical proportions.
“I am the only candidate who can beat Lucas,” Mr. Tooley says on his campaign Web site, www.ScottTooley.com. “Help a "David' beat a "Goliath' once again.”
Before he can sling a rock at Mr. Lucas, Mr. Tooley must first win a May 23rd Republican primary that has so far generated little political heat.
Mr. Tooley, 25, of Shelby County, moved to Kentucky this year. A former staff member for Republican Chris Cox of California, he has worked on computer information systems.
He is running against former Secret Service Agent Don Bell of Oldham County and Highland Heights resident Howard Thoney of Highland Heights in the primary.
A Nebraska native whose wife, Rebecca, grew up in Kentucky, Mr. Tooley said he has begun to kick his campaign into gear.
“I'm out in Northern Kentucky, knocking on doors, meeting with Republicans and taking my
message to the voters,” Mr. Tooley said. “I'm not interested in just giving sound bites or negative campaigning. I'm interested in giving the people of the 4th District some true conservative representation in Congress.”
Over the past few weeks Mr. Tooley has spoken to groups of Republicans, senior citizens and community organizations and will join Mr. Bell and Mr. Thoney at Sunday's Kenton County Republican Party Spring Brunch, one of the party's biggest social events of the year.
“I think all the candidates are starting to get out and campaign,” said Kenton County GOP Chair man Greg Shumate of Villa Hills. “We've got just a month to go before the primary. Now is the time to do it.”
Mr. Tooley is getting an assist from former state Sen. Gex “Jay” Williams, the Verona Republican who lost the 1998 4th District race to Mr. Lucas.
Mr. Williams, operator of a computer consulting business in Florence, wouldn't say whether he is voting for Mr. Tooley. But he said he is helping Mr. Tooley use databases and voter lists to target likely Republican voters.
“Scott is a young, energetic conservative that really represents the next generation in politics,” Mr. Williams said Thursday. “They say a lot of the Generation X'ers aren't involved in politics, but he is somebody who can make an appeal in that direction.”
Mr. Williams said he does not have anything against Mr. Thoney or Mr. Bell, who has twice run unsuccessfully for statewide office.
“I don't know (Mr. Thoney), but I think Scott is probably fresher than Don Bell, and I find that intriguing,” he said.
Mr. Tooley espouses a largely conservative platform, including opposition to abortion, gun control and America's continued involvement with what he calls “tyrannical international organizations such as the United Nations and the World Trade Organization.”
Other planks of his platform include:
ãUsing the federal Community Reinvestment Act to bring jobs to high-unemployment areas in the eastern end of the 22-county Fourth District.
ãGiving workers the option of investing a portion of their contributions to Social Security in individual retirement stock accounts.
ã Increasing pay for military service.
ãBasing at least a portion of the federal funding local schools receive on achievement.
ãEliminating the tax code and replacing it with a national 19 percent sales tax.
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