FRANKFORT — Emphasizing education, families and civility, and contrasting her views on campaign finance, Lois Combs Weinberg said she will run against incumbent Mitch McConnell next year for the U.S. Senate.

        Mrs. Weinberg, 57, is the daughter of former Gov. Bert T. Combs. Although she has never run for office before, Mrs. Weinberg has been around politics her entire life.

        She is married to Bill Weinberg, a former state representative and commonwealth attorney in their home of Knott County. She has also been active in education, serving on the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence and on the University of Kentucky board of trustees. She now serves on the Council on Postsecondary Education. Bill Weinberg serves on the state Board of Education.

        Mr. McConnell, in a statement released by the Republican Party, did not really have much to say about Mrs. Weinberg, other than calling the Democrat a “formida ble candidate.”

        Instead, Mr. McConnell blistered Louisville businessman Charlie Owen, whom he called his more likely opponent.

        Mr. Owen was Democrat Al Gore's Kentucky presidential campaign chairman.

        “Charlie enthusiastically traveled the state as Al Gore's Kentucky chairman, promoting Mr. Gore's war against tobacco farmers, coal miners, autoworkers and law-abiding gun owners,” Mr. McConnell said.

        Mr. Owen, who lost a Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate in 1998 and a 3rd District race for Congress in 1994, is pondering a run in 2002 or race for governor in 2003. Mr. Owen could not be reached for comment Monday.

        Mrs. Weinberg said one of the reasons she is starting a formal campaign so early is to try to head off a primary. Scotty Baesler's hotly contested primary in 1998 against Mr. Owen and Lt. Gov. Steve Henry is partly blamed by his campaign for his loss in the general election to Jim Bunning.

        Mr. McConnell is a prodigious fund-raiser, already with more than $1 million on hand for 2002.

        Mrs. Weinberg called the current campaign finance system “legalized bribery.”

        “No one has been more outspoken about protecting the status quo than Mr. McConnell. He is the veritable poster boy of the privileged and the powerful,” Mrs. Weinberg said.

        She acknowledged her own need for campaign money and said she would raise “enough to be competitive.”

Alliance restricting OxyContin
Bar's neighbors provided drug tips
Gulf War moms share pain, pride
Arlington ceremony to honor war dead
Shirey vows to stay
Tight state budget puts squeeze on counties
Electric Choice effort gets results
More answers to your energy questions
PULFER: Bus drivers go extra distance
'Slave' leads tours on Underground Railroad
Civil rights leader, others honored
Ky. youth most likely to smoke
Farmers' dependence on tobacco tough habit to break
19% of babies subjected to smoke
Candidate sues over rumor
Civic club suffers from city's battles
Covington school board reviews list for a leader
Democrat to run against McConnell
Sparta admonished by auditor
Airport moves to stem pollution
Kentucky Digest
Local Digest
Russian museum administrators listen, learn
Two men face dog fighting charges
City looks into laptop
Director sought for black chamber
Historic house is cornerstone of conflict over new park plans
New Main St. zoning OK'd
Ohio wants households to document travel