By Charles Wolfe
The Associated Press

FRANKFORT - Attorney General Ben Chandler and Louisville businessman Charlie Owen, who figured to be rivals in the Democratic primary for governor, instead became running mates Tuesday.

Mr. Chandler, the grandson of two-term governor A.B. "Happy" Chandler, leads the slate as the candidate for governor. Mr. Owen, who ran very strongly in Northern Kentucky in the last gubernatorial primary, is running for lieutenant governor.

Theirs is the first slate to file for the Democratic primary in May.

Kentucky requires candidates for governor and lieutenant governor to run together. The Chandler-Owen pairing became official in papers filed Tuesday morning with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance.

Mr. Chandler and Mr. Owen planned to make a public appearance at a rally kicking off the campaign later Tuesday in Versailles, Mr. Chandler's hometown.

Mr. Chandler, 43, is both the grandson and the namesake of Albert Benjamin "Happy" Chandler, who was elected governor in 1935 and 1955. In between, he was a U.S. senator and commissioner of baseball.

The younger Chandler has himself won three statewide elections. He is nearing the end of his second term as attorney general and cannot run for a third. His first campaign was for state auditor in 1991.

House Speaker Jody Richards of Bowling Green is scheduled to enter the primary on Thursday.

A third candidate, Lt. Gov. Steve Henry, is expected to file in about two weeks.

On Monday, U.S. Rep. Ernie Fletcher of Lexington became the first Republican to officially enter the race.

His running mate is Hunter Bates, who was chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell and managed Mr. McConnell's recent re-election campaign.