The Associated Press

MURRAY, Ky. - Ernie Fletcher's running mate in the Republican primary for governor told a western Kentucky newspaper on Saturday that his residency was not a concern for his eligibility.

Last week, state Rep. Steve Nunn, also a GOP candidate for governor, publicly questioned whether Fletcher's running mate, Hunter Bates, meets residency requirements.

Bates told the Paducah Sun that although he lived in Virginia and worked in Washington in the past, he is still a Kentucky resident.

"I was born here, raised here, went to school here, voted here, served a Kentucky judge here (as a law clerk) and for the past six years have been serving Kentucky in our nation's capital," Bates said.

The state Constitution requires a candidate for lieutenant governor to have been a resident for the six years preceding the election.