By Patrick Crowley
The Cincinnati Enquirer

PINER, Ky. - Gubernatorial candidates aren't an everyday sight at the Piner Grocery Store in this tiny community at the southern tip of Kenton County.

On a day in which Northern Kentucky grabbed the gubernatorial campaign spotlight, Republican candidate Ernie Fletcher struck a classic pose as he left Piner for an event 50 miles to the east in Maysville.

After shaking hands and delivering a standard stump speech to about 20 supporters at the Piner store, Fletcher went across the street to board a waiting helicopter that had landed at Piner Elementary School. As it took off, Fletcher - a former military fighter pilot - threw open the window and gave a thumps up to the small crowd.

"I've never seen a helicopter out here before," said Andrew Rich, 15, as the aircraft flew just overhead. "It's pretty nice."

Fletcher spent the day campaigning in Northern Kentucky with stops in Corinth, Williamstown and Fort Wright before heading to Piner late Thursday afternoon.

After leaving for Maysville, he returned to Northern Kentucky by helicopter to attend a campaign fund-raiser in Florence.

Throughout the day, Fletcher railed on the Democrats who have had held the governor's office in Frankfort since 1972.

"It's time to change the culture in Frankfort," Fletcher said. "It's a culture that has been going on for decades ... a culture of waste, fraud, abuse, inefficiency.

"You look at where we are, and where we could be," he said. "You look at the fact we have a budget crisis, you look that we've had runaway spending in Frankfort. We haven't had the leadership there to make the changes."

In Fort Wright, Fletcher, a three-term Congressman from Lexington, was endorsed by the Kentucky chapter of the National Federation of Independent Businesses, which has 6,000 members in Kentucky.

"Congressman Fletcher has shown in his voting record that he sincerely supports and appreciates the small-business community," said Tom Underwood, the organization's Kentucky director.

Democrats also campaigned in Northern Kentucky on Thursday. Lieutenant governor hopeful Charlie Owen, who is running with gubernatorial candidate Ben Chandler, pushed the campaign's prescription drug plan to seniors in Covington and Newport.

At the Grand Towers in Newport, Owen told a small group of senior citizens that Fletcher let them down by voting against legislation in Congress that would allow Americans to purchase cheaper prescription drugs from foreign countries.

Owen said Fletcher's vote was motivated by the campaign contributions he has received from the pharmaceutical industry.

"Ernie Fletcher faced a simple choice," Owen said.

"He could help Kentucky families - or he could help the giant pharmaceutical companies that fund his campaigns. When faced with that choice, he chose his corporate contributors over the interest of Kentucky families and seniors.

"This vote is a clear example that Ernie Fletcher has forgotten who he's supposed to represent in Washington," Owen said.

In an interview, Fletcher said the contributions Owen referenced were "independent expenditures" the pharmaceutical industry funded on its own during his last Congressional campaign.

"I have no control over that," he said.

Fletcher also defended his vote, saying he had voted for previous versions of the legislation. But he opposes the current bill because it does not provide enough protection to ensure the quality and safety of the drugs being imported.

Chandler's campaign said it has not accepted any campaign money from the pharmaceutical industry.

E-mail pcrowley@enquirer.com