When President Bush came to Lexington on Oct. 9 to raise money for GOP gubernatorial candidate Ernie Fletcher and the Kentucky Republican Party, the response was astounding.

Bush helped Fletcher and the party raise $1.25 million, making it one of the most successful campaign fund-raisers ever held in Kentucky.

But even more importantly, the visit by Bush - who remains popular in Kentucky despite lower approval ratings elsewhere - fired up Fletcher's GOP base of campaign workers and supporters.

Republicans are now getting ready for a return visit from the president.

Word among GOP leaders is that Bush will come back into Kentucky on Nov. 1, probably to London - a Republican stronghold on the Tennessee border - and Paducah in western Kentucky, a region where Fletcher must run well to win.

Democrats are already spinning. They figure if Bush is coming back the weekend before the Nov. 4 election, Fletcher and the Republicans must be worried.

That's an interesting take, but the real story here is that Fletcher and Chandler are just about even in every poll.

The GOP is convinced a late push from Bush could put Fletcher over the top.

Sealing the deal

Newport city officials spent a couple of years working to secure a $28 million federal grant to transform public housing.

But it might have been a meeting between Newport Mayor Tom Guidugli and then-Vice President Al Gore that finally pushed the effort over the top with the landing of what is known as a Hope VI grant.

The Newport Housing Authority broke ground Mondayon Liberty Row I, a 14-unit, $2.4 million housing development on the city's west side.

It is the first step in moving residents out of 202 public housing units near the Ohio River and into new and rehabilitated homes throughout the city.

The project, which will take as long as a decade to complete, not only takes people out of warehouse-like public housing and integrates them into established neighborhoods, it frees up prime riverfront land for development.

Newport is the smallest city to ever receive a Hope VI grant, and it wasn't easy.

About three years ago, the city's application was languishing in Washington. So a number of Newport city officials decided aggressive lobbying was the way to go. And they wanted to go directly to the top, to President Clinton and to Gore.

"We felt it was best to have the pressure coming from all angles," Guidugli said. "We started thinking about who can help us, about who could talk to Clinton, who could talk to Gore."

The help of a number of high-level state officials was enlisted, including Gov. Paul Patton.

But Newport also turned to Fort Thomas businessman Wayne Carlisle, who over the years has invested in Newport real estate and businesses. He also developed the World Peace Bell.

Carlisle turned to Cincinnati lawyer Stan Chesley, a strong supporter of and big contributor to Clinton and Gore. Chesley helped arrange a meeting in September 2000 between Guidulgi and Gore, who was in the area to deliver a campaign speech at Cincinnati State.

Guidugli got about five minutes with Gore.

Did the meeting make the difference?

Guidugli, unusually humble for a politician, won't take that much credit.

"A lot of people made this grant happen," he said. "But (the meeting) probably didn't hurt."

E-mail pcrowley@enquirer.com