By Patrick Crowley
The Cincinnati Enquirer

FORT MITCHELL - Kevin Murphy is trying to make sure Geoff Davis is haunted by his past.

With just one week before the May 18 primary, Murphy, an Erlanger Republican running for Congress, has launched an effort to highlight problems Davis has had in the current and 2002 Fourth Congressional District campaigns.

Murphy is attempting to make the case that he rather than Davis is best suited to defeat Democrat Nick Clooney in the fall. He's sending his message in daily media e-mails that started going to reporters late last week.

"There are a lot of reasons why, if Republicans want to win in November, they should nominate Kevin Murphy," reads a paragraph included in each release.

Justin Brasell, Davis' campaign manager, dismissed the effort as a desperation tactic by a candidate who is going to lose the GOP primary.

"These last-minute attacks are the last gasps of a campaign drowning in its own incompetence," Brasell said Monday.

But they are likely to continue until next week's election, Murphy political adviser Jay Townsend said.

"We're in the stage of the campaign where candidates highlight the differences between one another," Townsend said Monday.

One Murphy news release focused on how Davis' own poll showed him trailing Clooney last month by 16 points.

"The polls were taken before a watchdog group accused a Davis donor of money-laundering for giving Davis $19,000 in campaign contributions, almost five times the legal limit," according to the Murphy news release.

Consumer watchdog group Public Citizen filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission that accuses Davis; a contributor to his campaign from Cincinnati named Quentin Nesbitt; and six political action committees (PACs) of illegally funneling campaign contributions to Davis.

Davis, Nesbitt and at least two of the PACs have denied any wrongdoing.

"Murphy paid $10,000 for polling on April 28th," Brasell said in reference to an expenditure listed on Murphy's latest campaign finance report. "If he is polling so well against Clooney, why won't he release the numbers?"

Another news release revisits the days following the 2002 race, in which Davis lost to incumbent Democrat Rep. Ken Lucas of Boone County by three percentage points.

After it was apparent he lost the race, Davis used his concession to kick off his 2004 campaign. But then Davis was shocked when a leading Kentucky Republican began pushing for another candidate to take on Lucas.

Sen. Mitch McConnell, the titular head of the Kentucky GOP, came out after that election and said Republicans needed another candidate besides Davis to win the Fourth District seat.

"Simply put," McConnell said at the time, "we cannot afford another loss."

McConnell recruited Hunter Bates, a lawyer and one of his aides, into the race. Bates ran briefly but then left the congressional race to become Gov. Ernie Fletcher's running mate. Bates left the Fletcher ticket after he failed to meet residency requirements for seeking state office.

"You were right, Sen. McConnell," Murphy's campaign says in the news release. "President Bush and the Republicans can't afford another loss in the Fourth District."

Brasell said the Davis campaign doesn't "speak for Sen. McConnell." Davis has previously pointed out that Bates is supporting him in the primary.

"It's very hypocritical of Murphy to criticize Republicans who worked to defeat Ken Lucas after Murphy worked to get Ken Lucas elected in the first place," Brasell said.

Murphy was part of a group in 1998 known as "Republicans for Lucas," though he denies Davis' claims that he was one of its leaders.

Murphy has said he did support Lucas because the Republican in the race, former state Sen. Gex "Jay" Williams, was accused of inflating his resume and skirting campaign finance laws.

Murphy even questions Davis' connections to the community. Davis has lived in Northern Kentucky for six years, compared with more than 25 years for Murphy.

"When it comes to local roots, Geoff Davis is Astroturf," the Murphy campaign says. "We need someone who's been around for a while, someone who knows our needs, our hopes, or views."

And Murphy chides Davis for incorporating his business consulting firm in Tennessee instead of Kentucky. Davis said he did so because it was too costly to provide health insurance for his employees in Kentucky.

Murphy and Davis are vying for the seat now held by Lucas, of Boone County, who is retiring after this year. Union chiropractor Kelly King is also running in the GOP primary.

Clooney is unopposed in the Democratic primary.

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E-mail pcrowley@enquirer.com