By Patrick Crowley
The Cincinnati Enquirer

FLORENCE - Republican-dominated Boone County is a political battleground this weekend.

Candidates in three bitter GOP primary races are slugging it out in Kentucky's largest Republican-held county and using the media, phone calls, attack ads, harsh rhetoric and retail door-to-door politicking as Tuesday's election looms.

Five of the seven candidates for Congress and two statehouse seats live in Boone County. In the races for Boone County's seats in the Kentucky General Assembly - the 11th Senate District and 66th House District - there are no Democrats waiting in the fall, putting even more emphasis on Tuesday's vote.

And in a primary where turnout of just 15 percent will be considered strong, the fight for support has turned ferocious.

"The whole campaign season has been exciting, but even more so today because everybody is out for their last big push," Boone County Republican Party co-chairwoman Tami Wilson said Saturday.

"Each of the candidates has their people out going door to door or making phone calls to voters," said Wilson, who spent the day with some of the campaigns. "I've heard a few comments how some of the races are getting a little contentious, but it's late and there's going to be some of that."

Here is a closer look at the three races:

State senate

Senate President Pro Tem Dick Roeding of Lakeside Park in Kenton County received Saturday what could be a huge boost in trying to hold off a challenge from Boone County State Rep. Charlie Walton of Florence.

Gov. Ernie Fletcher, who is very popular in Boone County, officially came out in support of Roeding Saturday through a recorded phone message that went to thousands of Republicans in the 11th Senate District.

The district covers all of Boone and Gallatin counties, and the Dixie Highway suburbs in Kenton County.

"It's very reassuring to have the governor's support, and it adds to Sen. Roeding's confidence that he is the best person suited to represent Northern Kentucky in the Senate," said Roeding campaign spokesman Patrick Flannery.

Fletcher's support is critical for Roeding, who unlike Walton, does not live in Boone County. The county of nearly 100,000 is by far the largest voting block in the district. In the 2003 gubernatorial race, Fletcher carried Boone County with 72 percent of the vote in beating Democrat Ben Chandler.

Walton has continued to hammer on his theme that because Boone County has grown so large, it deserves its own senator. He also claims that even though Roeding holds the No. 2 leadership post in the GOP-controlled Senate, he has been unable to deliver for Northern Kentucky.

"In 1998, I went to (Roeding) and said Boone County needs more elementary schools; we need another middle school," Walton told the Enquirer's editorial board last week. "He said no, there's nothing I can do."

Walton then said he was able to secure $20 million to build three new elementary schools.

After Walton's comments were published, Senate President David Williams sent a statement to the paper, claiming Roeding has worked to increase school funding.

Fourth District

Three Republicans want the seat held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Ken Lucas, also of Boone County. Lucas is retiring at the end of the year, and the winner of Tuesday's primary faces Democrat Nick Clooney in the fall.

One of the Republicans, Union chiropractor Dr. Kelly King, has not raised or spent much money. He has managed to largely stay out of the fierce fight between Erlanger lawyer Kevin Murphy and self-employed business consultant Geoff Davis of Hebron in Boone County.

Murphy continued his string of blistering attacks on Davis Saturday, airing a radio add that accuses Davis of breaking campaign-finance laws and not paying his county taxes.

"Murphy is the only candidate who can win in November," the ad states, according to a script provided by the Murphy campaign.

The ad, which is airing throughout the 24-county district, also mentions Murphy's endorsements from the anti-abortion group Kentucky Right to Life and from two of the district's largest newspapers, the Lexington Herald-Leader and the (Maysville) Ledger-Independent.

Davis has repeatedly denied Murphy's allegations and called the ad "a new low in his negative campaign."

"Kevin Murphy should be ashamed of himself," Davis said in a statement issued Saturday. "I am the only candidate who has released 10 years of personal and business tax returns to the media. I have proven these allegations are false."

"Republican primary voters know me," said Davis, who lost the 2002 race by three points to Lucas. "They know Kevin Murphy is lying about my record."

In the statement, Davis points to support he has from several GOP officials, including state Sen. Jack Westwood of Crescent Springs and Kenton County Sheriff Chuck Korzenborn.

Murphy has also filled mailboxes with slick ads that boast of his community service and political activity. The pieces also take shots at Davis with attacks similar to those in Murphy's radio ads.

But Murphy was slapped for using an unauthorized photo of U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning of Southgate, a popular Northern Kentucky Republican also running this year, in one of the mailers.

"It is not, and should not be seen as, an endorsement of Murphy by Sen. Bunning," said Bunning campaign manager David Young. "Sen. Bunning has always been neutral in this ... primary and that has not changed."

66th District

Lawyer Ed Massey of Hebron is continuing to tout his experience on the Boone County Board of Education, where he has served for nearly a decade.

His opponent, nurse Addia Wuchner, has never held office but is backed by many top Boone County elected Republican officials, including Judge-executive Gary Moore.

As a school board member, Massey supported a tax increase to build new schools. He said education would be one of his major focuses if elected.

Wuchner said she has served on the board of health and other community groups, giving her the experience and knowledge to be an effective force for Boone County in Frankfort.

Wuchner has been endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police Boone Lodge 46 and by county Sheriff Mike Helmig, a Republican.

There is no incumbent in the race. Walton holds the seat but is giving it up to run for Senate.

E-mail pcrowley@enquirer.com