By Patrick Crowley
Enquirer staff writer

Candidates in Northern Kentucky's 4th Congressional race spent part of this week playing to their parties' perceived constituencies.

Republican Geoff Davis was touting his endorsement by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world's largest business advocacy group at 3 million members and a powerful lobbying force in Washington.

Democrat Nick Clooney meanwhile tried to shore up support among the working class by criticizing the Bush administration's policy on reducing overtime pay for millions of workers.

While trying to curry favor among their traditional bases, the reality is candidates often enjoy crossover support in the 4th District, a vast geographic area of 24 counties that cuts a swath across socioeconomic strata - affluent suburbs, union towns, urban neighborhoods, farming communities and working-class neighborhoods.

Working-class conservatives, many of them Democrats, have helped the GOP rise in Kentucky politics and are among Davis' most fervent supporters.

And business owners and operators, though long identified with backing Republican candidates, have been among the biggest backers and contributors to 4th District incumbent U.S. Rep. Ken Lucas, a Democrat retiring this year.

The U.S. Chamber endorsed Lucas in past races. And many of Lucas' supporters from the business community are staying with Clooney.

But Davis was still eager to promote his endorsement by the Chamber, which sent a political operative into Northern Kentucky this week to announce the organization's support.

"I am very proud of this endorsement," said Davis, a self-employed manufacturing consultant. "Small business owners in the 4th Congressional District are facing a lot of tough issues right now. Health care costs are rising too fast. Excessive litigation costs too much. There are steps we can take in Congress to help address these problems."

Clooney's campaign downplayed the endorsement, saying the U.S. Chamber almost always supports Republicans. The organization has not made a financial contribution to Davis.

"The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is part and parcel of the Republican National Committee," said B. J. Neidhardt, Clooney's campaign manager. "In 2002, 90 percent of their giving went to Republicans."

Clooney focused this week on a report from Economic Policy Institute, a Washington think tank, claiming that new federal rules drafted by the Bush administration will make 6 million workers ineligible for overtime pay.

"Under this new policy many administrative workers, financial service workers, teachers and cooks will lose overtime pay," Clooney said. "I urge the administration to re-think their formula and level the economic playing field for working families."

The Bush administration has disputed the report, saying the number of ineligible workers has been exaggerated by labor unions.

Labor Department spokesman Ed Frank said 1.3 million low-wage workers who are now denied overtime would become eligible for it.

"That in no way balances the scale for 6 million other workers left twisting in the economic wind by a policy that is meant to appease corporate friends," Clooney said.

Asked to respond, Davis' campaign did not directly address the overtime issue, but issued a statement on President Bush's tax cuts.

"The best way we can help all working Americans is to keep our economy growing by making the Bush tax cuts permanent," said Justin Brasell, Davis' spokesman. "If Nick Clooney and John Kerry have their way, the tax cuts will be repealed, and that will have a devastating effect on the economy and job creation."

Clooney supports Bush's tax cuts for middle-class Americans and small-business owners but not on people earning more than $350,000 a year, Neidhardt said.

"What I don't understand is why Geoff Davis can't seem to state a position on overtime protection," Neidhardt said.

"Just answer the question, Geoff."

E-mail pcrowley@enquirer.com