By Patrick Crowley
Enquirer staff writer

FLORENCE - Republican Congressional candidate Geoff Davis turned to another powerful national GOP leader Thursday to generate attention and money for his campaign.

U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri, the third-ranking Republican in Congress, toured two Boone County manufacturing plants with Davis and appeared at an early evening campaign fund-raiser in Fort Mitchell.

Blunt, the House majority whip, said Davis' 4th Congressional District race against Augusta Democrat Nick Clooney is a priority for Republicans in Washington.

"It is clear in this campaign that ... (Davis) reflects the views and values of the people in this part of Kentucky better than even the current member of Congress does, and certainly there is a great contrast between his positions and the positions of his opponent," Blunt said after a tour of Mazak Corp., a maker of industrial machinery that employs 600 in Florence.

Davis, a self-employed manufacturing consultant from Boone County, lost a narrow race two years ago to incumbent U.S. Rep. Ken Lucas, a Boone County Democrat.

Last month Vice President Dick Cheney appeared at a Boone County fund-raiser for Davis. And members of Davis' campaign have hinted that other top Republicans will visit Northern Kentucky before the November election.

That's a stark contrast to Clooney, who is not expected to have any national Democratic leaders come here on his behalf.

Republicans say it is because Clooney wants to distance himself from the party.

But Bob Doyle, a Washington-based Democratic strategist advising Clooney, said Clooney "doesn't need national Democrats to come in because he can stand on his own two feet."

"Geoff Davis systematically calls on all his national Republican buddies to help get him free press and raise money so if he ever gets to Washington they can tell him how to vote," Doyle said.

Davis used Blunt's visit to roll out his plan on improving the nation's manufacturing economy.

"Manufacturing is the heart of the innovation process in this country," Davis said over the din of machines that were humming on the Mazak shop floor. "Clearly, maintaining a strong manufacturing base is critical to our prosperity."

Davis' plan includes:

• Giving manufacturers tax credits for investments in research and development.

• Government matching funds for companies that partner with universities in technology research and job training.

• Changing the tax code to allow manufacturers a greater accounting benefit when purchasing new equipment, which Davis said would "encourage more spending on new equipment and improve profitability."

• Enacting regulatory reform.

Doyle said Davis has sent mixed messages about where he stands on economic issues, including foreign trade.

In the 2002 race against Lucas, Doyle said Davis was "notorious" for running against free trade policies. But in this race he has "completely flip-flopped" by taking endorsements from labor unions that support trade.

"Geoff Davis is going to eventually tell voters which side of the trade debate he is on," Doyle said.

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E-mail pcrowley@enquirer.com