By Bruce Schreiner
The Associated Press

LOUISVILLE - In early 2003, Hunter Bates was a rising Republican star. The youthful-looking protege to Sen. Mitch McConnell had gone from political operative to candidate for lieutenant governor.

Then came a lawsuit during the heat of the Republican gubernatorial primary challenging whether Bates met residency requirements because of his time in Washington, D.C., as a lawyer and McConnell aide.

An Oldham County judge ruled against Bates, and instead of appealing, the Harvard-educated lawyer dropped off the ticket with Ernie Fletcher - who went on to become Kentucky's first GOP governor in a generation.

Seventeen months later, Bates insists he doesn't dwell on the setback that denied him election to Kentucky's No. 2 office - now occupied by Steve Pence, who was Fletcher's choice as a replacement on the ticket.

"My view in life is that we should always look forward, not back, and that we should count the gains and not the losses," Bates said in a recent interview with The Associated Press.

Bates, 36, has carved out a new life since then.

He works for a prestigious law firm in Louisville. He formed his own consulting business that represents some of Kentucky's largest corporate interests. He and his wife, Jennifer, are busy with their two children.

Fletcher appointed him to the board of regents at Eastern Kentucky University, where Bates got his undergraduate degree.

And he's still involved in politics.

He's a delegate at this week's Republican National Convention in New York. He serves as statewide grass roots chairman of the Bush-Cheney campaign. And he stood in for Fletcher as a member of the platform committee at the Republican convention.

Looking back on the court case that cost him the lieutenant governorship, Bates said it was his decision to quit the race.

"I believe that taking that issue up on multiple appeals was not in the best interest of Ernie Fletcher or in the best interest of Kentucky getting the right man as governor," Bates said. "And that was the only consideration I had."

Still, it was a time of anguish for Bates, a Whitley County native who had been chief of staff and campaign manager for McConnell.

Bates said that writing the withdrawal speech was "by far the most difficult professional decision I've ever had to make."

"But I had no second thoughts then, and I have no second thoughts now," he said. "It was the right thing to do, but just because it was right didn't make it easy."

Reflecting on the legal fight, Fletcher said recently he was willing to appeal because the matter "was larger than just that race."

He said the court ruling could leave others, who like Bates spent time outside Kentucky, in limbo.

"At some point, I would hope that we get some sort of declaratory judgment on the residential requirements of a gubernatorial or lieutenant gubernatorial candidate because I think the ruling was wrong," he said.