Sola_Fide
05-09-2012, 01:56 PM
FRANKFORT, Ky. —Tea party darling Thomas Massie faced continued attacks Wednesday in Kentucky's 4th District congressional race, a sign that other candidates consider the relative newcomer to politics the man to beat in a seven-way Republican primary.
The latest strike was a circular, complete with an altered photo showing a smiling Massie clutching a wad of cash with the Capitol dome as a backdrop, blaming him for double-digit unemployment in Lewis County where he is the newly elected judge-executive. The mailer came on the heels of a TV ad that also blames Massie for the high unemployment.
Both were paid for by one of Massie's chief rivals, longtime Boone County Judge-Executive Gary Moore.
The circular claims Massie brought Lewis County's economy "to a grinding halt" and suggests he's responsible for a 14 percent unemployment rate. It also claims Massie increased government spending during his first year in office, though budget records show he actually cut spending.
"If our mailer is in question, then it is in question by those who are adverse to the facts," said Moore campaign manager Jonathan Duke.
"This race is about results verses rhetoric," Duke said in a statement Wednesday. "Judge Gary Moore has a real record of economic development, bringing over 13,000 jobs and fine tuning the economic engine of Kentucky. When you look at Gary Moore's record of accomplishment versus Massie's smoke-and-mirrors routine, you won't be so easily fooled."
Massie campaign chairman Phil Moffett said he considers the attacks unethical.
"This is an act of a desperate career politician who knows he's going to lose the race," Moffett said.
With his strong tea party credentials, Massie has a former adviser to U.S. Sen. Rand Paul as his campaign manager. Other Paul aides are volunteering for Massie, including Chief of Staff Doug Stafford. And Paul said recently he is considering publicly endorsing Massie.
In the mailer, Moore says Massie "runs like Paul" but "governs like Obama" with his "big spending" and "huge job losses."
Massie and Moore are the leading fundraisers in the race for a seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Rep. Geoff Davis. His retirement brought out a crowded field of Republican congressional hopefuls, including Fort Wright state Rep. Alecia Webb-Edgington,Crestwood teacher Brian Oerther,Fort Mitchell business consultant Tom Wurtz,Erlanger lawyer Marc Carey and Crestwood building contractor Walt Schumm.
Two Democrats,attorney Bill Adkins of Williamstown and former Army medic Greg Frank of Corinth, are seeking their party's nomination.
With the primary less than two weeks away, candidates have been campaigning across the expansive district that runs from the Louisville suburbs in the west to the Ashland area in the east.
Webb-Edgington, another of the top contenders for the GOP nomination, has been touting a fresh endorsement by the political arm of the anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony List, a significant catch in the conservative district. It wasn't the first anti-abortion group to weigh in. Kentucky Right to Life previously endorsed Moore.
Moore, Massie and Webb-Edgington have been running cable ads around FOX News. And Massie aired a network ad during two of the University of Kentucky's basketball games in the NCAA tournament. Television viewers can expect the pace to pick up beginning Monday.
The three of them have some $500,000 to spend on TV ads in the final days of the primary race.
In the predominately Republican congressional district, the GOP nominee would be the overwhelming favorite to win the general election. The congressional seat has been held by the GOP since 1967, except for a six-year stint between 1999 and 2005 when Democrat Ken Lucas held the position.
Webb-Edgington has received endorsements from two of northern Kentucky's best-known Republicans, one the man she's seeking to replace. Davis and former U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning threw their support to Webb-Edgington late last month, calling her a tough, conservative leader.
http://m.therepublic.com/view/story/82b5590587ed492c9484553d9181959d
The latest strike was a circular, complete with an altered photo showing a smiling Massie clutching a wad of cash with the Capitol dome as a backdrop, blaming him for double-digit unemployment in Lewis County where he is the newly elected judge-executive. The mailer came on the heels of a TV ad that also blames Massie for the high unemployment.
Both were paid for by one of Massie's chief rivals, longtime Boone County Judge-Executive Gary Moore.
The circular claims Massie brought Lewis County's economy "to a grinding halt" and suggests he's responsible for a 14 percent unemployment rate. It also claims Massie increased government spending during his first year in office, though budget records show he actually cut spending.
"If our mailer is in question, then it is in question by those who are adverse to the facts," said Moore campaign manager Jonathan Duke.
"This race is about results verses rhetoric," Duke said in a statement Wednesday. "Judge Gary Moore has a real record of economic development, bringing over 13,000 jobs and fine tuning the economic engine of Kentucky. When you look at Gary Moore's record of accomplishment versus Massie's smoke-and-mirrors routine, you won't be so easily fooled."
Massie campaign chairman Phil Moffett said he considers the attacks unethical.
"This is an act of a desperate career politician who knows he's going to lose the race," Moffett said.
With his strong tea party credentials, Massie has a former adviser to U.S. Sen. Rand Paul as his campaign manager. Other Paul aides are volunteering for Massie, including Chief of Staff Doug Stafford. And Paul said recently he is considering publicly endorsing Massie.
In the mailer, Moore says Massie "runs like Paul" but "governs like Obama" with his "big spending" and "huge job losses."
Massie and Moore are the leading fundraisers in the race for a seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Rep. Geoff Davis. His retirement brought out a crowded field of Republican congressional hopefuls, including Fort Wright state Rep. Alecia Webb-Edgington,Crestwood teacher Brian Oerther,Fort Mitchell business consultant Tom Wurtz,Erlanger lawyer Marc Carey and Crestwood building contractor Walt Schumm.
Two Democrats,attorney Bill Adkins of Williamstown and former Army medic Greg Frank of Corinth, are seeking their party's nomination.
With the primary less than two weeks away, candidates have been campaigning across the expansive district that runs from the Louisville suburbs in the west to the Ashland area in the east.
Webb-Edgington, another of the top contenders for the GOP nomination, has been touting a fresh endorsement by the political arm of the anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony List, a significant catch in the conservative district. It wasn't the first anti-abortion group to weigh in. Kentucky Right to Life previously endorsed Moore.
Moore, Massie and Webb-Edgington have been running cable ads around FOX News. And Massie aired a network ad during two of the University of Kentucky's basketball games in the NCAA tournament. Television viewers can expect the pace to pick up beginning Monday.
The three of them have some $500,000 to spend on TV ads in the final days of the primary race.
In the predominately Republican congressional district, the GOP nominee would be the overwhelming favorite to win the general election. The congressional seat has been held by the GOP since 1967, except for a six-year stint between 1999 and 2005 when Democrat Ken Lucas held the position.
Webb-Edgington has received endorsements from two of northern Kentucky's best-known Republicans, one the man she's seeking to replace. Davis and former U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning threw their support to Webb-Edgington late last month, calling her a tough, conservative leader.
http://m.therepublic.com/view/story/82b5590587ed492c9484553d9181959d