As Senate Races Blare Elsewhere, Kentucky’s is Quiet

[jct74]

As Senate Races Blare Elsewhere, Kentucky’s is Quiet

By RYLAND BARTON
SEP 7, 2016

Kentucky’s U.S. Senate race continues its sleepy pace past Labor Day as Democratic candidate Jim Gray fights to be competitive and the incumbent lays low, enjoying a Republican surge in the state.

Gray and Republican incumbent Rand Paul have — mostly through their spokespeople — squared off on issues such as revitalizing the coal industry, gun control and finding solutions to the opioid epidemic. But interest in the race has paled in comparison to the 2014 barnburner between Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell and Kentucky’s Democratic Secretary of State, Alison Lundergan Grimes.

Steve Voss, a political science professor at the University of Kentucky, said that’s partly due to there being so many competitive Senate races across the country.

“Both the Democrats themselves and the affiliated interest groups who often throw money into a Senate race have a really wide board on which to play the game this election,” Voss said.

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read more:
http://wkyufm.org/post/senate-races-blare-elsewhere-kentucky-s-quiet

[luctor-et-emergo]

Steve Voss, a political science professor at the University of Kentucky, said that’s partly due to there being so many competitive Senate races across the country.

I'd say it's because Rand Paul is doing his job and the people of Kentucky know he's not some far-right hack but a very decent guy who has very broad views that bring people together...

[CPUd]

Yep, his Senate campaign has been running at the same pace as his Presidential campaign was before he suspended. Only difference is all his stops are in KY, and he's doing more local press.

[jct74]

Enjoying the lack of U.S. Senate campaign ads? It won’t last.

BY DANIEL DESROCHERS
SEPTEMBER 14, 2016

Thus far, the U.S. Senate race in Kentucky has been more of a leisurely stroll.

Less than eight weeks from Election Day, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Bowling Green, ran his first television ad of the campaign Wednesday in Louisville, a positive spot that focuses on Paul’s career as an eye surgeon. His Democratic opponent, Lexington Mayor Jim Gray, has been running advertising in Louisville touting his experience as a businessman since the beginning of September.

Compare that to 2014, when Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes was running against U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, and the ads started running statewide in July.

“It’s been a fairly sleepy Senate campaign so far,” said Stephen Voss, a professor of political science at the University of Kentucky.

The big difference? The 2014 race was seen as competitive by the national Democratic party and political donations were pouring into the state. The 2016 race is not.

“One interpretation to put on the slow movement of our Senate campaign is that it’s not considered competitive,” Voss said.

In 2014, the race for McConnell’s seat was one often featured by national media. Paul’s seat isn’t even a blip on the national radar. Projections by The New York Times give Paul a 94 percent chance of winning the election.

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read more:
http://www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/article101831447.html