Tell Schumer: Back Horne! Kentuckians Don't Want Lunsford!

Rumor has it that instead of backing Andrew Horne (D-KY) in his effort to win the U.S. Senate from Obstructionist in Chief Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Sen. Charles Schumer (D-KY)and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee are courting Bruce Lunsford (D-KY), former Lt. Governor and failed 2007 gubanatorial candidate to run, instead. Now, look. I understand that the DSCC's job is to get as many Democrats elected to the U.S. Senate as possible. So, Schumer and the DSCC are ALWAYS going to look for the person they think has the best chances of winning, period. They are counting on Lunsford's higher name recognition to make him a better candidate against McConnell than Horne. (For this reason, Horne himself waited until some other, more well known, potential candidates, especially State Auditor Crit Luallen, declined to run for the Senate, before announcing his candidacy.)

Well, excuse me, but Schumer and the DSCC should butt out! Lunsford is NOT a great candidate. That's why he lost the gubanatorial primary in '07 to Steve Beshear (D-KY), who is our newly elected governor. Further, Lunsford may be officially a Democrat, but actually leans Republican. He has contributed mightily to Republican campaigns and causes--and not very much to Democratic ones. The same reasons that the Bluegrass Report showed that Lunsford would have been a poor Governor for Kentucky would also make him a poor U.S. Senator--for Kentucky or the nation. By contrast, Horne, whom the Louisville Courier-Journal admits would be a serious opponent for McConnell, has already won some significant endorsements in the brief time he has been running: Endorsements from VoteVets.org, the progressive organization of military veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan who work to end the war/occupation, to change the direction of our foreign policy, and get better treatment for vets and their families, from Change for Kentucky, the Kentucky branch of Democracy for America show that Horne's grassroots campaign is attracting the attention of progressives--the "Democratic wing of the Democratic Party" as the late Paul Wellstone used to say. I expect future endorsements by labor unions, health care advocates, government reform groups, media reform groups, and such progressive political action groups as MoveOn.org and Progressive Democrats of America. Horne is going to win the nomination and the Senate, but it would be nice to have the DSCC on his side, rather than to have to fight it--and a potentially divisive Spring primary that would only work to McConnell's advantage.

Call Sen. Schumer's office ( 202-224-6542) and/or email him and say that, if the rumors are true, the DSCC should immediately cease courting Bruce Lunsford and, instead, back a progressive Democratic fighter like Andrew Horne. If we Kentucky Democrats flood his office with emails and calls, I think Sen. Schumer will get the idea and realize the error of his ways.