Historic presidential race leads a full primary ballot

Kentuckians finally get their chance to weigh in on the most closely followed presidential primary race in a generation on Tuesday. With throngs of newly minted political junkies watching on cable news, Democratic voters in the Bluegrass State, along with those in Oregon, will cast their ballots Tuesday. Polls in Kentucky open at 6 a.m.

The presidential contest will be the headline on an otherwise jam-packed ballot that is expected to draw the most Kentuckians to the polls for a primary election in more than a decade.

Kentucky Democrats are widely expected to side with U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, just as in neighboring states of Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana and West Virginia. She led Illinois Sen. Barack Obama by 27 points last week, according to the Herald-Leader/WKYT Kentucky Poll.

In her speech to Kentucky Democrats earlier this month, Clinton reminded them that the Bluegrass State voted for her husband in 1992 and 1996 and and said she is best positioned to win the state in the fall — a case she’s been making about other so-called “swing states.”

“For too long we have let places like Kentucky slip out of the Democratic column,” she said.

Clinton mostly criticized President Bush’s policies, such as the handling of the war in Iraq and tax cuts to large corporations. “It took a Clinton to clean up after the first Bush, and it's going to take a Clinton to clean up after this one,” she said.

The Obama campaign, meanwhile, has pumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into the state with 16 regional offices and a series of commercials aimed at introducing him to Kentucky voters.

He has emphasized his modest upbringing as the son of a single mother and his Christian faith in several ads and fliers. In his speech in Louisville last week, he praised Clinton’s tenacity and focused mostly on his differences with Republicans.

His overarching message to the party was: “Democrats are going to be unified.”

Even if Obama loses Kentucky, his supporters say the race has energized voters and introduced them to the Illinois senator in preparation for a potential fall campaign against Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

“We’ve never had this type of coverage in the commonwealth for a national campaign,” said U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth, a Louisville Democrat and Obama backer. “There is just incredible enthusiasm for this campaign in Kentucky.”

As a result, voter turnout is expected to be high. Secretary of State Trey Grayson has estimated that turnout among Democrats could be as high as 30 percent and about 15 percent for Republicans. Total voter turnout has been in the mid-teens during the last few presidential primaries.

Republicans also will be able to cast votes for their presidential nominee. Sen. John McCain, however, locked up the nomination in March. But other former contenders, including Texas U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, who never officially shelved his campaign, will still be on ballots.

U.S. Senate race

Meanwhile, Kentucky Democrats will have a host of choices to pick as their nominee for the U.S. Senate.

The winner will probably take on U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate leader, in the fall. Kentucky Republicans will be asked to choose between McConnell and Daniel Essek, a Whitley County truck driver whose mailing address is Jellico, Tenn.

Among the Democrats, two-time candidate for governor Bruce Lunsford is taking on another Louisville businessman, Greg Fischer, who is making his first run for office. Five other Democrats have been running limited campaigns.

Lunsford, who founded nursing home companies Ventas and Kindred, and Fischer, CEO of stadium seating company Dant Clayton Co., agree on most policy issues. So the two have spent much of the race squabbling over each other’s business practices.

Lunsford, in his latest TV ad, points out that Fischer’s companies received Occupational Safety and Health Administration citations between 1989 and 2004. Fischer, meanwhile, ran a commercial highlighting the settlement Lunsford’s nursing home company reached in 2001 with the U.S. Justice Department over improper Medicare billing.

Both wealthy businessmen also have sparred over who gave the most money to Republicans over the years and the least to Democratic candidates. Lunsford gave more than $60,000 to GOP candidates. But he’s also given $120,000 to Democrats, while Fischer has contributed less than $20,000 to Democrats and $850 to Republicans.

Congressional races

Several congressional races have drawn primaries. In Central Kentucky, Republicans must choose between two contenders, Lexington lawyer Jon Larson and Frankfort security service owner Tony McCurdy. The winner takes on Democratic U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler in the fall.

The 2nd Congressional District in west-central Kentucky features a hotly contested Democratic primary between a state senator and a county judge-executive — both from the Owensboro area.

In Northern Kentucky, Republican U.S. Rep. Geoff Davis of Hebron drew two GOP opponents, while in Louisville former Republican U.S. Rep. Anne Northup is trying to retake her seat. She faces three GOP opponents.

State races

State legislative seats also are up for election this year.

The Senate features five Democratic primaries — including a rematch of the 2004 race in Eastern Kentucky between Sen. Johnny Ray Turner of Drift and Eric Shane Hamilton of Garrett. On the Republican side, retired U.S. marshal John Schickel is competing against former state Rep. Charlie Walton in the Republican primary to replace GOP Sen. Dick Roeding of Lakeside Park.

Three candidates of each party are vying for the nominations to compete this fall for the seat being vacated by GOP Sen. Richie Sanders of Franklin.

The state House features eight Republican primaries and 10 Democratic primaries statewide. In Central Kentucky, several Democratic incumbents have received challenges, including: Rep. Milward Dedman of Harrodsburg, who switched parties last year; Rep. Sannie Overly of Paris, who won her seat in a January special election; and Rep. Richard Henderson of Jeffersonville, who is in his first term.