Patrick Kelly: Voters want true conservative

The Herald-Leader's endorsement of Andy Barr in Friday's paper mentioned his liberal leanings as being a more attractive option to Democrats in the fall, but conservative organizations like Take Back Kentucky know better.

The most common argument I hear for nominating Barr once again as the Republican candidate for District 6 is that he came so close to beating Ben Chandler in 2010.

While the Barr-Chandler race did ultimately come down to a few hundred votes, Rand Paul's and Jack Conway's race did not.

Sen. Paul, arguably the most conservative person in the U.S. Senate, was able to best Attorney General Jack Conway by approximately 16,000 votes in the same district that Barr lost by 600.

President Gerald Ford barely lost to Jimmy Carter in 1976, but it was the more conservative Ronald Reagan who beat him by a landslide in 1980.

It is when Republicans turn to moderates that they lose elections. True conservative values that resist overreaching government policies and denounce attacks on our civil rights and liberties through laws like the Patriot Act have appeal across party lines. We win elections by offering more freedom to our constituents, not more government.

I'm running for Congress on a platform of individual freedom and personal liberty. This reaches across party lines but doesn't betray our base.

Take Back Kentucky has awarded me its endorsement because I stand for true conservative values, and true conservative values are what is best for Kentucky.

This story was originally published May 15, 2012 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Patrick Kelly: Voters want true conservative."