No Democratic Candidate is Going to Ditch Mitch; Only Democratic Voters Can Do That

With the only person with a chance in hell of beating Mitch McConnell next year having bowed out, the relative unknowns now expressing interest in the race have as good a chance of winning as any of the loser usual suspects (Chandler, Conway, Mongiardo, etc.)

The latest is a guy fired for botching the 2013 elections. That should rev up the base.

Former Kentucky Democratic Party Chairman Bill Garmer said Friday he is considering running for the U.S. Senate next year if Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes declines to enter the race against Republican incumbent Mitch McConnell.

SNIP

Her father, businessman Jerry Lundergan of Lexington, replaced Garmer in January 2005 as state Democratic Party chairman. Garmer held the post for a year, and resigned after Democrats suffered a series of defeats in November 2003 elections. Lundergan also had been party chairman in 1988 during the administration of the late Gov. Wallace Wilkinson. 

Garmer said he thinks Grimes is aware of his political sentiments "but I've not had a direct one-on-one" conversation with her about the race."I can't emphasize enough that I hope Alison runs," he said. 

The Kentucky Democratic Party "will have a credible candidate" to run against McConnell, Garmer said. 

"It's important for the party to get behind a single candidate," he said. "Registration in Kentucky is majority Democratic, and if the party gets behind a single candidate, we win." 

Two Democrats without a statewide following have said they will challenge McConnell next year: Owensboro contractor Ed Marksberry and Louisville musician and music promoter Bennie J. Smith. 

Environmental attorney Tom FitzGerald of Louisville said last month that he is thinking about running for the Democratic nomination. He said this week that he expects to make a decision by the end of this month.

First, I sincerely hope Grimes is too smart to kill her political future by running against Mitch - she's playing for 2015 and the governor's race.

I never heard of Smith. Ed Marksberry is a terrific guy who made a respectable run against Brett Guthrie in the Second in 2010.  I gave more than I could afford to Marksberry's campaign and don't regret a penny of it.  The Hillbilly Report has a bunch of great stuff on Marksberry.

Tom Fitzgerald is a genuine Kentucky hero whose statue should stand in the Capitol, but he's no politician. His campaign would do more harm to environmental causes in Kentucky than to McConnell.

One thing and one thing only is going to beat McConnell, and that's getting every single Democratic voter in the state off their fat asses and into the voting booth.

Democratic voters still outnumber repugs in this state, but most of them refuse to make any effort to support Democratic candidates who make you either vomit or fall asleep.

Neverthless, we have to find a way to turn them out. It's the only way to win, candidates be damned.