Because it sure doesn't seem like it! Of course I'm referring to Lt. Governor Daniel Mongiardo and Attorney General Jack Conway. Both are accomplished men who have managed to distinguish themselves in life. But during this Senate campaign, the two seem to be running against each other more than running FOR the U.S. Senate.
Frankly, it's not a surprise given some of the missteps we've seen from both of these campaigns so far.
Mongiardo's formal entry into the race was announced in a press release on a day when the good doctor was practicing medicine in Hazard. A noble act to be sure, but not exactly the sharpest political move. It meant he was totally unavailable for press interviews on one of the biggest days a campaign will ever face. To make things worse, that left only Jack Conway to comment on his probable opponent's announcement--even though Conway had yet to announce his run. It allowed Conway to get valuable political mileage and free media at Mongiardo's expense.
But Conway's made his share of mistakes as well. His mild use of profanity and belligerent stance at Fancy Farm got a lot of notice, but most of it was negative and the campaign spent weeks shoring up the damage.
In recent weeks controversy over campaign workers taping each candidate's speeches, and some heavily edited audio of Mongiardo saying some unflattering things about Governor Steve Beshear have surfaced. These happenings all make great headlines, but so far neither Democrat has taken a major position on most of the issues, and precious little campaign time has been devoted to real substance. I realize it might be a pipe dream, but I really had higher hopes for this primary race.
After Mongiardo ran a very effective insurgent campaign against Senator Jim Bunning in 2004, he was seen as a real force. But Mongiardo lost that momentum -- partly because his election as Steve Beshear's Lt. Governor placed him squarely in the Beshear wing of the party. Not necessarily a bad thing unless you need to distance yourself to win another election -- something Mongiardo seems to be trying hard to do right now. It didn't help Mongiardo when Beshear's endorsement of his candidacy was released in a late afternoon press release on a Friday. Not exactly the way to get maximum exposure.
I'm told that Conway was furious that Beshear decided to make that endorsement rather than sit out the primary. It seems that may have been the impetus for much of the negativity running rampant in the race so far. One of Conway's mentors is State Auditor Crit Luallen. He would be wise to listen to her voice of moderation in this campaign.
Both men have more than five months before they finally face-off in May. Isn't it time they tackle something more than who said what about the Governor or who made more money in business?
I just wish these guys would actually RUN FOR OFFICE. not against each other.
This kind of silliness is why I plan on running for City Council in 2012. I know that's not the Senate, but you have to start somewhere to get somewhere. If running, even if I lose horribly, is what it takes to get some real issues on the table, I will try.
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Al Mayo