Governor's Race Splits Ky. GOP

Fletcher's Ethics Cloud Leads Many in Party to Back Challenger

MONTICELLO, Ky. -- When Kentucky Republicans banded together in 2003 to make Ernie Fletcher the state's first GOP governor in more than three decades, then-U.S. Rep. Anne M. Northup enthusiastically backed the winning campaign, raising $640,000 for the doctor, preacher and politician who vowed to clean up political life in the state capital.

That was four long years ago. Northup is now one of Fletcher's most vociferous opponents and his principal challenger in Tuesday's gubernatorial primary. In a race that exposes a bitter split in the state party, Northup says the incumbent is guilty of poor ethics and worse leadership.

Neither Kentucky nor the state GOP, Northup tells voters, can afford another four years of Fletcher.

"We were so optimistic when Ernie Fletcher was elected," Northup, who lost in November after five terms in Congress, told a crowd at a Monticello pig roast. "The fact is, it hasn't worked out. We've got to go back and fix this problem so the Republican Party will be back on track."

Speaking after the event in far southern Kentucky, Northup described the state GOP as "a party without energy." If Fletcher prevails, she fears, it could affect the party's chances next year, with the White House in play and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) up for reelection.

Despite Northup's warnings, polls show Fletcher leading a three-way GOP race that includes wealthy Paducah businessman Billy Harper. On the Democratic side, former lieutenant governor Steve Beshear is leading a large field in the final polls. A candidate needs 40 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff.

Fletcher's political recovery has been little short of remarkable. A year ago, he was under indictment on three misdemeanor charges of rigging state hiring to favor loyalists. He declined to speak to a grand jury, invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, and issued a blanket pardon that nullified charges against nine state workers.

As the current gubernatorial campaign got underway, the state's senior Republicans encouraged Northup, an experienced campaigner from Louisville, to challenge Fletcher. Within two months of her stinging defeat by newsman John Yarmuth (D) for the House seat, she entered the race.

"I would've thought even three months ago that with Northup running, there was no way Fletcher could win reelection," said Scott Lasley, a professor of political science at Western Kentucky University. "You've seen people survive scandal and you've seen people survive strong primary candidates, but you've rarely seen someone survive both."

Fletcher has collected more than double Northup's fundraising total, despite a recent $500,000 loan that Northup made to her own campaign. He has recently challenged her credentials as a social conservative, saying over her objections that she is not a reliable vote for school prayer or gun rights. He has been traveling Kentucky, handing oversize state checks to local leaders for projects.

"He's been very aggressive," Lasley said. "He's been able to leverage incumbency effectively."

During an appearance last week at Georgetown College, just north of Lexington, Fletcher delivered a spirited defense of his tenure, sandwiched by a group rendition of "My Old Kentucky Home" and "This Little Light of Mine." He was introduced by a local mayor, a state senator and a longtime University of Kentucky basketball announcer.