Kentucky gubernatorial election, 2007

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The Kentucky gubernatorial election, 2007 will be held on November 6, 2007. Whoever wins the 2007 election for Governor of Kentucky will serve from December 2007 through December 2011. The running mate on the winning slate will serve as Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky for that same time period.

Current Republican Governor Ernie Fletcher is running for re-election. Fletcher named Finance Secretary Robbie Rudolph of Murray, Kentucky to be his running mate after current Lieutenant Governor Steve Pence decided not to join Fletcher again on the ticket [1]. Fletcher is being challenged in the Republican primary by Paducah businessman Billy Harper and former Louisville congresswoman Anne Northup. Announced Democrats include former Lieutenant Governor and former Attorney General of Kentucky Steve Beshear, former Lieutenant Governor Steve Henry, state treasurer Jonathan Miller, Speaker of the House and unsuccessful 2003 candidate Jody Richards, lawyer Gatewood Galbraith, and Louisville businessman Bruce Lunsford.

Each party will name their respective nominees in a Primary Election on May 22, 2007. The filing deadline for candidates was January 30, 2007.

1 Background
2 Candidates
- 2.1 Republican
- 2.2 Democratic
3 Polling
- 3.1 Republican Primary
- 3.2 Democratic Primary
4 See also
5 External Links
- 5.1 Campaign sites

[edit] Background

Fletcher has come under increasing criticism from both parties after his involvement in a state employee hiring scandal, in which Fletcher was accused of illegally hiring merit employees for ther political affiliations and loyalties. An investigation by the state Attorney General led to the indictment of 13 Fletcher administration officials. Fletcher issued blanket pardons for anyone in his administration who was or may have been involved in the scandal. Fletcher himself was later indicted by a grand jury for three misdemeanors: conspiracy, official misconduct and political discrimination. All were related to the merit system investigation. On August 24, 2006, Fletcher reached a deal with the Attorney General's office that led to the dismissal of the charges in exchange for Fletcher's acknowledgement that "the evidence strongly indicates wrongdoing by his administration with regard to personnel actions within the merit system. Further, the governor hereby states that these actions were inappropriate and that he regrets their occurrence and accepts responsibility for them as head of the executive branch of state government." (See Ernie Fletcher: Merit system investigation) Fletcher's current approval rating as of March 12, 2007 is at 32% [2], putting him among the lowest governors in the nation.

[edit] Candidates

[edit] Republican

Ernie Fletcher - Incumbent Governor of Kentucky, 2003-Present; Former U.S. Representative for Kentucky's 6th congressional district, 1999-2003.

Running mate: Robbie Rudolph.

Billy Harper - Businessman from West Paducah.

Running mate: Dick Wilson.

Anne Northup - Former U.S. Representative for Kentucky's 3rd congressional district, 1997-2007.

Running mate: Kentucky State House of Representatives Minority Leader Jeff Hoover.

[edit] Democratic

Steve Beshear - Former Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky, 1983-1987; former Attorney General of Kentucky, 1979-1983; former St. Representative, 1974-1979; Democratic nominee for United States Senate, 1996.

Running mate: St. Senator Daniel Mongiardo, 2001-Present

Gatewood Galbraith - Attorney, Frequent Candidate.

Running mate: Mark Wireman

Steve Henry - Former Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky, 1995-2003; finished third in the Democratic primary for the United States Senate in 1998.

Running Mate: Fayette County Property Valuation Administrator Renee True

Otis Hensley - Private contractor from Wallins Creek, Kentucky who received 3% of the vote in the Democratic primary in 2003.

Running mate: Richard Robbins

Bruce Lunsford - prominent Louisville businessman; unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Kentucky in 2003 (dropped out prior to the election)