Tea Party lining up for Moffett in Ky. governor's race, but will it matter?

By Jack Brammer — jbrammer@herald-leader.com
Posted: 12:00am on Apr 4, 2011
Modified: 3:53am on Apr 4, 2011
25 comments

FRANKFORT — Before Kentucky Republicans gather Saturday night in Louisville for their statewide Lincoln Day Dinner, several Tea Party movement members plan to rally in support of Phil Moffett for governor.

"Moffett is the true Tea Party candidate," said Randy Walters, an active member of the East Kentucky Tea Party in Hazard who will be at the Louisville event.

The rally is the latest in a string of signals that members of Kentucky's Tea Party are lining up en masse behind the Louisville businessman, who faces Senate President David Williams and Jefferson County Clerk Bobbie Holsclaw in the May 17 GOP primary for governor. The winner will challenge Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear in the fall.

Despite Moffett's growing grass-roots support, many political observers doubt that the Tea Party can help propel Moffett to victory in the same way it helped lift Bowling Green eye surgeon Rand Paul to the U.S. Senate last year.

"The Tea Party support for Moffett certainly makes the race more interesting, but I don't think it's enough to overcome Williams' advantages," said Joe Gershtenson, director of the Kentucky Institute of Public Governance and Civic Engagement at Eastern Kentucky University.

Williams' advantages, Gersh tenson said, include plentiful campaign funds, wide name recognition and a track record in the public arena.

In addition, the Tea Party's support for Moffett has a different quality from the movement's embrace of Paul, he said.

"In Rand Paul last year, the Tea Party had the foil of President Obama and national Democrats," Gershtenson said. "That made it easier for the Tea Party people to whip up support for their candidate."

Another key difference in the campaigns of Moffett and Paul is money.

"This time last year, Paul had the money to get out his message," said Western Kentucky University political science professor Scott Lasley. "We have not seen that Moffett has that kind of money."

In March, Williams' campaign said it had raised more than $1 million; Moffett's had raised less than $100,000. Holsclaw, who entered the GOP race in late January, declined to say last week how much she has raised. All candidates must report their fund-raising totals to the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance in mid-April.

Moffett is counting on a big financial boost Monday and Tuesday from an Internet "money bomb," a fund-raising strategy Paul used effectively last year. Paul's biggest haul from a money bomb was in August, when he raised more than $436,000 in less than 24 hours.

Walters, of the East Kentucky Tea Party, said he thinks Moffett will have enough resources to spread his message.

"In a way, the Internet has taken away from the amount of money a candidate needs. Tea Party folks communicate a lot through emails. I think all this support is worth at least $1 million," said Walters, who hosts an Internet call-in talk show called Hot Tea.

Walters said his support for Moffett is based on the candidate's call for less government, less taxes, state sovereignty to keep federal government out of the coal business, and growing industrial hemp for economic development.

Mica Sims, a Tea Party organizer in Lexington, said that the public has begun paying more attention to the governor's race and that the grass-roots support of the Tea Party "is now on the move."

"It takes money to run an election, but it takes votes to win," she said. "The votes will be there for Moffett."

Sims expressed disappointment that Paul has not endorsed anyone in the Republican gubernatorial primary.

"He should be for the Tea Party candidate, but at least he hasn't endorsed Williams," she said.

Moffett is picking up endorsements of Tea Party groups in Kentucky and out of state.

The Bowling Green Southern Kentucky Tea Party's executive board unanimously endorsed Moffett, the first endorsement it has ever made.

"Money is always a problem in any campaign, but we have pledged to work for Moffett," said Randy Keller, a founding member of the group that claims 600 to 700 members.

The Louisville Tea Party also has endorsed Moffett.

"We see David Williams as part of the problem in state government," said member Sarah Durand. "It seems Williams can't work with anyone to get a budget in place."

In a recent straw poll by the Northern Kentucky Tea Party, one of the more active in the state, Moffett got 51 votes and Williams 47. Holsclaw received two votes.

"I think you will see a lot of organizing and fund-raising in these next six weeks for Moffett by Tea Party members across the state," said Cathy Flaig, president of the Northern Kentucky Tea Party.

The Moffett campaign last week played up an endorsement from an out-of-state group with close ties to the Tea Party, the Nevada-based Western Representation Political Action Committee. Its chairman is former Alaska Senate candidate Joe Miller.

Bryan Shroyer, a spokesman for the group, said the group has more than 250,000 supporters and will encourage members to contribute to Moffett's campaign. He said that the PAC will contribute $1,000 to Moffett and that Miller might be in the state to campaign for him.

"What you are seeing with the Tea Party is a groundswell of support that's going to make the difference in this race," said David Adams, Moffett's campaign manager.

But not all Tea Party supporters favor Moffett over Williams.

"I think every conservative should get behind Williams, and it's a mistake to disparage him," said David A. Dickerson of Glasgow, an original member of the Barren County Patriots who is volunteering for Williams' campaign.

Dickerson said Williams should get credit for "keeping a lid on taxes" and "trying to limit runaway spending."

Despite the endorsements, Danny Briscoe, a Democratic political consultant in Louisville, said he does not sense that Moffett has galvanized the Tea Party into action at this point.

"Rand Paul was tremendously helped because his name is Paul," Briscoe said, referring to Paul's father, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, who ran unsuccessfully for president in 2008 and was a darling of the Tea Party.

Williams' campaign manager, Scott Jennings, said Tea Party groups are "free to line up behind whoever," but Williams has the support of most Republicans "because we have the ticket that can beat Beshear in the fall."

Mike Karem, a consultant for Holsclaw's campaign, said the Tea Party has "absolutely no impact" in the Republican race for governor.

"Moffett has been out on the campaign trail for about a year and has raised no money," Karem said. "He has become an imaginary figure that the media has pushed to try to make this a race.

"The Tea Party people saying they are going to make a difference is just a lot of hype. They're huffing a lot, but maybe that's from the industrial hemp they are growing in the fields."

http://www.kentucky.com/2011/04/04/1695 ... ffett.html