On election night 2004, Democrat Dan Mongiardo was beating incumbent repug U.S. Senator Jim Bunning by four points with the majority of Eastern Time Zone precincts reporting. Even including Bunning's home area of Northern Kentucky, Mongiardo was well ahead.
Then the polls closed in the Central Time Zone, in Western Kentucky. And precinct by precinct, Mongiardo's lead evaporated. He lost by 2 percentage points.
Outside the repug stronghold of the Old Fifth in South-Central Kentucky, Western Kentucky has been the biggest thorn in the side of progressives struggling to paint the Commonwealth blue again.
New Democratic Governor Steve Beshear, a native Western Kentuckian himself, made huge inroads last year by carrying almost every western county.
But that was a native son in a state race. How would a Louisville Democrat fare in a race for federal office? Say, for instance, Andrew Horne running against Mitch McConnell?
The first indicators are in, and they speak well for Horne's chances.
In a piece arguing that Horne will beat Mitch, MediaCzech at BlueGrassRoots cites as evidence positive comments about Horne from a moderately conservative blogger in Western Kentucky.
In a post titled "Col. Horne plays well in Western Kentucky," the Underground Rooster writes:
As a Conservative on most issues, I'm known for being a hard sell for Democrats trying to get elected down here but I will have to admit that I found Col. Andrew Horne very appealing ....
It is still a little early but I think Col. Andrew Horne may have enough matches in his box to start a big fire down here in Western Kentucky.
MediaCzech comments:
People are fed up with politics as usual in Washington .... Lt. Col. Andrew Horne is the candidate that they will be looking for. Honesty, integrity, experience and straight-talk. That's what will cut into McConnell's support in Western Kentucky and other rural or "conservative" areas.
Mitch may have been in office for 24 years, but don't think Western Kentuckians have forgotten he's a city boy from Louisville. Nor will the many voters with connections to the army base at Fort Campbell fail to make comparisons between Marine Lt. Col. Horne's Iraq combat experience and Mitch's Vietnam-era discharge for bad eyes.
If Horne can win over Western Kentucky, he'll wipe the floor with Mitch in November.
Cross-posted at Blue in the Bluegrass.
