Gov Fletcher Wins Primary in KY

Yet another sign that Republicans aren't quite through getting headlines via corruption scandals, Kentucky's Governor Ernie Fletcher won his primary to give it a shot at a second term.

CQPolitics tells the tale of the tape:

Facing a GOP contest in which his main opponent was recently unseated former Rep. Anne M. Northup, Fletcher won with almost exactly half of the vote. He will be opposed in the general election by Democrat Steve Beshear, a former lieutenant governor, who did just well enough in a six-candidate field to clear the 40 percent threshold needed to avoid a June 26 runoff with the second-place finisher.

With nearly all precincts reporting, Fletcher had 50 percent of the Republican vote. Northup — who last November lost to Democrat John Yarmuth as she bid for a sixth House term in the Louisville-based 3rd District — had 37 percent. Businessman Billy Harper, who spent heavily from his own pockets in his longshot bid, took the remaining 13 percent.

Three way primaries are pretty much a "gimme" to the incumbent...

What's to know about Fletcher's opponent in the general?

Beshear, who served as lieutenant governor in the mid-1980s and prior to that as Kentucky attorney general, was expected to face a runoff election with Lunsford. But Beshear registered a strong vote share in Jefferson County and also ran well in eastern Kentucky — owing in part to his lieutenant governor running mate Daniel Mongiardo, a state senator from that area of the state who nearly upset Bunning as the 2004 Democratic nominee for the Senate.

Beshear said his political background, coupled with his private-sector experience as a lawyer and community banker, made him well-qualified to serve as governor.

He also promoted a plan to expand gambling in Kentucky — already well-established as a center for the nation’s horse-racing industry — which he said would provide a revenue stream of at least $500 million per year to pay for education, health care and transportation improvements.

“We have sent a clear message tonight. And that message is, it is time for some bold, experienced, effective and honest leadership in Frankfort for a change,” Beshear said in his victory speech.

Lunsford vaulted into contention in the Democratic primary on the strength of his deep personal financial resources, which funded television advertisements promoting his views on universal health care and other policy prescriptions that were part of a campaign platform he called “Blueprint for Change.” Lunsford ran on a ticket with state Attorney General Greg Stumbo, whose office investigated Fletcher in the merit-hiring investigation.

This race will be a lot like what I imagine a Strickland v. Taft race would have been like...