CQ POLITICS NEWS
March 4, 2010 – 12:16 a.m.
Testing a Court Decision and Campaign Clout
By John McArdle, CQ-Roll Call
Six weeks after the Supreme Court sent shock waves through the political world by lifting long-held bans on corporate and union involvement in federal elections, one district is looking ripe for the new rules to be put into play.
Now that the case of Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission has opened the door for outside groups to spend unlimited sums on television advertising and other campaign expenditures in federal races, some Kentucky insiders believe that Democratic Rep. Ben Chandler ’s 6th district will be the test case.
“If I were a corporation or if I had an interest in communicating to voters about an easily understood vote, something that’s well known, in a geographic area that certainly understands the real world economic implications, I can’t think of a better place than Lexington and the 6th Congressional District,” said Scott Jennings, a longtime Kentucky GOP political operative, who currently serves as a senior strategist at Peritus Public Relations.
Here’s one way the scenario might play out.
With its vast underground coal reserves, eastern Kentucky’s Appalachian Coal Basin is home to most of the approximately 500 coal mines that dot the state. The mining industry employs some 18,000 Kentuckians and is a well-funded player when it comes to state politics.
And while there are no active mines in the 6th district — Eastern Kentucky’s major coal reserves reside further east in Republican Rep. Harold Rogers ’ 5th district — the 6th, which includes Lexington, still contains a sizable number of companies and families that rely on the coal industry. Lexington is even home to the offices of the Kentucky Coal Association.
And the coal industry was particularly irked by Chandler’s vote last year to support the House cap-and-trade bill, which it believes to be a direct attack on their bottom line. In some parts of the state the legislation is referred to as the major front in President Barack Obama ’s “war on coal.”
The 6th is a classic swing district that voted for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) by 12 points in the 2008 presidential race. What’s more, one of Chandler’s potential challengers has deep ties to the coal industry.
It’s also relatively cheap to run television ads in the 6th district. So a few million dollars’ worth of coal company-sponored ads dropped into Lexington could have a very big impact.
The 6th is almost entirely contained within Lexington’s media market. In terms of dollars per point, Lexington costs about half as much as the Louisville media market and is on par with the Huntsville market in northern Alabama.
If they can knock off Chandler, coal and other energy companies opposed to cap-and-trade legislation would have a scalp to hold up as a warning for other members who vote against energy interests.
“This district is not unique,” Jennings said. “There were a few other districts around the country where you had Democrats in relatively conservative districts voting for cap-and-trade.”
However, “with [the 6th district] being so close to Kentucky coal fields, and this district being home to a lot of people who are affected by the coal industry, I thought [cap-and-trade] was politically a dangerous vote [for Chandler] and certainly it’s even more dangerous in light of the Supreme Court ruling,” Jennings said.
Kentucky coal industry insiders say no decision has yet been made on how — or even if — they will get involved in Chandler’s re-election race.
“We have not as an association discussed that issue yet,” said David Moss, vice president of the Kentucky Coal Association. “Our association has not collectively analyzed whether we would have a role in the campaign.”
Chandler’s office did not return phone calls, but even some Democratic operatives acknowledge a storm is brewing when it comes to him and the coal industry.
“He better find a way to get right with coal ... because they are going to do something,” said one Kentucky Democratic insider. “He’s looking at six figures minimum. The question of whether it’s $300,000 or $1 million” depends on whether Chandler can blunt some of the fury that his cap-and-trade vote incited.
But third-party interests alone likely won’t be enough to defeat Chandler, a four-term member who is the grandson of former Gov. A.B. Chandler, who also served in the Seante. Chandler had nearly $1.6 million in cash on hand as of Dec. 31.
“He has cast some votes that are completely out of line with that district. That said, he is in a fairly strong position in that district and he works it pretty hard by going home and being known and of course his name is very, very well known both from his own statewide races and his family’s legacy there,” one Bluegrass State GOP operative said.
The operative said the other ingredients for a Chandler defeat are a national environment that continues to favor Republicans this fall and a strong GOP challenger.
Right now the top two Republicans in the primary are attorney Andy Barr and retired coal company executive Mike Templeman.
Barr, 36, is a one-time deputy general counsel to former Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher. He joined the race last fall and raised just under $120,000 during the fourth quarter of 2009, ending the year with $290,000 in cash on hand. Among his receipts was a $500 contribution on Dec. 31 from CoalPac, one of two political action committees managed by the National Mining Association.
Templeman, 62, stepped down last fall from his post as CEO of Energy Coal Resources. He is a former state trooper who has worked in the coal and natural gas industry as well as in the commercial development sector. He jumped into the race on the last day of filing in January.
Templeman said this week that he’s running as a businessman and “non-traditional candidate” whereas Barr is “a professional politician. He spent his whole lifetime trying to be in office.”
One Kentucky Republican strategist who isn’t working for either campaign said Barr has done a good job of getting out early and rounding up much of the establishment support in the state — but Templeman may have some room to run as the outsider.
“Andy can recite the talking points that the [National Republican Congressional Committee] sent out, but Mike can actually talk with a business owner about how a piece of legislation is going to affect his operations,” the strategist said.
One thing that may hurt Templeman in the GOP primary is the fact that among the many political contributions he’s given over the years, a few went to Democratic names, including a $1,000 donation last summer to the Senate campaign of state Attorney General Jack Conway.
Barr has taken notice of the issue.
“I am a principled conservative and lifelong Republican, and I’ve consistently supported Republican candidates and causes,” Barr said.
Templeman explained his Democratic donation as simply part of being a good businessman.
“I have given to Democrats, and if I was in business today I would still continue to give to some Democrats. Unfortunately that’s part of doing business in this country,” he said. “There is no businessman in America that’s been in the energy business that’s not done that.”
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