Published: June 23, 2009 09:37 am      

Williams is out — 06/23/09

Both parties still have strong candidates for the Senate seat

If Kentucky Republicans choose someone besides incumbent Jim Bunning as their candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2010, it won’t be Kentucky Senate President David Williams. The Burkesville Republican — the most influential Republican in Frankfort — announced earlier this week that he would not challenge Bunning for the Senate seat. Instead, Williams said he will seek re-election to his seat in the Kentucky Senate.

That’s the right decision for both Williams personally and for the Kentucky Republican Party.

Williams would be surrendering a lot of political clout by moving from being leader of the GOP majority in the Kentucky Senate to being among the newest and least influential members of the U.S. Senate. In addition, Williams’ Kentucky Senate is considered a “safe” one, and if he seeks re-election in 2010, his re-election is almost a certainty.

However, Williams would be taking a huge political risk by challenging Bunning. He could well lose to the Hall of Fame baseball pitcher in the GOP primary, and even if he doesn’t, Williams would be opposed by a strong Democrat in the November election.

While Williams has been extremely successful in advancing the Republican agenda in Frankfort, he also has been controversial and is disliked by many in Kentucky. From our vantage point, David Williams has as many — if not more — negatives than Bunning.

If Bunning, who will be 79 next year, decides he can’t win and chooses not to seek a third Senate term, Republicans have a strong candidate waiting in the wings in Secretary of State Trey Grayson. In contrast to Williams, Grayson has a reputation in Frankfort of being able to work with both parties to advance his programs.

Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo and Attorney General Jack Conway are the leading Democrats vying for Bunning’s seat. They are both strong candidates with bright political futures. Regardless of whether it is Mongiardo or Conway who is nominated to face either Bunning or Grayson in November of 2010, the people of Kentucky will have good candidates from which to choose. Democracy is best served when people are given a choice between good, strong candidates. That seems certain to happen in next year’s U.S. Senate race in Kentucky.