Two House Members Bid For Kentucky Senate Seat
By MARK R. CHELLGREN
Associated Press Writer
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) -- One is a sitting congressman, relatively
conservative, 57, and in the baseball Hall of Fame. The other is a
sitting congressman, very conservative, 66, and was captain of his
college basketball team.
But for Republican Jim Bunning and Democrat Scotty Baesler, the
similarities end there. In this year's mid-term elections, they're
candidates in a rare campaign featuring two House incumbents
seeking an open Senate seat.
Four-term Democratic Sen. Wendell Ford is retiring. The
Bunning-Baesler race, first of its kind in Kentucky since 1972, is
drawing attention from both parties as they try to tip the balance
of power in Congress in their favor.
"This race is exactly where we have said it was all along a
dead heat," said Steven Law, executive director of the National
Republican Senatorial Committee.
Bunning, a six-term House member, and Baesler, who is serving
his third term, have parted company on the North American Free
Trade Agreement, regulation of health maintenance organizations,
family leave, the minimum wage, the balanced budget, Social
Security and a host of other topics.
"It sure gives you good comparisons, especially on very
critical issues to the United States of America," Bunning said.
Not all the comparisons are clear-cut, however.
While Baesler voted for NAFTA, he has since said it was a
mistake. Bunning has still beat him up over the NAFTA vote in areas
of the state that have lost thousands of textile jobs this year
alone.
But Bunning, to Baesler's delight, flip-flopped on another
issue.
Bunning was an original co-sponsor of the version of a health
maintenance organization bill the Democrats call the "patients'
bill of rights." He subsequently withdrew his name and now
supports the narrower Republican approach to HMO overhaul.
Social Security has provided another twist.
Bunning is chairman of the Social Security subcommittee in the
House and boasts he has almost single-handedly ensured its
financial solvency, even protecting it from fellow Republicans.
Baesler accuses Bunning of hypocrisy and cites his vote against a
resolution to earmark budget surplus funds for Social Security.
Kentucky, which has a large elderly population, is fertile
ground for those likely voters. Bunning also said he has worked to
keep Medicare intact, while Baesler said Bunning has a poor record
on issues for senior citizens, including a vote against a heating
assistance program for the poor.
"They're good issues. We differ on them all," Baesler said.
Baesler said he is not likely to be adversely affected by
President Clinton's problems in the Monica Lewinsky controversy.
Bunning, who has nine children and 32 grandchildren, is showing no
hesitance to link Baesler to Clinton as he talks about character
and family values.
Baesler often has parted company with the White House and his
own party on House votes. And while he benefited from $400,000
raised by a Clinton appearance in Louisville last month, even the
president went out of his way to emphasize their differences.
Besides, Baesler counters, Bunning has his own ethics cross to
bear Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
"When you vote with big Newt 75 percent of the time, the fella
who pays a $300,000 fine for lying to the Congress, they're not
without their problems," Baesler said, alluding to the financial
penalty Gingrich had to pay to reimburse the House ethics committee
for its investigation of a college course he taught in Georgia.
Money is another difference.
Baesler, who had to wade through a draining primary against two
opponents, including a millionaire who spent $7 million and the
incumbent lieutenant governor, reported only $340,000 on hand at
the end of June. Bunning, who had only a token primary opponent,
had $1.6 million on hand.
Bunning is tall, flinty and almost dapper, with a precise
speaking style. He was elected to baseball's Hall of Fame following
a stellar pitching career during which he had more than 100 wins.
He began in local politics on the Fort Thomas city council, went on
to the state Senate and ran for Congress after a failed campaign
for governor in 1983.
Baesler usually looks a little rumpled, even in suit and tie,
and speaks with little apparent regard for ordinary punctuation or
grammar. He was captain of the University of Kentucky basketball
team. He started in local politics as a Lexington council member,
became mayor and ran for Congress after a failed campaign for
governor in 1991.
(08 Sep 1998 01:23 EDT)
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