Hillary Clinton

LOUISVILLE -- Arguing against the speculation of many pundits, Kentucky state AFL-CIO president Bill Londrigan told PolitickerKY.com the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), is connecting with many in the Bluegrass State -- including members of his labor coalition.

Rejecting the notion that Obama would struggle with white, working-class voters in the state because of his race, Londrigan said AFL-CIO membership was "a lot more likely to vote for Obama" as he "represents real change, no matter what color he is."

"People are writing off the electorate, but a lot of people are supporting Obama," Londrigan said.

Obama's opponent in Kentucky's May 20 Democratic primary, U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) won the state by more than 35 points. Londrigan, however, pointed to Obama's successes as evidence of the Illinois senator's potential in the state.

What did Hillary Clinton say to Barack Obama to cause him to react in such a concerned way?

And why is Bill Clinton there looking for the fist bump?

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After hammering away at opponent Bruce Lunsford (D-Louisville) for days because of his opposition to increased domestic oil drilling, Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Louisville) has turned his criticism on the issue to a newer, higher-profile target.

Speaking on the Senate floor today, McConnell sezied upon Tuesday comments made by presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama (D-Illinois) during an appearance on cable channel MSNBC, when Obama said he would have preferred a "gradual adjustment" in gas prices.

"Yesterday we heard the Democrat nominee for President suggest that rising gas prices aren't the problem," said McConnell. "The problem, he suggested, is that they've gone up too fast. He said he would prefer a ‘gradual adjustment."

LEXINGTON -- As Kentucky's three undecided superdelegates made the migration today from a precarious fence-sitting position to the camp of now-presumptive Democratic nominee, Illinois Senator Barack Obama, several made overtures calling on Obama to add Senator Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) to his ticket as a Vice Presidential candidate.

Governor Steve Beshear (D-Lexington), who did not endorse as a superdelegate until today, promoted the so-called "dream ticket" of Obama and Clinton, his former opponent in the combative Democratic presidential primary, on two occassions Friday.

"We need to put forth the strongest possible ticket this fall. Therefore, I have written personal letters to both Senator Obama and Senator Clinton, urging Senator Obama to select Senator Clinton as his running mate and urging Senator Clinton to accept any such offer. In my opinion, such a ticket would be unbeatable," said Beshear in the statement circulated Friday by the Kentucky Democratic Party announcing the superdelegate endorsement.

LEXINGTON - Little of the division that stood out at some of the Kentucky Democratic Party's pre-primary events was visible at Friday night's Jefferson-Jackson party fundraiser in Lexington. With the party's nominees for U.S. Senate and the presidential race locked in, the dual goals of the evening seemed to be party unity and a targeting of Republicans, up and down the ballot.

"Why in the world would anyone vote Republican after the eight years that we have experienced?" said Governor Steve Beshear (D-Lexington), the evening's keynote speaker.

Beshear's sentiment was echoed by most of the prominent Democratic politicians who took the podium before him. Each hit optimistic notes about their party's electoral prospects, sounding as if they believed the hype surrounding polls conducted throughout the nation showing Democrats with leads over Republicans in a slew of competitive races.

With today's "decision deadline" set by Democratic National Committee chair Howard Dean looming, Kentucky's three remaining undecided superdelegates have finally made their endorsement in the now-completed Democratic presidential race today.

Governor Steve Beshear (D-Lexington), Kentucky Democratic Party [KDP] Chair Jennifer Moore, and KDP Vice Chair Nathan Smith sat on the fence between the camps of candidates Senator Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.) for weeks following Clinton's 35 point defeat of Obama in Kentucky's May 20 presidential primary.

According to a release dispatched today by the Kentucky Democratic Party, the three superdelegates will vote for Senator Obama at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

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State Rep. Joni JenkinsState Rep. Joni Jenkins (D-Shivley) will challenge the current Speaker Pro-Tem of the Kentucky House of Representatives, Larry Clark (D-Louisville), for his leadership position, according to reports from PageOne Kentucky.

That site printed a letter from Jenkins to her Democratic House colleagues in which she outlines her reasons for running:

Every year, there are successes and there are missed opportunities. This past year, however; there was one overriding issue that adversely affected the entire session - the conflicts within the House Majority Leadership team.

It is very clear to me that the House Democratic Caucus must have a five member leadership team that works together for the benefit of the entire Democratic membership.

For this reason, I am running for the leadership position of Speaker Pro-Tem.