James Rice

In final public polling before tomorrow's Democratic Senate primary, Louisville businessman Bruce Lunsford has a large lead over opponent Greg Fischer.

According to a SurveyUSA/WHAS poll of 629 likely voters, Lunsford is polling 47 percent support to Fischer's 26. Four percent remain undecided.

Senate candidate Bruce Lunsford (D-Louisville): Politicker photo

LOUISVILLE -- A noontime debate held today between five of the candidates vying for the Democratic Senate nomination found the two front-runners in the race only glancing the questions of party loyalty and corporate responsibility that would be accentuated in the events of the evening.

At today's event - was sponsored by the non-partisan issue group, the Louisville Forum - each candidate was allowed to ask one question to another candidate.

"Not surprisingly, my question is to Bruce," said Fischer.

"You stood in front of a statewide TV audience and clearly said something that is untrue," said Fischer, after outlining the details of the Monday exchange. "I'd like to ask you why you feel like your public record in health care and the Ernie Fletcher administration is not open game in this campaign?"

With exactly a week to go before Kentucky's primary election day, Democratic Senate candidate and Louisville businessman Bruce Lunsford has a sizeable lead over the other six candidates in his bid to secure his party's nomination to take on incumbent Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Louisvile) in November according to two new polls.

A new poll by the New Jersey-based firm SurveyUSA finds Lunsford sitting on an eighteen point lead over his nearest competition, Louisville businessman Greg Fischer. Lunsford holds a 41 to 23 percent advantage over Fischer of the May 20 primary. A Lexington Herald-Leader poll released yesterday evening shows Lunsford up twenty points over Fischer, with a 43 to 23 percent lead.

LEXINGTON - Once the focus of Monday's Democratic Senate debate shifted from issues to the state of the race, some of the ire raised earlier in the campaign re-emerged in earnest.

Discussion inevitably turned towards the ad released by the campaign of Louisville businessman Greg Fischer that revived charges of past business impropriety against front-running Democrat and Louisville businessman, Bruce Lunsford.

Fischer's ad drew ire from several prominent Kentucky Democrats, including U.S. Congressman John Yarmuth (D-Louisville) and Lieutenant Governor Daniel Mongiardo (D-Hazard). Those two were signatories on a letter asking Fischer to stop running the "attack" ads.

During Monday's debate, Fischer defended his decision to run the ad and to target Lunsford's history.

LEXINGTON -- Monday's debate among the seven candidates for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination should have left viewers with a good deal to think about, as some clear issue contrasts were established between the frontrunning candidates, Louisville businessmen Bruce Lunsford and Greg Fischer. Those two also exchanged contentious words over party loyalty and the state of the primary race - a competition punctuated by combative spurts in recent weeks. All the while, the five other candidates in the field tried to stand out from the crowd during the hour-and-a-half-long debate.

The debate - organized and broadcast by public television station KET - was the first debate to include Lunsford.

Lunsford missed a March 12 debate in Louisville due to a scheduling conflict, though that forum - for Louisville-based candidates only- included just Prospect physician Michael Cassaro and Fischer.

With the race for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination winding to a close on May 20, candidates will have two opportunities to distinguish themselves from the field in debates this week.

Tonight, the traditional televised debate on the public television station, KET, will occur at 7pm EST.

All seven of the Democratic candidates are expected to be in attendance for the live event, which will be broadcast from KET's Lexington studios. The debate will also be simulcast on KET's website.

SurveyUSA's latest polls find Louisville businessman Bruce Lunsford and New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton with growing leads atop their respective races. Lunsford's lead in the seven-candidate Democratic Senate primary field grew 5 percent since the last poll by SurveyUSA. That poll gave Lunsford 42 percent support among 572 "likely" Democratic voters.

A new poll of 572 likely Democratic voters by SurveyUSA finds Louisville businessman Bruce Lunsford significantly leading the rest of the Democratic field in the primary race for the U.S. Senate.