DCCC

State Sen. Brett Guthrie (R-Bowling Green) is leading state Sen. David Boswell (D-Sorgho) 53 to 43 percent according to the latest public polling of the 2nd Congressional District race from SurveyUSA, commissioned by WHAS-TV and Roll Call. Guthrie has increased his lead by one point in polling from that firm when compared to figures released 13 days ago, though Boswell's camp says the newest result is an outlier.

Four percent were undecided in the poll of 587 "likely voters" conducted on Oct. 27 and 28. The margin of error on the poll is plus or minus four percent.

Each age demographic breaks in favor of Guthrie, as well as both gender demographics. Male respondents favor Guthrie 54 to 45 percent, and females support Guthrie over Boswell at a rate of 53 to 41 percent.

There is some crossover evident in the 2nd District, as Boswell is polling a full eight points better than Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama while Guthrie falls nine points short of the mark hit by Republican nominee John McCain. McCain leads in the 2nd, 62 to 35 percent.

The National Republican Congressional Campaign is on the air in Kentucky's 2nd Congressional District with an ad hitting state Sen. David Boswell (D-Owensboro) on the economy and tax policy.

"When David Boswell had the chance to bring badly needed auto manufacturing jobs to our communities, he failed. He called it ‘amost a blessing,'" says the narrator in the spot.

As reported by Owen Covington of the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, the NRCC spot hit the air wednesday in the three markets in the 2nd district. The NRCC supported that claim by referring to a 2005 Louisville Courier-Journal article reportedly about incentives used to attract auto plants.

"When you raise the bar so high, it's almost a blessing when you don't get the plant," said Boswell in that article, which suggested the Democrat said the attitude over landing auto plants "isn't one of win at any cost.

Covington has more on his blog.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee jumped in the race on Boswell's behalf earlier, launching a series of controversial ads targeting Boswell's opponent, state Sen. Brett Guthrie (R-Bowling Green), on trade and the economy.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee says it commissioned a poll that shows 2nd Congressional District candidate and state Sen. David Boswell (D-Owensboro) up 47 to 41 percent over state Sen. Brett Guthrie (R-Bowling Green).

The DCCC poll was conducted by Benenson Strategy Group on Oct. 20 and 21, according to a brief DCCC release circulated today. 401 "likely" voters were surveyed for the poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percent.

The release also claims respondents favored a Democratic candidate to a Republican on a "generic ballot" question, 44 to 43 percent.

State Sen. Brett Guthrie (R-Bowling Green): Politicker photo

CAMPBELLSVILLE - State Sen. Brett Guthrie (R-Bowling Green) took the podium at the first two stops of U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell's (R-Louisville) "Victory Bus Tour" today and struck back at attacks made against him in the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's recent ads in the 2nd Congressional District race.

"They are attacking the American dream because they have nothing left to offer," said Guthrie during remarks at the Creekside Restaurant in Campbellsville.

Guthrie spent part of his speaking time in both Campbellsville and Greensburg charging that the DCCC ads which accused his family company of "shipping manufacturing work to Mexico" were "lies," noting that the company - Trace Die Cast - manufacturers all its parts in the 2nd District.

The DCCC's charges against Guthrie have been perhaps the central point of contention in Guthrie's contest against state Sen. David Boswell (D-Owensboro). The DCCC hit the airwaves late last month with its first salvo in the race - an ad to which Guthrie's camp immediately objected, calling its charges about Mexico "false and libelous."

Since then, Guthrie has frequently referenced the ad on the campaign trail and rebutted its charges in television ads. At the same time, his discussion of the context of the ad has evolved from outright objection to an extended discussion of his family business.  

At both stops on the bus tour today, Guthrie talked about the background of Trace, a Bowling  Green auto parts company he said was founded by his father after he lost his job. Guthrie called Trace's growth part of "the American Dream" and asserted the ads were assailing that notion.

"When you see the ads tearing down our business ...that's what they are attacking," said Guthrie in Greensburg. "America is not about attacking success. America is about promoting success."

State Sen. Brett Guthrie's (R-Bowling Green) hometown newspaper, the Bowling Green Daily News, has again printed an editorial slamming the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's advertising efforts in Kentucky's 2nd Congressional District.

The latest editorial from the paper - circulated by Guthrie's campaign today - calls on Guthrie's opponent, state Sen. David Boswell (D-Owensboro), to  "tell the DCCC to pull" the ads immediately.

The editorial echoes points made by Guthrie and his campaign about the DCCC's ads, which assert that the Republican's family company, Trace Die Cast, of Bowling Green, "shipped work to Mexico."

"The truth of the matter is that Trace had a contract to make a part and ship it to Mexico," reads the editorial. "All of the work was done at Trace Die Cast by employees of the company and shipped to Mexico and the part didn’t come back to Trace Die Cast."

"Mr. Boswell, who has been in politics for a long time, should no better than this [sic]," it continues. "He is allowing the DCCC, which knows nothing about the 2nd Congressional District in Kentucky, to run these ads that distort an American success story embodied in the Guthrie family."

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's ad targeting state Sen. Brett Guthrie (R-Bowling Green) is back on the airwaves of WAVE-TV in Louisville, several days after the station yanked an initial cut of the ad that had Guthrie's camp up in arms.

The DCCC's spot is slightly edited from the original version, modifying the line that drew the ire of Guthrie and his allies.

Whereas the earlier version of the spot asserted that Guthrie's family company "shipped manufacturing work to Mexico, instead of doing the job here," the recut version of the ad trims the claim.

Now, the ad only claims Guthrie's family company "shipped work to Mexico."

Updated, 9:25pm, with Guthrie camp's response

Shortly after state Sen. David Boswell’s (D-Owensboro) campaign blasted the efforts of allies of state Sen. Brett Guthrie’s (R-Bowling Green) to halt the airing of an ad sponsored by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Guthrie’s camp threw another jab at Boswell.

Guthrie's campaign did not take kindly to the sentiment from Boswell's side that complaints about the DCCC ad that alleged Guthrie’s company “shipped manufacturing work to Mexico” were “squawks and squeals.” In response, Guthrie’s campaign manager responded by again hammering on Guthrie’s business background and alleging that Boswell had something to do with the recent closure of his former place of employment - the Executive Inn in Owensboro.

"Brett is proud to help create jobs for hundreds of workers here in Kentucky," said Brian Smith. "Is David Boswell proud to have cost hundreds their jobs in Owensboro?"

Boswell was employed in sales and as marketing director at the Executive Inn. That facility closed in June shortly after a company that purchased the hotel announced it could no longer afford to pay its staff.

Boswell’s campaign labeled that statement by Smith as “baseless” and again turned back to the criticism of Trace Die Cast, the company founded by Guthrie’s father where the Republican candidate is currently employed.

"Another baseless attack from a desperate Guthrie campaign,” said Boswell’s senior advisor, Mark Riddle.

With allies of state Sen. Brett Guthrie (R-Bowling Green) pushing to have the Democratic Congressional Campaign Commmittee's recent ad in the 2nd Congression District pulled, WAVE 3 TV in Louisville complied yesterday evening.

WAVE 3's general manager Steve Langford told PolitickerKY.com the spot was off the air and out of rotation.

"It was on the advice of counsel," said Langford.

The ad in question references Trace Die Cast - a company founded by Guthrie's father where the candidate is employed as a vice-president. The DCCC alleges in the spot that Trace “shipped manufacturing work to Mexico, instead of doing the job here.”

Guthrie's camp objected to that line, claiming Trace did not outsource any work to Mexico and only sold products to Mexican companies. Attorneys from both the Republican National Congressional Committee and Trace asked for the ads to be pulled from the airwaves, calling them "false and libelous," and threatening legal action if the spots were not pulled.

Amid wrangling over the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s newest advertising efforts in the 2nd Congressional District, Republican candidate and state Sen. Brett Guthrie, of Bowling Green, launched his second ad of the campaign today that finds the candidate in the very place where yesterday’s ad controversy centered.

The latest Guthrie spot – entitled “heat” – was filmed at Trace Die Cast, the Bowling Green automotive parts company Guthrie’s father founded. In the opening shot, Guthrie is shown on the floor of the factory holding a piece of aluminum.

“Our factory changes this aluminum into this auto part. How do we change it? Heat – 1300 degrees,” said Guthrie. “It’s going to take some heat to change Congress, too.”

Guthrie is described as “businessman” and a “conservative” by a narrator during the thirty-second spot as images of him in the factory are displayed.

Congressional candidate Brett Guthrie: Campaign PhotoAmid reports that state Sen. David Boswell’s (D-Owensboro) bid to take the open 2nd Congressional District seat will be added to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s Red-to-Blue target list, the campaign of opponent state Sen. Brett Guthrie (R-Bowling Green) released a statement blasting the move as an indication Boswell would align himself with liberal interests.

"David Boswell is now beholden to Nancy Pelosi,” said Brian D. Smith, campaign manager for Guthrie, referring to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Cali.). “She is buying his vote for speaker, and his support for her liberal agenda which includes pro-choice, anti-oil drilling and higher tax legislation.”

Though no official announcement has been made about Boswell’s inclusion on the DCCC’s list, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported yesterday that Boswell’s campaign manager, Bill Cox, said the news was forthcoming.

"Perhaps David Boswell will now finally admit to Kentucky's conservative Democrats that he can't exist in this race or in Congress without Nancy Pelosi,” said Guthrie. “He will now be taking money from the most liberal donors in America as directed by Pelosi.”