National rumblings for Boswell camp as fundraiser with Ford and Hoyer in planning stages

After being omitted from two rounds of television ad buys by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the campaign of state Sen. David Boswell (D-Owensboro) is finally rallying some national attention for their efforts in the 2nd Congressional District race.

According to campaign advisor Jim Cole, a fundraiser hosted by former governor and U.S. Sen. Wendell Ford (D-Owensboro) and U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland) is in the works for Boswell.

Ford currently holds the record as Kentucky's longest serving U.S. senator, having held that office for four terms until his retirement in 1998, while Hoyer packs his own fundraising punch as the second-ranking U.S. House Democrat.

Boswell is aiming to end a fourteen-year Republican hold on the 2nd District, which is open after current incumbent U.S. Rep. Ron Lewis (R-Cecilia) announced his retirement in January.

The fundraising help from two high-profile Democrats is a welcome sign for Boswell's campaign.

Details for the event are not yet confirmed, but it could bolster a campaign significantly behind in the fundraising race. At the end of June, state Sen. Brett Guthrie's campaign (R-Bowling Green) held over $660,000 in cash-on-hand, compared to just $45,000 for Boswell.

Still, there has been some encouraging news for Boswell. In the only public polling on the race yet released, Boswell held a 47 percent to 44 percent lead over Guthrie, though that lead is within the poll's margin of error.

Guthrie's camp rejected the poll as having "no credibility," arguing it did not account for the dividends their candidate's fundraising advantage would yield after projected advertising buys.

The DCCC seemed to initially follow the logic of that argument by excluding Boswell's race from its own television ad-buys on two occasions. Boswell's race is also not on the organization's "Red to Blue" list - a selection of Republican-held districts the DCCC views as vulnerable to Democratic takeover.

Instead, the 2nd District competition was categorized as an "emerging race" by the DCCC.

Cole noted the fundraiser with Ford and Hoyer will be the first show of support from national Democrats for Boswell's campaign.

"We are still developing what help we will get nationally and how that will come to bear," said Cole.

Cole added that fundraising is the "focus" of the Boswell campaign at the present time. A second fundraiser is also being planned in the Shelbyville area.