Owensboro International BBQ Fest: Democratic Senate candidates

OWENSBORO -- With just over a week to go until the May 20 primary election, the Owensboro International BBQ Festival's political forum gave four of the seven Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate a chance to hone their stump speeches for their campaigns' final pushes. Prospect physician Michael Cassaro, Manchester Attorney Ken Stepp, and fellow Louisville businessmen Greg Fischer and Bruce Lunsford all made the journey to Owensboro on Saturday to greet barbeque lovers and present their case to area voters.

Bruce Lunsford's Speech

With a speaking order determined by a random drawing, Lunsford kicked off the portion of the program dedicated to the Senate campaign.

Lunsford commenced his speech by reaching out to the local crowd, referencing his work with stock car driver and Owensboro native Darrell Waltrip on the founding of the Kentucky Speedway.

The candidate and current frontrunner in the Democratic field kept most of the speech focused on his history and the opponent he hopes to face in November - incumbent Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Louisville).

"People talked about this war chest that Mitch McConnell has: ‘How do you expect to beat someone with a war chest of maybe 25 mil of which -- having such little record to stand on -- will be mostly spent destroying you?'" said Lunsford.

Bruce Lunsford (D-Louisville) at the Owensboro International BBQ Festival

"I thought those are pretty long odds. But, I spent my life playing odds," Lunsford continued. "I grew up in a small town, in a union household... And my dad had a saying that you could go from the outhouse to the penthouse in America."

McConnell: A 'City Slicker?'

Lunsford also touched on his business record - a subject that has been under fire from his opponent Fischer, who released an advertisement targeting allegations of impropriety at Lunsford's Vencor corporation.

When discussing this record, Lunsford stressed connections to the Commonwealth.

"All the companies that I've started and been involved in, they were started and built in Kentucky. And they are still around today. They still hire thousands of Kentuckians. Their home base is still here and they still pay taxes," said Lunsford.

When asked after the debate why he stressed those Kentucky roots, Lunsford said it was to contrast himself with his current and prospective opponents.

"I would say that from my standpoint, 60 years and I've never been anywhere else. So everything I have done has really been built out of here. I consider myself a rural Kentuckian," Lunsford told PolitickerKY.com. "The candidate I am running against in November is a city slicker. I am dealing with the same thing in this race a little bit. I think I understand and relate to the agricultural community maybe as well as anybody that has run for United States Senator in a long time. Neither of our two present Senators has much feel what a farmer goes through. I was raised my entire life on a farm."

Michael Cassaro on the race

Lunsford was followed by Michael Cassaro, a candidate with a relatively active campaign that has struggled to gain traction in the polls. Cassaro addressed his positioning among the candidate field during his speech and encouraged voters to redefine their perspective on the race.

"This campaign is about who is the most qualified. It's not about who has the most money. I know you are not going to make your decision based on poll hype, or the number of tree-killing signs on every corner, or the number of commercials there are," said Cassaro. "Look at each candidate's life, look at what he does, look at his qualifications and his credentials...Among us, which candidate is most able to beat Mitch McConnell on the issues? "

Michael Cassaro (D-Prospect) at the Owensboro International Barbeque Festival

Fischer and Lunsford are both multi-millionaire businessmen who have been waging a competitive television ad war in recent weeks.

During his remarks on Saturday, Cassaro categorized himself as "a small business owner - emphasis on small business."

After the forum, Cassaro noted his campaign would soon be up on the airwaves in its own right. The candidate says three different commercials have already been produced.

Fischer claims momentum

Candidate Fischer took the stage third. While his campaign has garnered a good deal of attention - both positive and negative - for its attacks on Lunsford's record, Fischer's stump speech largely centered on a presentation of issues and jabs at McConnell.

Fischer referenced the Iraq war and health care before touching on energy issues.

"We have lost our freedom as the United States of America because we are dependent on hostile areas of the world for our energy sources," said Fischer. "Yet George Bush and Mitch McConnell are silent on this. It's an area where we need leadership. They should be yelling from the mountaintops that we need our independence back."

Greg Fischer (D-Louisville) at the Owensboro International Barbeque Festival

Fischer also referenced the encounters he had with voters during his campaign's travel around the state.

"Over the last 3 months or so I have been travelling our great state... 20,000 miles in the last 3 months. I am hearing the same issues all around the state and I am seeing the same determination all around the state. So, I do have hope....People just want government back to focus on us," said Fischer.

The candidate did still make veiled references to Lunsford's history - which Fischer's campaign has been charging is laden with "baggage" in recent weeks.

"We need a candidate who is a clear contrast to Mitch McConnell. I believe I am that candidate," said Fischer. "I've got a clean political record... I am the candidate that you can trust."

Fischer also seemingly referenced the boost his campaign has received in recent polls, which show he has cut Lunsford's lead from a high of 38 points to 19 points in the most recent polls.

"Our campaign has tremendous momentum right now and it has shaken up the establishment," said Fischer. "But I am not running for this office to please the establishment. I am running for this office for the people of Kentucky."

A challenge to the field from Stepp

Kenneth Stepp closed the Senate portion of the program with a speech touching on a number of policies, including his support of the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act - legislation he argued Senator McConnell halted.

"Mitch McConnell and his threat of the filibuster killed that bill," said Stepp.

Stepp said he pledged to withdraw troops from Iraq by December 2007 during his 2006 run for Kentucky's Fifth District. Stepp argued this made him the "most outspoken candidate about what we should do about the war."

Stepp also touched on the issue of party unity during his speech, amid the intra-party battling between Lunsford and Fischer.

"You have seven men campaigning for United States Senator from Kentucky in the Democratic primary," said Stepp. "I also pledge to you, whichever person wins the Democratic primary and is the Democratic nominee in November, I'll vote for that person in November. I challenge the other Democratic candidates to make that same statement."

Democratic Senate candidates Bruce Lunsford (D-Louisville) and Greg Fischer (D-Louisville) on stage at the Owensboro International BBQ Festival