Fischer camp on Lunsford’s latest ad: ‘Baseless, groundless, spurious’

Senate candidate Greg Fischer (D-Louisville): Politicker Photo

The campaign of Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Greg Fischer (D-Louisville) responded this evening to the latest ad from their primary opponent and frontrunner, Bruce Lunsford (D-Louisville).

"This is obviously a desperate attempt," said Fischer's campaign spokesman, Ken Shapero. "Greg welcomes the ad because it absolutely illustrates the differences between the two candidates."

Lunsford's ad consists of two jabs at Fischer. First is a charge that "Fischer and his family have given thousands to Republicans like George Bush and Mitch McConnell." Secondly, the Lunsford ad argues Fischer's companies were "investigated and fined by the federal government for unsafe working conditions," referencing a series of eight OSHA violations.

While speaking with PolitickerKY.com, Shapero took issue with both accusations on behalf of Fischer.

"These charges are baseless, groundless, and spurious," said Shapero. "The fact is, Greg and his wife have never given a dime to George Bush or Mitch McConnell ever. Between them, they have given $850 over their lifetimes to Republicans."

Documents circulated by the Lunsford campaign confirm the charges were based on these donations and those made by Fischer's father to Bush and McConnell.

Shapero also returned fire at Lunsford, reviving the discussion in Monday's Senate debate over how much each candidate had given to Republicans.

"Since 1990, Bruce Lunsford has given $60,850 to Republicans," said Shapero.

He also pointed to "more than $1,000" in donations made by Lunsford to the campaigns of Bush and McConnell.

"What kind of attack is this?" Shapero asked.

On to OSHA

Shapero also said the reference to workplace safety at Fischer's corporation "gets to the issue of Greg Fischer as CEO and leader of a company."

"We've been trying to do that for months," Shapero said .

One of the OSHA violations cited by Lunsford occurred in 2004, during Fischer's current tenure as CEO of Dant Clayton.

Shapero said Fischer "instituted a safety program" after a 2002 incident, when an employee lost his finger while working at Dant Clayton. The incident occurred shortly after Fischer assumed the role of CEO at Dant Clayton, said Shapero.

According to figures referenced by Shapero, the number of days lost due to injury at Dant Clayton decreased by 85 percent from that 2002 implementation to 2007.

"We're glad [Lunsford] pointed that out, because it illustrates what kind of CEO Greg is," Shapero said.

"Compare that to Bruce Lunsford's tenure as CEO of Vencor," said Shapero, who then referenced charges of patient abuse and Medicare and Medicaid overbilling at the chain of nursing homes founded by Lunsford.

"There is the comparison right there," Shapero said.

Vencor agreed to a $104.5 million settlement with the Federal Government in 2001 over claims of "failure of care" and "overbilling."

Throughout the Democratic Senate race, Lunsford's campaign has argued the settlement entailed no "admission of wrong-doing" on the part of Lunsford or Vencor.

Shapero said the Fischer campaign would be stepping up their own response to Lunsford's ad, likely holding a press conference tomorrow and maintaining "a very aggressive schedule of ads."

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