Good news and bad news for Boswell camp

The sudden closure of the Executive Inn of Owensboro means possibly difficult economic times for the western Kentucky city, but will also come as bad news for state Senator David Boswell (D-Sorgho), who was employed as sales and marketing director at the facility.

The hotel announced its closure abruptly on Friday afternoon - so abruptly that a representative from Boswell's campaign was not aware of the change when contacted for for comment.

"I didn't have an inkling about that," said Jim Cole, current campaign manager for Boswell's bid for the 2nd Congressional District seat left open by the retirement of U.S Rep Ron Lewis (R-Cecilia).

Both Cole and Boswell are currently out of the state for brief vacations. Cole indicated he would likely contact Boswell to inform him of the closure, if the Senator did not already know.

On the brighter side of things for the campaign, a selection of strategists are being locked in for the race, which is likely to be a high-profile one, given its targeting by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee as a potential pick-up.

While contracts are still being finalized, Cole indicated Boswell's team would likely be joined by pollster Fred Yang, of the Garin-Hart-Yang Research Group. Among other campaigns, Yang previously worked on the campaign of Democratic U.S. Senator Bob Casey's victorious 2006 run in Pennsylvannia as well as the campaign that sent U.S. Rep Baron Hill (D-Indiana) back to Congress in that same year.

Cole also said the campaign was likely to bring on David Browne, a television and media consultant.

The campaign also will soon bring on a fundraising consultant and campaign manager, as Cole said he will step back into an advising role for the race.

In addition, Cole said he would soon head to Washington, D.C. to meet with representatives from the DCCC and prominent labor unions.

Amid the news that Boswell's opponent, state Senator Brett Guthrie (R-Bowling Green), had raised $600,000 in his bid for the 2nd District thus far, Cole indicated the Boswell campaign was planning a series of fundraisers in the forthcoming weeks and said financial figures should be available soon.