Conway won't challenge Northup in '04: GOP surge in state factor in decision

The Courier-Journal ^ | November 18, 2003 | Al Cross

[Republican Wildcat]

Louisville lawyer Jack Conway said yesterday that he would not make a second bid for the 3rd Congressional District seat next year, leaving Jefferson Circuit Clerk Tony Miller as the likeliest Democratic challenger for Republican Rep. Anne Northup.

Conway lost to Northup by 3.2 percentage points last year in his first race for public office. He said yesterday that his chances in a rematch were not good and that he feared that a second loss in as many attempts would damage his political career.

[JohnnyZ]

Northup = RINO. This keeps a check mark in the Republican isle, but not much else.

How is someone who is solidly pro-life, solidly pro-gun, solidly conservative, a RINO?

She'd make a great US Senator.

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

given the fact I'm 34 years old and have my future ahead of me,

.... and where does he think most people's future is? ..... dumb a$$........

[Impy]

We'd probably lose that seat without her though. Does Ritchie Farmer live in her district? I think he carried it.

She'll keep it as long as she wants, she's a strong campiagner and her seat isn't THAT rat-leaning.

Too bad that she's stinkin' RINO though with her puny Connie Morella-like 85% ACU rating. ;-p

[JohnnyZ]

I think Rebecca Jackson(?), who lost is the guv primary, lives in that district. She'd be a strong candidate.

[Bluegrass Federalist]

Ha. Richie lives about as far, politically speaking, from Northup's district as he can get. Richie is from a mountain county, while Northup represents the biggest urban area in the state - Louisville. Yes, her district is Rat-leaning, more so than any other in the state. When she took it, it had been a looong time since the GOP had held it.

[Kuksool]

Due to redistricting, the KY-03 is no longer an urban based district. It covers the suburbs of Jefferson County as well. Without these suburbs, Northup would lose.

[Zipporah]

"He also noted what he called a lack of a commitment by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to again make the race a top priority."

Interesting... I suppose they are focusing on the presidential race. *..and they'll need a LOT of focus considering the candidates..*

Longtime (and conservative) Democrat Tom Kerr changed parties just prior to the election. He saw the writing on the wall..

[Holden Magroin]

Do you think Chandler will run for Congress? What would his chances be against Kerr?

[Republican Wildcat]

I would not say "solidly pro-gun". She's not anti-gun, either, but not exactly a 2nd amendment champion. That's about the only problem I have with her. Otherwise she is quite conservative, and she represents a somewhat liberal district. She's as good a conservative as we could hope for to represent Louisville.

[Republican Wildcat]

I think that's an excellent record for the district she represents. She's pro-life and votes to cut taxes. If you can get someone out of that district that can consistently win with those qualities, you've got a real prize.

[Republican Wildcat]

I don't think he is going to run, but even if he did, his negatives are rather high in that district. He'd look like an also-ran at that point...besides, he lost the district by a wide margin. I think I'd still give Senator Kerr the advantage with that match-up.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

What they did was shove the Third Congressional District to the northeast, and tossed the South and Southeast parts of Jefferson County out to the Second. It accomplished two things - made the GOP competitive in Louisville despite itself, and forced the Second District Congressman to be concerned about more than farm subsidies and tobacco support in order to pacify people from Southern suburbs as well as commuters from Bullitt and Spencer County.

They managed to make a silk purse from the sows ear when the state lost the 7th CD.

[Republican Wildcat]

Yes, Rebecca Jackson is in that district. She was the Judge-Executive for Jefferson County from 1998-2002, and served 8 years as the county clerk before that. When she ran for re-election for county clerk she got 74% of the vote, a rather miraculous margin for a Republican to win in Jefferson County. I think she is about the same age as Northup.

[Republican Wildcat]

I don't really know how the House districts overlap with the Senate districts, so I could't say for certain who would go for it, if a House member sought the seat.