big bucks Ben Chandler, Alice Forgy Kerr are campaigning heavily on TV and hardly at all in person

Handshaking his way into a Lexington VFW Post 680 meeting room, Democrat Ben Chandler sat down at a table of veterans and pledged, as political candidates have done forever, to fight for them in Washington.

It was his first public event in the fast-approaching special election to fill Gov. Ernie Flet-cher's old 6th Congressional District seat.

The candidates in this campaign are counting on television advertising, not face-to-face contact, to win votes.

So, as Chandler waved his arms and leaned in to punctuate his promises to the seven veterans, a like number of sound engineers, cameramen and directors buzzed around, recording every move to make yet one more commercial.

Chandler, the former attorney general, and Republican candidate Alice Forgy Kerr, a state senator from Lexington, began broadcasting right after Christmas and could run up to a dozen messages each by Election Day, Feb. 17.

On top of that, national political groups are producing their own barrage of ads, creating the political equivalent of Sweeps Month across Central Kentucky.

Kerr and Chandler both promise more than TV spots -- rallying volunteers, hitting the town halls in the 16 counties of the district and leading get-out-the-vote efforts.

But so far they've scheduled only a handful of public appearances and haven't agreed to a single debate over the next 37 days.

Most of their in-person activities revolve around raising the money needed to produce commercials and buy air time. Each campaign is already spending up to $60,000 a week with the four Lexington TV stations, and could shell out $1 million before the race ends.

They have good reasons. Die-hard supporters are sure to turn out even in a short campaign. What television ads can do is coax casual voters off the couch.

"I think it's important that you connect with them," said Kerr. "I spend time looking into the camera for these commercials and really visualize looking into the faces of my friends' grandparents and the children in this district."

From the beginning of this race in mid-December, neither candidate has been in a rush to debate the other.

Chandler, minutes after being selected as the Democratic candidate, said he would refuse to appear with Kerr if she wouldn't promise to "run a clean, positive campaign."

"I am looking to just run my own campaign," she says when asked about Chandler's challenge. She says he might be "sensitive" on that issue because he has been accused of "negative" campaigning.

Chandler certainly could be seen as an expert on the subject. In the last year, he has run in a primary and general election in which he and opponents at times blistered each other with aggressive commercials.

In this race, he says, he won't fire the first shot but will fight back if Republicans attack.

Kerr has already begun to jab him. In an ad last week, she questioned Chandler's motivation for running for Congress barely a month after losing the race for governor to Fletcher.

"Unlike my opponent, I don't view serving in Congress as a consolation prize, a second choice until something better comes along," she says in the ad.

Chandler said that's not enough to provoke retaliation: he calls it more of a "mischaracterization" than an attack.

"I happen to agree with her on one thing -- it's not a consolation prize," he said. "And I'm not treating it as one."

Kerr's latest ad plays up her support of President Bush and again plays off Chandler's failed gubernatorial campaign.

"Unlike her opponent, Alice supported the Bush tax cuts that are now triggering new jobs and economic growth," the announcer says. In the fall, Chandler had complained that the tax cuts helped only the rich.

Last fall, the group that launched the most controversial ads was a national GOP organization based in Washington. Such groups will play a major role in this television competition as well.

The National Republican Congressional Committee began running an ad touting Kerr last week.

That could mean aggressive commercials, funded and produced by the out-of-state groups, are coming -- though no one is talking.

Chandler's actions as attorney general could soon "be discussed," said Carl Forti, the-NRCC's spokesman.

"I don't necessarily look at it as negative advertising because we're not out there digging through the guy's trash," Forti said. "He has been around long enough that he should know his record is fair game."

This time Chandler will probably get some help from his national party, which sat out the governor's election.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee wants to support Chandler and is preparing to counteract the national Republican group, said Greg Speed, a spokesman.

At the VFW hall last week, the veterans were caught off guard when Chandler's camera crew showed up unannounced.

"I was surprised," said Vaughn Binzer, who handles events for Post 680. "I understood that it was possible some TV stations might be there, but that's a different thing."

Binzer had to charge the campaign $125 for using the facility as a backdrop because the VFW, by policy, does not endorse or support political candidates.

It hopes to host a similar forum with Kerr later in the campaign and will charge her, too, if she wants to shoot footage for an ad.

But, remaining diplomatic, Binzer wouldn't say whether he thought Chandler's filming cheapened the event.

Interesting that Chandler is saying he won't debate unless Mrs. Kerr promises to "run a clean, positive campaign." What becomes apparent is Mrs. Kerr, a classy and attractive woman, will be hard for Chandler to attack without people being offended by his beating up on a woman.

The Republicans are energized and will work hard to be sure Mrs. Kerr wins.

"Unlike my opponent, I don't view serving in Congress as a consolation prize, a second choice until something better comes along," she says in the ad.".. GREAT line from Kerr!

Tom Kerr changed parties before the electon.. glad he did, he's a good man who is a conservative.

There are two hugh special elections this year: this one and the Janklow seat in South Dakota. If we can hold both I think I know a few people who will be deeply saddened. :)

saying he won't debate unless Mrs. Kerr promises to "run a clean, positive campaign."

I heard that...typ. liberal play on words...impugning that KERR runs "dirty" campaigns, when "truth, is the best weapon against pernicious statements such as this."

IMHO, The Lexington Herald-(Mis)Leader, rarely, if ever, prints anything positive about the Ky. GOP...except in the Obituary column..they believe in the concept of publishing "mis-truths"...such as "one element of truth ("they're conservatives, therefore..."), surrounded by outright falsehoods"

...be hard for Chandler to attack without people being offended by his beating up on a woman....this will be the only fact, the TLHML will admit to...

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