Grayson attributes party affiliation to Patton, Clinton

Paducah Sun ^ | September 6, 2003 | Bill Bartleman

[Republican Wildcat]

The grandson of a late Paducah merchant faces political veteran Russ Maple Nov. 4 for secretary of state.

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Former President Bill Clinton and Gov. Paul Patton, both Democrats, had a profound effect on Trey Grayson's political life. Grayson grew up in Kenton County where Democrats controlled local offices.

"When I was 18, I registered to vote as a Democrat so that I could vote in the primary," Grayson said. "But I always admired President Reagan and the elder President Bush. And I really knew I was a Republican because I believed in lower taxes, less regulation and less government."

Grayson, 31, considered changing parties, but didn't think a difference in political philosophy mattered as long as he voted for candidates who had similar philosophies. However, he changed his mind when he analyzed the public records of Clinton and Patton.

"Clinton's moral betrayal of the country really bothered me," he said. "And so did Patton's power politics." His dissatisfaction with Clinton and Patton were key factors in his decision in 1997 to switch from Democrat to Republican.

Now, the political newcomer is running in the Nov. 4 election as the Republican nominee for secretary of state. He will face political veteran Russ Maple, a Democrat from Louisville who has been elected to the Jefferson County school board and the Jefferson County Commission.

Grayson said if elected, he would promote election law reform, use electronic technology to make it easier for businesses to apply for licenses and file required reports, and promote teaching civics in public schools.

Grayson met with The Paducah Sun editorial board Friday and attended a "friend-raiser" reception at the River Heritage Museum Friday evening. Today, he'll speak at the St. John Picnic in southern McCracken County. Political speaking begins at 5 p.m.

Grayson's mother, the former Susan Rhodes, is a Paducah native whose late father, John Rhodes, managed the former Rhodes-Burford furniture store downtown. She graduated from Paducah Tilghman High School.

After graduating from Harvard, Grayson was offered a job on Wall Street working for a major accounting firm, but said he turned it down because he didn't want to be part of the "brain drain" of students who left the state.

He said he became committed to Kentucky and helping the state through the Governor's Scholars program that he attended in the summer before his senior year. "I met a lot of students in that program and we talked about the brain drain," he said. "We decided we didn't want to leave the state, but wanted to stay here after college and help make Kentucky better."

After Harvard, he received the first Bert Combs scholarship to the University of Kentucky College of Law. It paid all expenses plus $5,000 living allowance. After graduation in 1998, he went to work with a major law firm, but took a leave of absence in March to devote more time to the race for secretary of state. He was unopposed in the Republican primary.

He has been active with the Kentucky Advocates for Higher Education, the Kentucky Educational Television Fund for Excellence board, the Governor's Scholars program, and the Kentucky Center for Public Issues. He is a 2002 graduate of Leadership Kentucky.

[martin_fierro]

These sad excuses for men repulse me, too.

[the irate magistrate]

Thanks for the excellent thread Wildcat.

Trey is a fine young man. I've known him for a few years now.

He's really as good as he appears on the campaign trail.

[Republican Wildcat]

bump!