04/10/2007
With the Republican and Democratic primaries for governor in the Bluegrass State just six weeks away on May 22, candidates are aggressively courting voters and hitting the airwaves. With a large number of candidates in both party primaries, it is unlikely that any candidate will receive more than 50 percent of the vote, which would force a runoff June 26.
Incumbent Gov. Ernie Fletcher faces two challengers in the Republican primary, as former U.S. Rep. Anne Northup and Paducah businessman Billy Harper have begun television and radio campaigns touting their candidacies. A recent poll by SurveyUSA showed 40 percent favoring Fletcher, 31 percent for Northup and 16 percent for Harper.
The race for the Democratic nomination is even more crowded with seven candidates battling against each other. A SurveyUSA poll showed former Lt. Gov. Steve Henry and businessman Bruce Lunsford each with 20 percent of the support.
Both Northup and state Treasurer and Democratic candidate Jonathon Miller have proposed to repeal the state's controversial alternative minimum tax. The AMT is a high cost for many small businesses, since it is applied regardless of whether or not the business makes a profit. It was enacted as a part of Fletcher's 2005 tax modernization plan.
