The Dan Mongiardo campaign is firing back after the Conway campaign called Mongiardo a hypocrite on Wednesday.
The campaigns are pointing fingers at each other, each with evidence that a fundraiser for the opposing candidate dangled an offer of private access for a premium price.
In the latest salvo, the Mongiardo campaign is providing a copy of the invitation for a Conway fundraiser in Northern Kentucky in May. An insert offers a "private conversation" with the Attorney General in exchange for $1000. Mongiardo's campaign says the handwritten inscription on the insert is from Jack Conway.
It was this same Conway fundraiser that, at the time, prompted Mongiardo's campaign manager Kim Geveden to tell the Cincinnati Enquirer, "You don't have to pay $1 much less $1,000 to have a private conversation with Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo."
The host of the Conway fundraiser, former Kentucky Democratic Party Vice-Chairman Nathan Smith explained that "multi-tiered contribution levels" with perks for big donors are very common, adding "I would like for Kim Geveden to spend more time running a campaign and less time attacking me," Smith said. "He hasn't been real successful in some of his past races."
Ouch.
Fast forward three months to Wednesday, when the Conway campaign released an e-mail sent by the host of a Mongiardo fundraiser planned for September 21, also in Northern Kentucky. The host, businessman Ray Hardebeck, describes "a special reception with these two individuals is being held for those who are the Hosts of this event ($1,000 contributors) and would like to have access or have special needs that need to be discussed with the Governor and Lt Governor."
In releasing the Mongiardo backer's e-mail, Conway spokesperson Mark Riddle said, "This is an example of how Mongiardo says one thing but does another behind closed doors. It's the height of hypocrisy. Kentucky voters expect candidates to say what they mean and mean what they say."
But, the Mongiardo campaign's Geveden argues that Conway's offer of special access was worse, because it was Conway himself who endorsed the offer with a handwritten request, while the Mongiardo "special access" offer was in a personal email sent by a private individual to his personal friends without the knowledge or authorization of anyone on the Mongiardo campaign.
The primary is still eight months away.
