Nearly two months after the Democratic Senate primary, not only has Lt. Governor Daniel Mongiardo not endorsed the winner, Attorney General Jack Conway, but the relationship between the bitter rivals appears to be worse than ever.
Mongiardo tells CNHI's Ronnie Ellis that the Conway campaign has not delivered on a deal reached the day after the election. It's confirmation of a behind the scenes drama that has Democrats loyal to Mongiardo questioning if Conway can be trusted. It is a sign of a Democratic Party that Mongiardo has described as "fractured" and that may affect Conway's campaign against Republican Rand Paul.
Within twelve hours of Jack Conway claiming a narrow victory on primary night, Mongiardo announced he was seeking a vote recanvass.
But just hours later, he suddenly dropped it.
It's what happened between those announcements that is fostering bad blood now.
Mongiardo tells Ronnie Ellis what sources have shared with WHAS11 News -- that high level staff from both campaigns, acting on behalf of the candidates, reached an agreement the day after the primary. In exchange for Mongiardo dropping the recanvass, Conway would help him retire his campaign debt.
WHAS11 asked Conway if there was a quid pro quo.
"I'm not aware. I know that staff met the day after and Daniel Mongiardo and I talked on the phone sometime after that. I called him a number of times after that, but as far as I'm concerned, I'm not aware of any quid pro quo."
But did Conway's staff entertain a quid pro quo?
"I don't know what.... they sat around and talked for about an hour," Conway replied, "And there were discussions but there was never any cemented quid pro quo, just talking."
But there were discussions about the campaign money?
"I think there were discussions about a lot of different things," said Conway, "There were discussions about how we bring the party together."
Sources say the Conway campaign made the offer, concerned that if the election result was up in the air, Conway's fundraising would be jeopardized. The sources contend that Mongiardo has held up his end of the bargain, but that Conway has reneged on the deal.
"Listen, if the party people want to get together and help retire his debt, then I'm willing to be supportive of that," Conway allowed, "but this notion that I've got to, that we have to raise the money to retire his debt in order to get an endorsement, that is distasteful to me. I would imagine that is distaseful to Dr. Mongiardo as well."
Mongiardo tells Ellis that an endorsement was not on the table, but the deal would have been a first step toward bringing the party together.
"Jack Conway needs Dan Mongiardo to take it off the table," said Bob Gunnell, a Democratic Strategist with Peritus Public Relations.
Gunnell says in a tight race, Conway cannot afford any doubts raised by Mongiardo. Yet, he says Mongiardo also has a decision to make.
"People don't like sore losers. If he's seen as a sore loser, then that works against him long term," Gunnell said, "He has a future."
The future of the fall campaign lies in the hands of conservative Democrats, many of whom voted for Mongiardo.
"We're definitely courting his supporters," said Republican candidate Rand Paul, "And we are talking to them and I think we'll have some in the next week or so that we'll be announcing that they are going to support us."
Gunnell says it is not uncommon for primary winners to help retire the loser's campaign debt.
Conway supporters, however, may resist if they believe they are paying for the attack ads that Mongiardo ran against Conway.
