(WHAS11) - In a deal reportedly brokered by former Kentucky Democratic Party Chairman Jerry Lundergan, Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo has endorsed Jack Conway in the U.S. Senate race.
Mongiardo backed into the endorsement, two and a half months after Conway defeated him in the Democratic primary. It comes three days before the traditional kickoff to the campaign season, the Fancy Farm picnic in Graves County, Kentucky.
In a statement four hours after Mongiardo's, Conway called Mongiardo, "A leader who has always had the courage to stand up for his convictions."
Conway added that Mongiardo helped the other Senate candidates focus on what is at stake in the election.
Mongiardo has cancelled his planned appearance at Fancy Farm.
It is, however, a generic endorsement:
"I am announcing my support for Democratic candidates on the ticket this fall – from our U.S. Senate nominee Jack Conway to down ballot candidates across the Commonwealth," Mongiardo said in a statement.
Sources say that Mongiardo acted unilaterally, and that his campaign debt is still intact. Mongiardo had expressed frustration with the Conway campaign after he said it did not follow through on a pledge to help retire the campaign debt.
People close to Mongiardo have insisted that his endorsement has never been about the money, but about trust. As a result, how Conway dealt with the campaign debt issue has been a factor in whether Mongiardo would entertain an endorsement.
"He is an honorable person who is doing the right thing to help ensure Democratic victories in November," said Daniel Logsdon, Chairman and Executive Director of the Kentucky Democratic Party. In an indication of the difficulties that preceded the announcement, Logsdon thanked Mongiardo for the endorsement.
The effect of the announcement is blunted by media coverage in Louisville dominated by the impending verdict in the Karen Sypher extortion case of Rick Pitino.
News release:
Mongiardo Announces Support for Democratic Candidates
Statement by Lt. Governor Daniel Mongiardo:
"Because Fancy Farm is the premiere political event in Kentucky and is a defining moment for every political candidate, I believe my fellow Democrats who will be on the ballot this fall deserve to have the stage to themselves. Therefore, I have notified organizers of Fancy Farm and the other related events that I will not be attending this year. However, I am looking forward to next year and also traveling to Western Kentucky in the coming weeks to visit with friends and supporters.
It was disappointing to lose such a close election. I was even more disappointed knowing that I let down so many people who were counting on me; the everyday, honest, hardworking Kentuckians who are too often ignored by the political insiders and party power brokers.
Some have speculated whether or not I would support our Party’s United States Senate nominee Jack Conway. Let me be clear. While I am an independent Kentucky Democrat who, like many Kentuckians, don’t always agree with the policies advocated by the politicians in Washington, I strongly believe in our Party’s core Democratic principles. My goal has always been to help make the Commonwealth of Kentucky a better place to call home.
I will always be a champion for the working poor and middle class families who are being hammered by this economy and the unemployed who are desperately searching for a job that pays a living wage. I will continue to be an advocate for our seniors on fixed incomes and Kentucky’s farm families and small businesses who struggle to make ends meet.
It is on their behalf and on behalf of all hardworking Kentuckians that today, I am announcing my support for Democratic candidates on the ticket this fall – from our U.S. Senate nominee Jack Conway to down ballot candidates across the Commonwelath like Rex Smith in Western Kentucky to Marty Myer in Louisville and Robin Webb in Eastern Kentucky."
