Louisville, Ky. (WHAS11) - In Louisville Wednesday, Democratic Senate candidate Jack Conway says the race against Rand Paul is a dead heat, but that he has the momentum.
Armed with both internal and independent polling that shows the race is tightening, Conway continues to take issue with the voter turnout projections in a September 5 WHAS11/Courier-Journal Bluegrass Poll that showed Republican Rand Paul leading Conway by 15 points, but with a disproportionate Republican voter turnout compared with past elections.
"I've been screaming at you about your poll for two weeks," Conway said to reporters at The Healing Place in Louisville, after the latest in a series of drug abuse roundtables. Conway again made the case for federal spending that he says Paul wants to cut, an issue he has made a focus of his campaign since Paul was quoted as saying that drug abuse is "not a real pressing issue" in the campaign.
"I'm here to talk about how can we be smarter on the drug issue," Conway said to the group, which included seven recovering addicts, "How can we be efficient in spending resources?"
Reminded that Paul has since clarified his remarks on federal spending for local drug issues, and that the Paul campaign says the Republican is not set out to cut drug task forces like Operation Unite, but merely wants to review all federal spending, Conway would have none of it.
"There's been a lot of stuff he's been quote unquote clarifying," Conway said, gesturing quotation marks with his hands, "The problem is, once he realizes the people of Kentucky won't buy his argument that he can't sell it, he reverts back and says 'that's an inoperative statement.' I never thought we'd go back to the time of Ron Ziegler and Watergate, when we have operative statements and inoperative statements. But with this guy, it seems like we're going there.
"But I think it's politically expedient for him and particularly in the eastern part of the state when people started hearing that he didn't think drugs were a pressing issue and he wanted to end federal funding. that's consistent with everything he's ever said. If you look at his statements throughout his career."
In defending the federal dollars that already flow into Kentucky's fight against drug abuse, Conway walks a tightrope between defending Kentucky's interests and defending the politically unpopular notion of more spending.
"I haven't talked about spending, spending, spending," Conway said when asked about that contrast, "I want to be fiscally responsible about this. But, there is a role for the federal government to play."
Conway suggested that the role of the federal government in drug policy should be expanded, to compel all U.S. states to track prescription pills and a new national standard for Internet pharmacies.
After Louisville Metro Police Sergeant Stan Salyards proposed making the cold and allergy medication, pseudoephedrine, a controlled substance that requires a prescription, Conway said he is open to the idea.
"I'm willing to take a look at it. I'm not quite there yet. But, if we have to make Sudafed a prescription, than these doctors need to realize the potency of some of the stuff that they are prescribing right now."
He added that the Kentucky Medical Association needs to "better police their profession."
Asked why he is talking about drugs when the key issue this election year appears to be jobs, Conway said, "I do talk about jobs and the economy. This is an issue that affects jobs and the economy."
"It's completely interwoven. And that's the reason I'm talking about it," Conway continued, "I'm still talking about job creation. I'm still talking about the fact that we need a hometown tax credit and we need, rather than growing government to create jobs, we need to provide incentives to the private sector to create jobs."
"Over $200 billion of stimulus is still unspent," Conway said, "What's that about? That makes me mad."
Conway says his message and campaign must be working - because even more money is being spent to attack him. The conservative group - American Crossroads has a new ad buy in Western Kentucky.
"It's an area where my opponent is losing strength."
Conway says his campaign will have the resources to counter the attacks -- which link Conway to national Democrats such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Obama.
Conway hinted that his ads will seek to distance himself from the national Democratic party leadership.
"We'll have a message that points out that Barack Obama is not on the ballot. I'm a Democrat and a proud Democrat, but I'm going to disagree with the President where appropriate," Conway said, "Like I disagreed with him on cap and trade, like i've disagreed with him on tax policy, disagreed with him on a number of issues."
Facing criticism from Paul and a number of outside groups attacking his support of national healthcare legislation, Conway says it's Paul who should be on the hotseat.
"I'd like to go up there and fix it and Rand Paul wants to repeal it," Conway said, "So I think the question is for Rand Paul, why does he want to repeal all of that? Why does he want to throw away all of that? It may not be the perfect bill, but does he want to be constructive or does he want to throw it wide open?"
In response to other questions, Conway said he is in favor of openly gay soldiers serving in the military, and is concerned about the U.S. Supreme Court decision that has led to unfettered spending by third party grous in elections, such as his own.
"My fear is that politicians will end up looking like NASCARS," Conway said, "You're looking at a United States Senator who won't be for sale."
