Since I live right across the river in Cincinnati, I've been keeping an eye on this race. I teach at a university in the 4th District of Kentucky as well.
(shameless blogwhore link: this is all crossposted at my blog, Walk In Brain)
Well, if this Cincinnati Enquirer article is to be believed, Nick Clooney, the father of actor/director George Clooney, is WELL ahead of Geoff Davis in the race to replace Ken Lucas (D-Richwood).
Some quotes from all involved. First, the Clooney camp:
"This is remarkable," said Bob Doyle, Clooney's Washington-based political adviser.
"Geoff Davis has been running for Congress for three years, spent hundreds of thousands of dollars promoting his candidacy on TV in a district that President Bush carried with more than 60 percent of the vote, and he can't get out of the 30s."
Now, for the other side and Davis:
"Clooney's numbers will drop significantly when we voters start learning about his extreme left-wing positions," [Davis campaign advisor Justin] Brasell said.
Davis' poll shows that when Clooney is described as a "liberal Democrat" who worked in the media and has family connections to Hollywood, he trails Davis 38 percent to 58 percent.
There's only one flaw in your logic there, Mr. Brasell. Yes, any generic Democrat described as above would lose in that district by about those margins. But this isn't any generic Democrat. Nick Clooney is loved and respected on his own merits, and has been in those parts since the 1950s. I guarantee you that people know his connections to Hollywood, and know he's coming from the center-left. And you know what?
THEY DON'T CARE.
Yes, I know the article says that Clooney is "anti-abortion, pro-support of defense of marriage, and pro-Second Amendment." You know what? Even though I disagree with Clooney on some of those issues, I think it's a moot point. Here's why:
No matter how much Clooney personally may support the Federal Marriage Amendment (and I can't find anything that says one way or the other on FMA - "pro-support of defense of marriage" may not be the same as supporting the amendment, after all), he's going to cast his first, most important vote for Nancy Pelosi for speaker. If the Democrats retake the House, they'll control all the committees. And I promise you that the FMA would never make it to the floor if the Democrats control the house.
Clooney might well vote for the FMA if he's put in a situation where he'd HAVE to, given his district - but like all good politicians, he knows the best way to have your cake and eat it to is to say, "Well, I'd have voted for it, if it made it to the floor!" and work behind the scenes to make sure that never happens.
Oh, and for those of you who had been wondering, I found his website. At first glance, it doesn't look too bad!
WF