LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Businessman Bruce Lunsford, who rose from the tobacco fields to the corporate boardroom, captured Kentucky's Democratic Senate primary Tuesday, winning a chance to challenge Republican leader Mitch McConnell, a four-term incumbent with a big campaign bankroll.
Lunsford capitalized on his name recognition from an aggressive TV campaign and two failed runs for governor to handily defeat another businessman, Greg Fischer, and a pack of little-known Democrats.
With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Lunsford had 51 percent, compared with 34 percent for Fischer.
McConnell easily defeated his sole opponent in the GOP primary, little-known truck driver Daniel Essek. With 100 percent of precincts counted, McConnell had 86 percent of the vote, while Essek had 14 percent.
Lunsford told supporters he expected a wave of attacks from McConnell, who is known for a bareknuckled style.
"He's going to call me a lot of names, but in January he's going to call me senator," Lunsford said.
McConnell immediately tried to link Lunsford with Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, who was trounced by rival Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Kentucky primary Tuesday. McConnell said he looked forward to running against "the Lunsford-Obama plan for America."
McConnell campaign spokesman Justin Brasell said the senator would run "the most prepared and aggressive campaign Kentuckians have ever experienced."
Elsewhere, longtime state lawmaker David Boswell defeated fellow Daviess County Democrat Reid Haire in their pursuit of an open congressional seat in the 2nd District, covering parts of central and western Kentucky. Boswell will face a fellow state senator, Republican Brett Guthrie of Bowling Green, in the fall.
With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Boswell had 59 percent of the vote and Haire had 41 percent.
The conservative district was a national bellwether in 1994 when Republican Ron Lewis pulled an upset in a special election months before the GOP took over the House. Lewis decided not to seek another term this year.
Boswell said his voting record as a state lawmaker reflects the district's mood.
"I think the votes that were cast today by a lot of moderate to conservative Democrats feel like I fit that shoe," he said.
Guthrie said he would stress his "common-sense, conservative values" in the fall race.
In a Louisville-area district, former Rep. Anne Northup got more than three-fourths of the vote in a multi-candidate GOP primary to win a rematch against Democratic Rep. John Yarmuth, who ousted the five-term congresswoman two years ago.
Northup predicted that Yarmuth would follow the same strategy of linking her with Bush.
"He'll use George Bush's name as many times as possible because it worked for him during the last campaign," she said. "Well you know what? That president's name isn't on the ballot this year."
Yarmuth, who had no primary challenger, said he looked forward to the rematch, saying Northup has "supported consistently the policies that have been overwhelmingly rejected" by the district's voters.
The Senate matchup between McConnell and Lunsford could turn into a bruising, free-spending fight.
McConnell is a prolific fundraiser who raised more than $12 million in campaign cash through March, while Lunsford spent about $14 million of his own money in his gubernatorial campaigns in 2003 and 2007.
Lunsford abruptly exited the 2003 race just days before the primary, and four years later finished a distant second in the Democratic primary.
Lunsford touted his humble roots growing up on a Kentucky tobacco farm and working on a road crew to help put him through college. His early boyhood included a few years in which he did without indoor plumbing.
But the millionaire now enjoys a jet-set lifestyle as a partner in a movie production company and an owner of thoroughbred race horses.
Lunsford spent much of the campaign focused on McConnell, linking the lawmaker to President Bush.
Lunsford has said the Iraq war was ill-conceived and accused McConnell of giving Bush a series of "blank checks" for the war. But Lunsford steered clear of strict timetables for troop withdrawals.
Domestically, Lunsford opposes changing Social Security to allow private accounts, supports letting Bush's tax cuts expire for top wage earners and talks broadly about universal access to health insurance.
Fischer, a political newcomer, attacked Lunsford's party loyalty, noting that Lunsford was a past political contributor to McConnell and other Republicans. Lunsford said he contributed to GOP candidates to protect his business interests, and said he had given considerably more to Democrats in the past.
Fischer also ran a TV ad reminding Democrats that Lunsford crossed party lines to support Republican Ernie Fletcher, who was elected Kentucky governor in 2003. Lunsford has said his support for Fletcher was a mistake.
Fischer ads also focused on Lunsford's management of Vencor Inc., a nursing home and hospital company that soared to Fortune 500 status before plunging into Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1999.
Lunsford blamed the bankruptcy filing on government cuts in medical reimbursement rates.
The company reorganized and emerged from bankruptcy in 2001 and was renamed Kindred Healthcare.
Lunsford contributed more than $1 million of his money earlier in the spring to help finance his Senate campaign, while Fischer bolstered his campaign bank account with $510,000 of his money.
In other races, Rep. Geoff Davis handily defeated two Republican challengers in the 4th District, which covers large portions of northern Kentucky. Democrat Michael Kelley will challenge Davis, who got 85 percent of the vote, in the fall.
Jon Larson defeated Tony McCurdy in a close race to claim the GOP nomination in central Kentucky's 6th District. Larson will face Democratic Rep. Ben Chandler, who had no primary opponent.
Rep. Ed Whitfield, who represents the 1st District covering much of western Kentucky, was unopposed in the primary and will face Democratic challenger Heather A. Ryan in the fall.
Republican Rep. Harold "Hal" Rogers has no opponent this year in the 5th District.
------
Associated Press writers Will Graves and Dylan T. Lovan contributed to this report.
7-day Archive
