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Update from Pol Watchers: Bruce Lunsford, a Democratic candidate for
U.S. Senate, apologized Wednesday for a misstatement during a statewide
televised debate on Monday about his prior campaign contributions to Republican
candidates.
LOUISVILLE, May
13, 2008 – Bruce Lunsford did not tell the truth during the KET Democratic
Senate Primary debate last night when he said he didn't donate
“tens-of-thousands of dollars” to Republicans. According to state and federal
election finance records, Lunsford has given more than $60,000 to Republican
candidates since 1990.
In the most
heated moment of the debate, Lunsford criticized Fischer’s financial
contributions to Democrats as insufficient. Responding to the attack, Fischer
pointed to Lunsford’s financial contributions to Republican candidates. “Bruce
has given tens-of-thousands of dollars to Republicans,” Fischer said.
Lunsford then
accused Fischer of distorting the truth “I haven’t given tens-of-thousands of
dollars to Republicans. In fact it’s just the opposite,” Lunsford said.
The following
list of Lunsford contributions to Republicans shows that Lunsford gave $60,850
to Republicans from March 1990 to Ocober 2006. The list is compiled from
records from the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance; Arkansas Secretary of
State Office, New York State Board of Elections; and the Federal Election
Commission.
|
Date |
Committee |
Contribution |
|
03/19/90 |
McConnell for Senate |
$250.00 |
|
04/20/90 |
McConnell for Senate |
$200.00 |
|
05/23/91 |
Re-Elect Packwood Committee |
$1,000.00 |
|
01/29/92 |
Bush-Quayle '92 Primary Committee, Inc. |
$1,000.00 |
|
05/20/92 |
McConnell for Senate |
$250.00 |
|
08/10/92 |
Susan B. Stokes for Congress Committee |
$500.00 |
|
09/23/92 |
Republican National Committee |
$1,000.00 |
|
01/20/93 |
McConnell for Senate |
$500.00 |
|
01/20/93 |
McConnell for Senate |
$1,000.00 |
|
04/22/93 |
Hal Rogers for Congress |
$250.00 |
|
05/23/94 |
Susan B. Stokes for Congress Committee |
$1,000.00 |
|
07/27/94 |
Susan B. Stokes for Congress Committee |
$1,000.00 |
|
03/24/95 |
Dole for President, Inc. |
$1,000.00 |
|
09/26/95 |
Alexander for President, Inc. |
$1,000.00 |
|
10/04/95 |
Republican Party of Kentucky |
$2,500.00 |
|
10/16/95 |
Dole for President, Inc. |
$50.00 |
|
04/12/96 |
Ron Lewis for Congress |
$500.00 |
|
05/03/96 |
Republican National Committee |
$2,500.00 |
|
06/04/96 |
Citizens for Bunning |
$250.00 |
|
06/13/96 |
Republican House-Senate Dinner |
$5,000.00 |
|
07/10/96 |
Northup for Congress |
$500.00 |
|
10/24/96 |
Northup for Congress |
$500.00 |
|
03/31/97 |
National Republican Senatorial
Committee |
$5,000.00 |
|
01/29/97 |
Northup for Congress |
$500.00 |
|
06/10/97 |
1997 Republican Senate-House Dinner |
$5,000.00 |
|
06/10/97 |
National Republican Congressional
Committee |
$2,500.00 |
|
06/10/97 |
National Republican Senatorial
Committee |
$2,500.00 |
|
07/10/97 |
Bluegrass Committee (Sen. McConnell's
PAC) |
$2,500.00 |
|
07/11/97 |
Citizens for Bunning |
$1,000.00 |
|
07/30/97 |
New Republican Majority Fund |
$5,000.00 |
|
03/16/98 |
Bluegrass Committee (Sen. McConnell's
PAC) |
$2,500.00 |
|
04/24/98 |
Northup for Congress |
$250.00 |
|
07/09/98 |
Northup for Congress |
$1,000.00 |
|
10/27/99 |
McConnell for Senate |
$250.00 |
|
04/07/00 |
Bush for President Inc. |
$1,000.00 |
|
05/01/02 |
Lamar Alexander for Senate |
$1,000.00 |
|
05/15/02 |
Mike Huckabee |
$1,000.00 |
|
05/22/02 |
Janet Huckabee |
$500.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
05/25/04 |
Republican Party of Kentucky |
$1,000.00 |
|
06/23/04 |
Northup for Congress |
$500.00 |
|
03/14/05 |
Northup for Congress |
$500.00 |
|
10/13/05 |
New York State Senate Republican
Campaign Committee |
$1,000.00 |
|
10/31/05 |
Rep. Trey Grayson, Sec. of State |
$1,000.00 |
|
05/15/06 |
Northup for Congress |
$1,600.00 |
|
05/15/06 |
Northup for Congress |
$500.00 |
|
10/05/06 |
Northup for Congress |
$1,500.00 |
|
|
Total |
$60,850.00 |
"I don't
enjoy having to point out this discrepancy," said Fischer. "But when
a candidate for public office stands before a statewide audience on live TV
and says something that's blatently false, I think you have to point that out."
In another
misleading attack during last night’s debate, Lunsford lambasted Fischer for
failing to support Democratic Congressman John Yarmuth in 2006. However,
Lunsford failed to disclose that he himself contributed $4,100 to Yarmuth’s
opponent, Republican Anne Northup in that campaign.
“Lunsford has a
problem with the truth. He's demonstrated a pattern of distortion when it
suits his purposes,” said Kim Geveden, Fischer campaign political director.
“He’s bending the truth when he describes Vencor, a company he bankrupted, as
one of the greatest business success stories in Kentucky. He’s bending the
truth when he defends his record as CEO of Vencor, by saying the company never
admitted guilt when it paid a $104 million fine to settle Justice Department
charges of fraudulent billing. And he outright lied last night when he said he
hadn’t donated tens-of-thousand of dollars to Republicans.”
“The pattern is
clear,” Geveden said. "When you confront Lunsford with facts he doesn’t like,
he twists, distorts and hides the truth.”
Lunsford’s
history of supporting Republicans is well documented. In 2003, Lunsford
entered the Democratic Primary race for Governor against fellow Democrats Jody
Richards and Ben Chandler. However, four days before the election, Lunsford
abruptly quit the race. Then during the general election for governor, Lunsford
endorsed Republican Ernie Fletcher and appeared at a press conference with Sen.
Mitch McConnell to make the announcement. After Fletcher won the governor’s
race, Lunsford chaired the Fletcher transition committee that re-cast
Kentucky's executive branch in a Republican mold.
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