Primary Win 1st, Running Mate 2nd?
FRANKFORT – What could Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential win show us about Kentucky’s election laws? You’d be surprised, says Secretary of State Trey Grayson, a Republican. Grayson is peddling a proposal that would allow the political parties’ nominees for governor to choose their running mates after the May primary elections. Currently, gubernatorial candidates must pluck a No. 2 from the ranks to complete a “slate” before filing the official paperwork to run. But that can sometimes be a hindrance, if not a deterrent, to lesser-known Kentuckians who are mulling a run. Enter Clinton’s ’92 campaign. When it began, Clinton was a no-name, small-state governor facing more famous and experienced pols such as Sen. Bob Kerrey of Nebraska and former Massachusetts Sen. Paul Tsongas. “If Clinton had to pick a running mate in the beginning, he would have had a hard time getting someone credible,” Grayson said. “Here in Kentucky, there’s people who might want to run who would be considered long sho
