© 2024 Louisville Public Media

Public Files:
89.3 WFPL · 90.5 WUOL-FM · 91.9 WFPK

For assistance accessing our public files, please contact info@lpm.org or call 502-814-6500
89.3 WFPL News | 90.5 WUOL Classical 91.9 WFPK Music | KyCIR Investigations
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Stream: News Music Classical

What Should Alison Lundergan Grimes Do Next?

Half of Kentucky voters are against former U.S. Senate Candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes running for governor in 2015, according to a new poll released this week.

A third of the respondents said Grimes should run, according to the Bluegrass Poll from the Lexington Herald-Leader, The Courier-Journal, WKYT and WHAS-11.

Grimes, a Democrat who currently serves as Kentucky's secretary of state, has not said that she would seek the position.

On Thursday, James Comer, the Republican gubernatorial candidate, mused about a potential matchup.

Comer, the state's agriculture commissioner, said Grimes' recent loss certainly didn't mark the end of her political career.

"She has a future in Kentucky politics," Comer said. "But I think she's going to have to wait a while, try and re-invent herself."

Republican Hal Heiner and Democrat Jack Conway have also thrown their hats into the race for the governor's seat.

The Bluegrass Poll has received a share of criticism since election returns were significantly off-the-mark from months of polling. The poll recently had Grimes losing to Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell by five points. McConnell won Tuesday by 15 points.

Overall, the Bluegrass Poll is relatively split on which party should lay claim to the governor's mansion. Forty-three percent of those polled trust a Democrat to hold the office, while 41 trust Republicans. The poll has a margin of error of 3.8 percent.

Conway, Kentucky's attorney general and a Democratic candidate, got the best of the gubernatorial poll numbers. About 27 percent of respondents said they had a favorable opinion of him, with 19 percent holding an unfavorable opinion.

Conway joined Grimes Tuesday night at her campaign headquarters. Asked to forecast her next step, Conway, who lost his own bid for U.S. Senate in 2010, suggested a respite for the Grimes family was in order.

"I mean, they've been through a lot, and of anyone else in Kentucky, Elizabeth and I know what (Grimes) and (her husband) Andrew are going through tonight," Conway said. "So taking a little time, take a deep breath, understand what they want for their future."

Kentucky voters will be able to cast their ballots in the gubernatorial primaries on May 20, 2015.