FRANKFORT — Candidates for attorney general are pulling in some outside help in the final days of the campaign – especially Republican Todd P’Pool, who announced Friday former Alaska governor and one-time vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has endorsed him.
P’Pool’s campaign has also sent out an email to supporters with a link to an audio of a robo-call by Palin.
Democrat Jack Conway, on the same day, sent supporters an email fundraising appeal from former Vermont governor Howard Dean, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, saying P’Pool is “attempting a last-minute smear campaign out of desperation” and asking supporters to contribute to Conway’s campaign.
P’Pool has begun airing television ads which imply Conway interfered in a Louisville drug investigation in which his brother was mentioned. Conway has responded with his own ad, speaking directly into the camera and saying P’Pool is out of bounds for involving his family in the campaign.
P’Pool has his own surrogate making fundraising appeals. On Thursday, the Republican State Leadership Committee appealed to other attorneys general to contribute to P’Pool’s campaign to help him pay for television ads.
While P’Pool began airing spots early in the campaign – unusual for non-gubernatorial candidates – Conway has outraised P’Pool and outspent him in the final days of the campaign. Additionally in the most recent campaign finance reporting period, P’Pool showed cash balance of $17,600 compared with Conway’s balance of $174,800.
Earlier this year P’Pool loaned his primary campaign account $250,000 and has paid back around $50,000 of that. That account still has around $195,000 which P’Pool could transfer to his general campaign account – or use to pay back most of the balance on his loan.
P’Pool has deflected questions about why he hasn’t transferred the money to his general campaign account. When asked about the primary balance by CNHI News Thursday, P’Pool said his campaign will have enough money to fund ads and the campaign through Tuesday’s election and said he’s been raising money at “a rapid rate” since his last campaign finance report.
Asked if his reluctance to transfer the balance of his primary account indicated anything about his election prospects, P’Pool predicted a “photo-finish” Tuesday against Conway.
In a press release Friday P’Pool said Palin’s “endorsement brings a level of energy and excitement to our race that is nearly impossible to match.”
On the robo-call, Palin calls P’Pool a “common-sense conservative” who will “stand up and defend our constitution [and] fight against Obamacare and stop Obama’s EPA from destroying Kentucky coal jobs.” P’Pool mentions Obama, the health care reform and claims Obama wants to destroy the coal industry at nearly every campaign stop.
RONNIE ELLIS writes for CNHI News Service and is based in Frankfort. Reach him at rellis@cnhi.com. Follow CNHI News Service stories on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cnhifrankfort.
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