In this year’s tense primary elections, Kentucky candidates are quickly learning that even the NCAA rivalry between Duke and the University of Kentucky could affect their Senate bids.
“In a close race, everything matters,” said Michael Munger, chairman of the Political Science Department at Duke University. “It is important to endorse the same values. Duke is an ‘outsider’ place, even in North Carolina.”
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Kentucky’s May 18 primary approaches as both Duke and the University of Kentucky are No. 1-seeded schools in the NCAA playoffs. This year the court rivalry carries into primary campaigning as a Duke grad and a UK grad face off in both the Republican and the Democratic primaries.
In the GOP race, Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson is publicizing his UK degree with a new campaign ad. The ad shows video of rival Rand Paul identifying himself as a Duke Blue Devil. Grayson ends the video with the message “Beat Duke, vote Grayson.”
“It is a lighthearted Web ad meant to energize our supporters. We’re having some fun as we work to organize our campaign,” said Grayson campaign manager Nate Hodson. “It lets us show some pride in the commonwealth during an exciting time of year. There is no place like Kentucky in March.”
Paul’s camp did not respond to a request for comment.
Meanwhile in the Dem race, candidates are bickering over a bracket wager. A challenge from Lt. Gov. and UK grad Dan Mongiardo to his contender, Duke grad and Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway was publicly refused.
In the wager, Mongiardo suggested that if Duke lost, Conway would serve as Mongiardo’s personal golf instructor. If UK lost, Mongiardo would be Conway’s guide on a wild turkey hunt.
Conway refused to participate and published an open letter to Mongiardo’s camp saying that a wager would “cheapen America’s greatest sporting event by injecting lowbrow political attacks into the NCAA tournament.”
“Evidently, he got really upset by it. He said it was a lowbrow political move. I’ll guess he is part of the highbrow crowd,” said Kim Geveden, spokesman for Mongiardo’s camp.
Conway’s camp did not respond to The Examiner‘s request for further comment.
Munger said Conway’s decision to keep the brackets separate from the ballots was the right one.
“Absolutely it was the right thing to do. Don’t ever validate something that makes you opposed to the state you are running in,” he said.
