Whatever side of the fence you sit on, the 2010 Senate race in Kentucky is going to be one of the most important campaigns nationwide.
The political buzz nationwide is that the Senate race — left wide open by Republican Sen. Jim Bunning’s retirement — leaves room for a possible party seat change in the Senate.
In the last Kentucky Senate election, Sen. Mitch McConnell doubled the spending of his opponent, Bruce Lunsford, to maintain his seat and prevent the state from losing its firm shade of red. In turn, the Democrats sent former President Bill Clinton and then Sen. Hillary Clinton to help counterbalance the spending gap and help influence the state towards the Democratic side. In the end McConnell came out victorious, but the Democrats gained ground and are now seeking to take the open seat.
With Bunning deciding not to seek re-election, he left a wide-open race with no incumbent candidates. As of now candidates Jack Conway, Trey Grayson, Bill Johnson, Brian D. Oerther, Daniel Mongiardo, Rand Paul, Darlene Fitzgerald Price, Maurice Sweeney and Roger Thoney all are vying for the right to represent Kentucky in the Senate.
Having that many candidates, it can be difficult to make an informed decision beyond picking the candidate with the largest campaign budget or the most exposure. That’s where the Citizen Kentucky Project comes in.
To help provide a little information to UK students, this year CKP has invited all nine candidates to a forum for UK students, faculty and staff.
“The Citizen Kentucky Project is built on the premise that the people, the press and public life are one big dysfunctional family,†said creator of the Citizen Kentucky Project and director of the UK First Amendment Center Buck Ryan. “We need to create a public space where we can change the relationships to bring meaningful public deliberation to bear on public policy issues.â€
With the May 18, 2010 primary election fast approaching, students must take the necessary steps to prepare for the critical election, which is to be followed by the general election on Nov. 2, 2010. That means being informed, being properly registered to vote and selecting a candidate based on their merits. The CKP will have follow-up forums in the Spring and next Fall to help students gather more information and decide who should represent Kentucky nationally in Congress.
Student input is often left out of critical decisions that affect their interests, something UK students are all too familiar with. This election is just one of many steps students must take to prove they will have their voices heard.
Too often students get fired up about causes, but time and adversity wring out the initial fervor and students acquiesce to complacency that allows the powers that be to make the same decisions they have made in the past.
Until students prove political interests extend beyond charismatic characters and particular issues, you can count on things staying exactly the same. If students can’t find a way to make a race of such importance a priority then what does that say about young people’s future?
Our state and nation rely on the fact that eligible voters (which includes college students), take the opportunity to inform themselves about candidates and select the correct choice. CKP is a step in that right direction.
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