Buford Helped Chandler Raise Money???

Louisville Courier-Journal ^

[RedBlueNation]

FORGY AIDS BUFORD FOE IN RACE FOR CONGRESS

By Al Cross The Campaign Trail is an update on this year's elections.

Larry Forgy, the three-time Republican candidate for governor, resurfaced last week as campaign co-chairman for Lexington lawyer Bryan Coffman, one of three candidates in the GOP primary for Congress in the 6th District.

Forgy said in an interview that he is supporting Coffman because he is more conservative than the best-known Republican candidate, state Sen. Tom Buford of Nicholasville.

He said another reason is that Buford collected money for Democratic Rep. Ben Chandler in the February special election in which the Republican nominee was Forgy's sister, state Sen. Alice Forgy Kerr.

Buford had tried to get the nomination from party officials in the district, but he dropped out of that crowded contest and filed for the full two-year term that will begin next January.

Buford said in an interview that he merely gave Chandler an envelope from a friend who knew that he was going to hear the Democrat speak at a civic club meeting in Jessamine County the next day, and asked him to deliver it.

Chandler consultant Mark Nickolas said the envelope contained checks for the campaign. Buford said he didn't know what was in it.

"I figured it wasn't a love letter," he said. "I didn't ask any questions. It was none of my business."

Chandler aide Loren "Squirrel" Carl, who worked for Chandler in the attorney general's office and is a business colleague of Buford, said in an interview that Buford had earlier offered to raise money for Chandler.

"He said he would help get some money for Ben and I said OK, whatever you can, that would be appreciated," Carl said.

He said Buford told him that in December, and they had a similar conversation in January.

Buford said he and Carl discussed the special election, but he never said that he wanted to raise money for Chandler.

The other candidate in the 6th District is Republican Don Swarthout of Lexington.

The GOP candidates will debate at 8 tonight on KET.

Al Cross can be reached at across@courier-journal.com.

[RedBlueNation]

The press is reporting that State Senator Tom Buford, our likely nominee to face RAT Ben Chandler in the fall for KY's 6th congressional district seat, helped Chandler raise money in the special election, presumably after he failed to get the nod over Alice Forgy-Kerr. If this is true, it is more than troubling. Apparently, Buford denies offering to raise money, but does admit handing money to Chandler during the general election campaign!

Anyone else troubled by this?

[JohnnyZ]

Welcome to FR.

What we have here is a guy named Squirrel and a friend passing along an envelope.

[Republican Wildcat]

Not a surprise. Buford was behind the scenes trying to sabotage Kerr from the beginning. In addition, when the State Senate was 20-18, he threatened repeatedly to switch parties to cause the GOP to lose control (an idle threat after the majority was expanded in a subsequent election).

If you recall, a DNC troll which we discovered back during the coverage of said special election was taughting Buford and trashing Kerr.

[RedBlueNation]

Looks like this thing is spreading a bit. Not sure if we're better off with one of the other candidates. At least they wouldn't be tarnished with this behavior. Though I suspect Chandler would prefer Buford now that it's out. So much for loyalty these days. Does anyone know whether the other two candidates are credible?

---

Chandler says Buford helped fund campaign
Published 5/6/04
By Josh Thomas, Jessamine Journal


State Sen. Tom Buford has denied claims that he helped raise money for Democrat Ben Chandler in the Feb. 17 special election for the 6th District U.S. House seat.

Chandler defeated state Sen. Alice Forgy Kerr, R-Lexington, whom Buford endorsed after quitting the nomination contest himself.

Buford, a resident of Jessamine County, is now a candidate in the May 18 primary for the Republican nomination in the regular election, which will decide who gets to challenge Chandler in November. He has the backing of Republican Gov. Ernie Fletcher, whose third term in the House Chandler is completing as a result of his having won the special election.

The accusation that Buford was helping Chandler behind the scenes at the same time that he was openly supporting Kerr was first made by Chandler aide Loren "Squirrel" Carl, who worked with Chandler in the attorney general's office and currently works for Chandler's congressional office. Carl recently stepped down as chief of the Woodford County Police.

Buford and Carl have known each other for years and served on a bank board together. Buford admitted he and Carl had conversations regarding the election prior to Chandler's announced decision to enter the race.

Carl claims that Buford approached him on two occasions, in December and January, saying that he would help raise money for the Chandler campaign, and that he even asked to be put in contact with Chandler. It was after the second conversation that Carl said he put Chandler in contact with Buford, and the two allegedly spoke about fund-raising.

"He said he was willing to help raise some money for Chandler during the Alice Forgy Kerr campaign," said Carl. He said that Buford never gave a reason for wanting to help, but "said that he would help get some checks for Mr. Chandler."

Buford said that Carl's accusations are politics as usual.

"He is just wrong. I did not offer to raise money for Ben Chandler, and I don't know why he is saying these things," said Buford. "I am sure that I am their worst nightmare to come up in the November election. It's politics," said Buford. "I understand that they would want to criticize anything to assist in me being defeated in this primary."

Chandler, however, tells a different story.

"Well, sure, I had a long telephone conversation with him. It was after Mr. Carl had given me his number. I had called him on what I believe was his cell phone," Chandler said.

Chandler said that in their conversation, Buford offered to raise money and even talked about some of the problems with Kerr's voting record, especially some of the votes in favor of raising certain taxes.

"In December, as the candidate selection was under way for the Republicans and Democrats, they were trying to encourage Ben, but he wasn't a candidate then. Carl and I were having a conversation about the benefits of me running, my 14 years of experience, this and that. He said that he was curious about Kerr running, and he mentioned some things about voting records," Buford said. "If I agreed with him, I agreed with him."

"My goal has never been to get Ben Chandler in Congress. If it was, why would I be running against him?" Buford asked.

One incident in question involved Buford giving Chandler an envelope at a Jessamine County Rotary Club meeting. Buford said he was given the envelope by a friend who asked him to deliver it to Chandler at the meeting, but that he didn't know what was in it.

"I told him I was going to the meeting, because I said that I wanted to hear what Ben had to say. Basically, to see if he was going to say anything bad about Alice. I was going to report it. So he asked me to hand-deliver it. I didn't feel comfortable doing it, and I wouldn't have taken it for a stranger," said Buford. "But I knew him well. I didn't even look in it. I didn't sit with Ben at the meeting. I just handed it to him and said, 'Someone asked me to give this to you.'"

Chandler said that Buford knew exactly what the envelope contained.

"Well, he told me that it was money for the campaign. He didn't say who it was from, but it was a $2,000 check from New Mexico," he said. "I mean, everybody knows what's in an envelope like that."

Buford said that the accusations are a strategy by the Chandler campaign to hurt his credibility.

"I can't imagine it being anything else. Ben's got to do something to get me out of this race," Buford said.

Chandler is surprised at Buford's denial.

"I don't know what to say. I don't know why he would deny it, because that's just not the case. We didn't even ask him, he just offered," Chandler said.

Buford filed to run in the regular election before the Feb. 17 special election, explaining that polls showed Kerr was not doing well in the race against Chandler, and that the Republican Party needed a stronger candidate to run in the regular election in November for the new two-year term which begins in January 2005.

The state senator's public remarks at the time showed that he was also bothered by political maneuvering by U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to get Kerr the nomination. McConnell provided the core of Kerr's campaign staff and expressed his support. Buford withdrew from the nomination fight for the special election because, he said, McConnell's influence made any challenge unlikely to succeed.

Kerr's brother, Larry Forgy, a former Republican candidate for governor, has announced his support in the May primary for Lexington attorney Bryan Samuel Coffman in part because of Buford's alleged support assistance to Chandler. Another Lexington resident, Don Swarthout, is also seeking the GOP nomination. Kerr had been a candidate for the primary but dropped out after losing the special election.

[Republican Wildcat]

"Well, sure, I had a long telephone conversation with him. It was after Mr. Carl had given me his number. I had called him on what I believe was his cell phone," Chandler said. Chandler said that in their conversation, Buford offered to raise money and even talked about some of the problems with Kerr's voting record, especially some of the votes in favor of raising certain taxes.

"My goal has never been to get Ben Chandler in Congress. If it was, why would I be running against him?" Buford asked.

Obviously because he wanted to be the candidate and not Kerr and was therefore working to sabotage her campaign. I raised this point back during the discussion threads while this election was going on...now it is all finally coming out into the open.

[KQQL]

chandler will not lose this seat.

KERR BLEW IT !

[KQQL]

@

[Republican Wildcat]

Buford withdrew from the nomination fight for the special election because, he said, McConnell's influence made any challenge unlikely to succeed.

That's also a bunch of nonsense. Buford was planning to challenge in the primary even if Kerr (or whoever the candidate had ended up being) had won the Congressional seat.

[KQQL]

doesn't matter...Chandler will be reelected, unless he votes against the 25Billion for the troops.

----

Pickup possiblity for for GOP in KY is LUCAS's seat.

[skinkinthegrass]

..a DNC troll which we discovered back during the coverage of said special election was taughting Buford and trashing Kerr.

a DNC troll...BlueGrassPatriot was his Screedname...If this is Tom Buford = BGP. We must be sure...that its' not a 'RAT trick. :/

[Theodore R.]

I am sure if Buford is the "anointed" choice, the KY establishment will get him nominated, and certainly he will lose in the fall. He won't get a united GOP in the district, and the district is already majority Democrat in registration.

[Republican Wildcat]

Hmm...that's not the troll I was speaking of, but that was indeed a troll.

The troll I was speaking of was posting under multiple names and having conversations with himself trying to damage morale. He mistakenly responded to a post I made to one of his several Kentucky names with his South Dakota name--which is what confirmed my suspicions he was just pretending to be a supporter of the Republican candidates and preaching doom and gloom in an effort to spread the pessimism. JimRob confirmed they were all posting from the same IP address.

[Republican Wildcat]

(Let me also add, by the way, given this is the first posting of this individual to the forum I'm somewhat suspicious as to the motives...)

[the irate magistrate]

I'm not so sure that we needed another tax and spend candidate in Congress.

[skinkinthegrass]

..the district is already majority Democrat in registration.

..Thats, not necessarily true, believe it or not...the old style Democrat still lives in KY...w/this story out there, the GOP must be very careful with who runs on the ticket. A conservative should do well in Central KY., a RINO would be very bad news...most political registration are family traditions...and are only as such.

The Print Media, The very liberal Lexington Fishwrapper Herald-Leader, Louisville Courier-Journal (Urinal) has never endorses any consevative GOP candidate in recent memory...people read them for the sports/coupons; not the news, they are the major papers in the state.

[Torie]

Another totally correct and sensible prediction by you. The Lexington seat is NOT in play. It is ludicrous to think otherwise.

[Soldier7]

"Buford said in an interview that he merely gave Chandler an envelope from a friend who knew that he was going to hear the Democrat speak at a civic club meeting in Jessamine County the next day, and asked him to deliver it.

Chandler consultant Mark Nickolas said the envelope contained checks for the campaign. Buford said he didn't know what was in it. "

Does anyone else question the wisdom of passing an envelope, contents allegedly unknown, to a political candidate.

[webrep]

If you go to our website www.coffmanforcongress.com you will find other links to additional articles concerning Buford's misjudgements.

In case you folks haven't noticed, Larry Forgy, former Republican gubernatorial candidate, joined the campaign and we have the support of his family, his whole family, including sister Alice.

We've also recently received the endorsement from GOP USA. The "establishment", after hearing Bryan speak on several occasions, his 100% behind him, especially after the recent revelations concerning Buford.

Tom Buford IS NOT the nominee and on May 18th will not be as well.

Bryan Coffman is a conservative that can beat Ben Chandler in November. We will not allow him to pretend to be a conservative as he did in the special in February.

Thank you for your time

Billy Pickering
Coffman for Congress

[kentuck]

I don't believe a dem would lie in order to hurt a republican candidate that wants his seat do you
this must be all true