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Beshear picks up Republican endorsementsBy Roger Alford, Associated Press
September 18, 2007

LEXINGTON - Two well-known Republicans broke away from Kentucky's first GOP governor in a generation to endorse Democratic gubernatorial nominee Steve Beshear on Monday.

Former U.S. Rep. Larry Hopkins - who represented the 6th District, which includes Lexington, from 1979 to 1993 - appeared with Beshear in downtown Lexington to announce his support.

"I believe Steve Beshear can provide the leadership Kentucky needs," said Hopkins, who was the Republican nominee for governor in 1991, losing to Democrat Brereton Jones.

Former state Rep. Steve Nunn, the son of the former Republican governor Louie Nunn, said he also would support Beshear.

Steve Nunn called the last four years during Fletcher's administration "a comedy of errors."

"Four years of failed leadership has led to this decision," Nunn said.

Beshear said neither Nunn nor Hopkins asked him for anything in return for their endorsements, nor did he promise them anything in return.

Fletcher said on Monday that he has considerable support from Democrats, adding that the Nunn and Hopkins endorsement of Beshear is "one of those things. You're going to have some folks go either way."

Later in a statement, Fletcher spokesman Jason Keller said that "there are a significant number of Democrats supporting Gov. Fletcher in this election because they recognize that he is the only candidate that represents Kentucky's values and will not invite the scourge of casino gambling into our commonwealth."

But Keller declined to name them.

Nunn, who lost to Fletcher in the 2003 Republican primary, said his decision had nothing to do with sour grapes. Nunn expressed concern about the investigation into whether Fletcher's administration had violated state hiring laws in an alleged scheme to reward political supporters with state jobs.

Fletcher and at least 14 of his aides and associates were indicted. Fletcher issued pardons for everyone except himself. His lawyers worked out a deal with prosecutors to have the charges against him dropped.

Hopkins said he wants the opportunity to vote on a referendum on whether to legalize casino gambling, and said he believes so do most other Kentuckians.

Beshear supports amending Kentucky's Constitution to allow limited casino gambling. He says Kentuckians already spend huge amounts at casinos across the border in Indiana and Illinois, and taxes from legalized gambling could help fund education, health care and other initiatives.

Fletcher says he'll fight any effort to legalize casinos. The governor previously said he would not oppose efforts to put such a measure on the ballot, but abruptly changed his stance after this year's primary, citing his personal opposition to gambling.

Fletcher and Beshear appeared at a higher education conference in Louisville in the afternoon and ended the day with a feisty appearance on "Kentucky Tonight," a weekly public affairs program on Kentucky Educational Television.

In sometimes sharp exchanges, Fletcher and Beshear verbally attacked each other on the two issues that have overshadowed the campaign: Fletcher's legal woes and Beshear's support for casino gambling.

One of the harshest exchanges came when Beshear said Fletcher entered into a "plea bargain" with prosecutors to have an indictment dismissed.

"The charges were dropped, that's not a plea bargain," Fletcher said.

"Oh yes it was a plea bargain," Beshear retorted.

At the education conference earlier in the day, Beshear said Kentucky has lost its momentum as a national trendsetter in education, and accused Fletcher of underinvesting in the system - from kindergarten through college.