Carroll hopes to lead state Democrats back to power

[Thom Little]

By Ryan Alessi
Lexington Herald-Leader
Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2005



Kentucky Democrats, seeking to gain political ground in light of the recent slide by Republican Gov. Ernie Fletcher, continue to wrestle with the same internal demons that have plagued the party for years: Raising campaign contributions. Unifying various factions. Side-stepping contentious primary races. Even solidifying its public image.

Seeing that those remain the prime challenges for the party heading into the 2006 and '07 elections, former Democratic Gov. Julian Carroll has been privately pushing his political strategy -- which includes having a select group whittle down the field of potential nominees for the governor's race.

"I'm assuming a position of leadership in the party as a result of being re-elected to the Kentucky state Senate," said Carroll -- who won a seat that includes Frankfort and part of Lexington last November, a quarter-century after leaving the governor's mansion.

"I'm accepting the responsibility of restoring the proper image to the Democratic Party," he said. But some of the specifics of his plan, as he's explained it to other Democrats, have raised some red flags


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